Guiana Highlands

Guiana Highlands

  plateau and low-mountain region of South America located north of the Amazon and south of the Orinoco River. Comprising a heavily forested plateau, they cover the southern half of Venezuela, all of the Guianas except for the low Atlantic coastal plain, the northern part of Brazil, and a portion of southeastern Colombia. They are geologically similar to the Brazilian Highlands, from which they are separated by the eastern part of the Amazon lowland. The terrain comprises a mixture of three ascending elements: a basement of rolling hilly upland, standing mostly less than 1,000 feet (300 metres) above sea level; low mountains, near stream divides, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 metres) above sea level; and tabular plateaus, capped with resistant sandstone. The highest elevations are formed by the tabular plateaus, such as Mount Roraima (9,094 feet [2,772 metres]), where the boundaries of Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana meet. The Guiana Highlands extend westward across the Upper Orinoco.

      The whole region receives an abundance of rainfall, and no season is really dry. The vegetation is mostly tropical rainforest, but parts of southern Venezuela and Guyana are savanna. From the forests come valuable cabinet woods, balata, chicle, vanilla, insecticides, and medicinal plants. The crystalline rocks carry a wealth of minerals, but exploration is made difficult by the heavy plant cover. Gold and diamonds are mined, and the Serranía Imataca of Venezuela is a major source of iron ore.

      The most notable natural landmark in the highlands is Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall (3,212 feet [979 metres], with a base of 500 feet [150 metres]), on an affluent of the Caroní River in Venezuela.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Guiana Highlands — Sp Gviãnos plokščiãkalnis Ap Guiana Highlands angliškai Ap Altiplanicie de la Guayana ispaniškai Ap Hoogland van Guayana olandiškai Ap Meseta da Guiana portugališkai Ap Massif des Guyanes prancūziškai L Brazilijoje, Gajanoje, Prancūzijos Gvianoje …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Guiana Highlands — noun a mountainous tableland in northern South America; extends from Venezuela into Guyana and northern Brazil • Instance Hypernyms: ↑tableland, ↑plateau • Part Holonyms: ↑South America …   Useful english dictionary

  • Guiana Shield — The Guiana Shield [The term Guiana or The Guianas is often used as a collective name for Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and sometimes even includes the portions of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil which are on the Guiana Shield.] ( es.… …   Wikipedia

  • GUIANA —    1) an extensive tract of country in the N. of S. America fronting the Atlantic, bordering on Venezuela on the W., and for the rest hemmed in by Brazil; it is divided into British, Dutch, and French Guiana, all fronting the sea; the physical… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • French Guiana — French Guianese, French Guianan. /gee an euh, gee ah neuh/ an overseas department of France, on the NE coast of South America: formerly a French colony. 49,200; 35,135 sq. mi. (91,000 sq. km). Cap.: Cayenne. * * * French Guiana Introduction… …   Universalium

  • Brazilian Highlands — ▪ region, Brazil Portuguese  Planalto Central         eroded plateau region of central and southeastern Brazil. Comprising more than half of the country s landmass, the highlands are located mainly in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Goias, and Mato… …   Universalium

  • Meseta da Guiana — Sp Gviãnos plokščiãkalnis Ap Guiana Highlands angliškai Ap Altiplanicie de la Guayana ispaniškai Ap Hoogland van Guayana olandiškai Ap Meseta da Guiana portugališkai Ap Massif des Guyanes prancūziškai L Brazilijoje, Gajanoje, Prancūzijos Gvianoje …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Гвианское плоскогорье — (Guiana Highlands)Guiana Highlands, горное плато на С. Южной Америки, лежащее между реками Ориноко и Амазонка преимущественно в юго вост. Венесуэле и сев. Бразилии. Самая высокая вершина – гора Неблина (3014 м) …   Страны мира. Словарь

  • GuianaHighlands — Guiana Highlands A mountainous tableland region of northern South America extending from southeast Venezuela into Guyana and northern Brazil. * * * …   Universalium

  • Venezuela — Venezuelan, adj., n. /ven euh zway leuh, zwee /; Sp. /be ne swe lah/, n. a republic in N South America. 22,396,407; 352,143 sq. mi. (912,050 sq. km). Cap.: Caracas. * * * Venezuela Introduction Venezuela Background: Venezuela was one of the three …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”