The Caroní River, majestic, imposing river of Venezuela, is registered as the number two in terms of size of its flow, this in the world. Here you can learn all about it, its history and see some of its impressive landscapes.
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Characteristics and location of the Caroní River
Venezuela, a wonderful country with many riches, is the owner of the Caroní River, considered the second largest river in the world.
The upper basin of the Caroní River is located in the Canaima National Park, in the Gran Sabana, near the border with Brazil (see article: Amazon River).
The Caroní River has a course of nine hundred and fifty-two kilometres, from the Kukenán Tepuy, where it begins its long journey, until it gives its waters to the majestic Orinoco, which is its main contributor.
The Caroní River has a basin of more than ninety-five thousand five hundred square kilometres. Its flow is between four thousand eight hundred and fifty cubic metres per second, depending on the season (rain or summer). Its water has a dark colour. The locals say this is due to the high iron content of the riverbed.
The Caroní River in Venezuela has the Paragua as a major contributor, in its long journey we will find waterfalls and streams, some slow sections and other rapids, with little slope meanders are formed, and some lakes, where we find beautiful river beaches and you can enjoy its waters.
Here is a short video of one of the waterfalls on the Caroní River. To be delighted and to propose to visit it.
Venezuela’s Caroní River is home to the famous Angel Falls, one of the wonders of the world. In the park La Llovizna is the waterfall La Llovizna, where you can go and enjoy its waters (see article: Río Caura).
In the Llovizna Park you can enjoy the river in all its splendour and visit the islands it forms, connected by suspension bridges. We can also observe a great variety of animals, from exotic birds to the most common ones.
Since we already know where the Caroní River is located, many call this area the urban jungle, because Ciudad Guayana has settled here and has learned to coexist with nature, taking advantage of the benefits offered by the Caroní River and all those that flow through it.
Why don’t the Caroní and Orinoco rivers join?
The gods opposed their love, but in love at last, they planned to meet far away from the mountains to escape them and unite forever in the sea.
In this image we can see how the waters of the two rivers meet but do not unite, following a long journey until the flow of the Orinoco overcomes them and they end up mixing.
It is a beautiful story, entertaining and romantic, but knowing the location of the Caroní River, the true story, what science shows is that they do not join because they have different densities, due to the elements that each one carries, the Orinoco is of yellowish colour because it has more clay and the Caroní carries darker materials, because their composition is very different they take a long time to join, the area where the rivers join is known as the Caronoco.
The importance of the Caroní River is also linked to the myth that aquatic species die when they cross from one side to the other at the confluence of the rivers. It is important to know that the species vary according to the composition of the water, each river has its own characteristic species, but there are some common between them, for example the coporo, which can live on both sides of the river, this is because its body has adapted to both environments.
Map of the Caroní River
On the map of Venezuela we can see the course of the Caroní River from its beginning, we can see that it receives the Paragua River as its main tributary, until it reaches the Orinoco River.
In the same way that we can see the course of the Caroní River, as well as its beginning, which makes many people wonder where the Caroní River is born, it is right on the map where this question is answered.
Another question is where the Caroní flows into the Orinoco, where they never meet.
After reading about all the wonders and watching the video of the spectacular landscapes, I invite you to visit the Gran Sabana and get to know all these beautiful landscapes personally and enjoy a bit of nature in all its splendour, as it is known as “the city jungle”.
Here you will find all the importance and characteristics of the Caroní River. The landscapes you will find are beautiful, and if you take the route along the Caroní River, you will be able to enjoy moments of peace while listening to the sound of its waters.
