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The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. The Orinoco and its tributaries are the major transportation system for eastern and interior Venezuela and the llanos of Colombia. The Orinoco is extremely diverse and hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna. ==History== The mouth of the Orinoco at the Atlantic Ocean was documented by Columbus on 1 August 1498, during his third voyage. Its source at the Cerro Delgado-Chalbaud, in the Parima range, was not explored by non-indigenous peoples until 1951, 453 years later. The source, near the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, at above sea level ( ), was explored in 1951 by a joint Venezuelan–French team. The Orinoco delta, and tributaries in the eastern llanos such as the Apure and Meta, were explored in the 16th century by German expeditions under Ambrosius Ehinger and his successors. In 1531 Diego de Ordaz, starting at the principal outlet in the delta, the Boca de Navios, sailed up the river to the Meta. Antonio de Berrio sailed down the Casanare to the Meta, and then down the Orinoco and back to Coro. Alexander von Humboldt explored the basin in 1800, reporting on the pink river dolphins. He published extensively on the river's flora and fauna.〔Helferich, Gerard (2004) ''Humboldt's Cosmos: Alexander von Humboldt and the Latin American Journey that Changed the Way We See the World,'' Gotham Books, New York, ISBN 1-59240-052-3.〕 The first bridge across the Orinoco was the Angostura Bridge at Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, completed in 1967. In 2006 a second bridge was completed near Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, known as the Orinoquia Bridge. The first powerline crossing of the Orinoco was completed in 1981 for a 800 kV TL single span of 1,200 meters using two towers 110 m tall. In 1992, an overhead power line crossing for two 400 kV-circuits was completed just west of Morocure (between the cities of Ciudad Bolivar and Ciudad Guayana), north of the confluence of Routes 1 and 19. It had three towers, and the two spans measured 2,161 m and 2,537 m respectively.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Orinoco」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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