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Meta River

Meta River
Ferry over the Rio Meta on the road from Puerto Ayacucho to San Fernando de Apure in Venezuela
Course of the Río Meta.
Meta River is located in Colombia
Meta River
Meta River is located in Venezuela
Meta River
Location
CountryColombia
Venezuela
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationColombia
 • elevationc. 1,300 m (4,300 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Orinoco at Puerto Carreño
 • coordinates
6°11′43″N 67°27′23″W / 6.19517°N 67.4564°W / 6.19517; -67.4564
Length1,100 km (680 mi)
Basin size103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi)[1] to 106,733 km2 (41,210 sq mi)[2]
Discharge 
 • average(Period of data: 1926-2011)5,694 m3/s (201,100 cu ft/s)[1] to 5,899 m3/s (208,300 cu ft/s)[2]
The Meta River and its tributaries

The Meta River is a major left tributary of the Orinoco River in eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela, South America. The Meta originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Andes and flows through the Meta Department, Colombia as the confluence of the Humea, Guatiquía and Guayuriba rivers. It flows east-northeastward across the Llanos Orientales ("Eastern Plains") of Colombia following the direction of the Meta Fault.[3] The Meta forms the northern boundary of Vichada Department, first with Casanare Department, then with Arauca Department, and finally with Venezuela, down to Puerto Carreño where it flows into the Orinoco.

The Meta River is 1,100 km (680 mi) long and its drainage basin is 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi). The Meta divides the Colombian Llanos in two different parts: the western portion on the left bank is more humid, receives the relatively nutrient-rich sediments from the Andean mountain range and therefore soils and tributaries are also nutrient-rich, while the eastern portion, high plain or altillanura, drains not to the Meta river but to the Orinoco, has a longer dry season and soils and surface waters are oligotrophic (nutrient poor).

The major tributaries of the Meta are the Cravo Sur, the Casanare, the Cusiana, the Upía and the Manacacías rivers.

  1. ^ a b José Rafael, Córdova; Marcelo González, Sanabria. "La geografía del agua" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Félix Dario, Sánchez; Martha, García; Omar, Jaramillo; Nelsy, Verdugo (2010). "Estudio Nacional del Agua 2010".
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BancoLlanos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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