The Inírida (, Spanish: Río Inírida) is a river in the north-west of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
, in the territory of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, the largest tributary of the
Guaviare (the
Orinoco River
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...
basin).
The length of the river is , of which are navigable for small vessels. There are rapids and waterfalls in the upper and middle courses of the river. The river has a dark colour due to the abundance of plant residues.
It originates in the Tuhani mountains in the
department of Guaviare, from
Cerro Pintado. In the upper course it flows first to the west, then turns to the east, on the plain it flows in a northeasterly direction. The river mouth is located in the
department of Guainía near the
town of Inírida, about from the border with
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. The Guaviare River takes waters of the Inírida, then flows north-east for , and together with the
Atabapo River merges with the Orinoco near the city of San Fernando de Atabapo.
See also
*
List of rivers of Colombia
References
*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.
Rivers of Colombia
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