The Llanos ( Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast

tropical grassland The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

plain situated to the east of the Andes in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome.

Geography

The Llanos occupy a lowland that extends mostly east and west. The Llanos are bounded on the west and northwest by the Andes, and on the north by the

Venezuelan Coastal Range The Venezuelan Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa or ), also known as Venezuelan Caribbean Mountain System ( es, Sistema Montañoso Caribe) is a mountain range system and one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela, that runs along the c ...

. The

Guiana Highlands The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * G ...

are to the southeast, and the Negro-Branco moist forests are to the southwest. To the east the Orinoco wetlands and Orinoco Delta swamp forests occupy the Orinoco Delta. The Llanos' main river is the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

, which runs from west to east through the ecoregion and forms part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The Orinoco is the major river system of Venezuela.

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical savanna climate that grades into a tropical monsoon climate in the Colombian Llanos. Rainfall is highly seasonal, with a rainy season from April to November, and a dry season between December and March. The wettest months are typically June and July. Rainfall varies across the ecoregion, from up to per year in the southwest, in Apure State, and per year in the Llanos of Monagas State in the northeast. Mean annual temperature is , and the average monthly temperature varies little throughout the year; the lowest-temperature months (June, July, December, and January) are only cooler than the hottest months.

Flora

The plant communities in the Llanos include open grasslands, savannas with scattered trees or clumps of trees, and small areas of forest, typically gallery forests along rivers and streams. There are seasonally flooded grasslands and savannas (''llano bajo'') and grasslands and savannas that remain dry throughout the year (''llano alto''). The llano alto grasslands and savannas are characterized by grasses and shrubs 30–100 cm high, forming

tussock Tussock may refer to: * Tussock grass, a group of species in the family Poaceae *Floating island * Lymantriinae, called tussock moths or tussocks See also * Hassock (disambiguation) Hassock may refer to: * Kneeler, a cushion or a piece of f ...

s 10 to 30 cm apart. Soils are typically sandy and nutrient-poor. Llano alto covers approximately two-thirds of the Venezuelan llanos, and is also widespread in the Colombian llanos. Grasses of genus ''

Trachypogon ''Trachypogon'' is a small genus of African and Latin American plants in the grass family. Crinkleawn grass is a common name for plants in this genus. ; Species * '' Trachypogon chevalieri'' (Stapf) Jacq.-Fél. - western + central Africa * '' T ...

'' are predominant, and species include ''

Trachypogon plumosus ''Trachypogon'' is a small genus of African and Latin American plants in the grass family. Crinkleawn grass is a common name for plants in this genus. ; Species * '' Trachypogon chevalieri'' (Stapf) Jacq.-Fél. - western + central Africa * '' T ...

, T. vestitus,

Axonopus canescens ''Axonopus'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, known generally as carpet grass. They are native primarily to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas with one species in tropical Africa and another on Easter Island. They are ...

, A. anceps,

Andropogon selloanus ''Andropogon'' (common names: beard grass, bluestem grass, broomsedge) is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to much of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as southern Europe and various oceanic islands. Over 100 specie ...

, Aristida'' spp., ''

Leptocoryphium lanatum ''Anthaenantia '' is a New World genus of plants in the grass family, native to North and South America including the West Indies. The genus name is sometimes spelled ''Anthenanthia'' or ''Anthenantia''. Species * '' Anthaenantia lanata'' (K ...

Paspalum carinatum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

Sporobolus indicus ''Sporobolus indicus'' is a species of grass known by the common name smut grass. Distribution This bunchgrass is native to temperate and tropical areas of the Americas. It can be found in more regions, as well as on many Pacific Islands, as an ...

'', and '' S. cubensis'', and sedges in the genera ''

Rhynchospora ''Rhynchospora'' (beak-rush or beak-sedge) is a genus of about 400 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. The genus includes both annual and perennial species, mostly with erect 3-sided stems and 3-ranked leaves. The achenes bear a ...

'' and '' Bulbostylis''. Shrubs and herbs are most commonly

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

s in the genera '' Mimosa, Cassia, Desmodium, Eriosema,

Galactia ''Galactia'' is a genus of plants in the legume family (Fabaceae). It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. They do not have an unambiguous common name, being commonly called milk peas, beach peas or wild peas. Selected species * ''Galactia ano ...

, Indigofera,

Phaseolus ''Phaseolus'' (bean, wild bean) is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica. It is one of the most economically importan ...

, Stylosanthes, Tephrosia'', and '' Zornia''. The trees manteco ('' Byrsonima crassifolia''), chaparro (''

Curatella americana ''Curatella americana'', commonly known as the wild cashew tree, sambaı́ba, and the sandpaper tree, is a species of tree in the family Dilleniaceae. It is the sole accepted species in genus ''Curatella''. Description ''Curatella americana'' is ...

''), and alcornoque (''

Bowdichia virgilioides ''Bowdichia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the s ...

'') are the most common, growing either as scattered trees or in woodland patches known as ''matas'' which range in area from 12 meters in diameter up to a hectare. During the rainy season from May to October, parts of the Llanos can flood up to a meter. This turns some savannass and grasslands into temporary wetlands, comparable to the Pantanal of central South America. This flooding also creates habitat for water birds and other wildlife. These seasonally flooded grasslands and savannas, known as llano bajo, typically have richer soils. They are characterized by the grass ''

Paspalum fasciculatum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...

''. Trees include the palm ''

Copernicia tectorum ''Copernicia tectorum'' is a palm which is native to Colombia and northern Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast o ...

'' and gallery forest species. Gallery forests include evergreen seasonally flooded forests, and semi-deciduous forests on higher ground. Morichales are seasonally flooded forests characterized by the

moriche palm ''Mauritia flexuosa'', known as the moriche palm, ''ité'' palm, ''ita'', ''buriti'', ''muriti'', ''miriti'' (Brazil), ''canangucho'' (Colombia), ''acho'' (Ecuador), or ''aguaje'' (Peru), is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet ...

(''Mauritia flexuosa''). Vegas are seasonally flooded evergreen forests found along the Orinoco and its tributaries. Trees form a canopy 8 to 20 meters high, and include '' Inga'' spp., ''

Combretum frangulifolium ''Combretum'', the bushwillows or combretums, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 272 species of trees and shrubs, most of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, but the ...

Gustavia augusta Gustavia may refer to * Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy, the largest town on (and capital of) the Caribbean island of St. Barthélemy * Gustavia, Rügen, an unfinished town project in Swedish Pomerania * ''Gustavia'' (plant), a genus of plants in the ...

, Pterocarpus'' sp., ''

Etaballia dubia ''Etaballia dubia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to northern South America. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organi ...

Spondias mombin ''Spondias mombin'', also known as yellow mombin or hog plum is a species of tree and flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree was introduced by the Portuguese in Sout ...

'', and ''

Copaifera pubiflora ''Copaifera'' is a genus of tropical plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The scientific name means "copal-bearer" (or more accurately, ''copaiba''-bearer), since economically important resins and essential oils can be acquired from them. They ...

''. Semi-deciduous forests occur above flood level, and form a canopy 12 to 15 meters high. Common trees include '' Tabebuia billbergii,

Godmania aesculifolia ''Godmania aesculifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae, native to the New World tropics. A tree, it contains 7,8-dihydroxyflavone Tropoflavin, also known as 7,8-dihydroxyflavone, is a naturally occurring flavone f ...

Cassia moschata ''Cassia moschata'', the bronze shower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,

, Spondias mombin, Copaifera pubiflora, Bourreria cumanensis, Cordia'' spp., ''

Bursera simaruba ''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean ...

, Cochlospermum vitifolium, Hura crepitans'', and ''

Acacia glomerosa ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

''. "Matorrales" are deciduous and semi-deciduous shrublands 5 to 8 meters high which cover large areas in the central Venezuelan llanos, and may be a form of secondary vegetation in areas that were formerly dry deciduous forest. Typical shrubs are '' Bourreria cumanensis,

Randia aculeata ''Randia aculeata'', commonly known as white indigoberry or white indigo berry, is a species in the Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or small tree that grows from 2 to 6 m tall. ''R. aculeata'' is native to Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, elsewhere a ...

, Pereskia guamacho, Prosopis'' spp., ''

Xylosma benthamii ''Xylosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae. It contains around 100 species of evergreen shrubs and trees commonly known as brushhollies, xylosmas, or, more ambiguously, "logwoods". The generic name is derived from the Gr ...

Erytroxylum ''Erythroxylum'' (''Erythroxylon'') is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the substance cocaine,Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey J, Christen P. Cocaine distribution in wild ...

'' sp., and '' Cereus hexagonus''.

Fauna

Mammals of the grassland and savanna include white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''),

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

(''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris''),

giant armadillo The giant armadillo (''Priodontes maximus''), colloquially ''tatu-canastra'', ''tatou'', ''ocarro'' or ''tatú carreta'', is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the Glyptodontidae, glyptodonts, were much l ...

(''Priodontes maximus''), Eastern cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus''),

Alston's cotton rat Alston's cotton rat (''Sigmodon alstoni'') is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela, where it inhabits lowland savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. ...

(''Sigmodon alstoni''),

Hispid cotton rat The hispid cotton rat (''Sigmodon hispidus'') is a rodent species long thought to occur in parts of South America, Central America, and southern North America. However, recent taxonomic revisions, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, have ...

(''S. hispidus''), ''

Zygodontomys brevicauda ''Zygodontomys brevicauda'', also known as the short-tailed zygodont, short-tailed cane mouse, or common cane mouse, is a species of rodent in the genus ''Zygodontomys'' of tribe Oryzomyini. Distribution It occurs from Costa Rica via Panama, Col ...

'', and ''

Oecomys bicolor ''Oecomys bicolor'', also known as the white-bellied oecomysMusser and Carleton, 2005 or bicolored arboreal rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus ''Oecomys'' of family Cricetidae. It has a wide distribution in the Amazon biome, occurring i ...

''. The gallery forests are home to more diverse large and medium-sized mammals, including collared peccary (''Tayassu tajacu''),

white-lipped peccary The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central America, Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar ...

(''T. pecari''), South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), white-tailed deer, red brocket (''Mazama americana''),

wedge-capped capuchin The wedge-capped capuchin or Guianan weeper capuchin (''Cebus olivaceus'') is a capuchin monkey from South America. It is found in northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. ''Cebus olivaceus'' is known to dwell in tall, primary forest and travel ove ...

(''Cebus olivaceus''), Venezuelan red howler (''Alouatta seniculus''), large rodents like the

lowland paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is cal ...

(''Cuniculus paca''), agoutis ('' Dasyprocta'' spp.), and

Brazilian porcupine The Brazilian porcupine (''Coendou prehensilis'') is a porcupine found in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Bolivia and Trinidad, with a single record from Ecuador. It inhabits tropical ...

(''Coendou prehensilis''), and large cats like the

puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

(''Puma concolor''),

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

(''Panthera onca''), and

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

(''Leopardus pardalis''). The endangered giant otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') lives along the Orinoco and its tributaries. Some of the largest jaguars in the world are found in the Llanos, with average weights of over for males. The

Llanos long-nosed armadillo The Llanos long-nosed armadillo (''Dasypus sabanicola'') or northern long-nosed armadillo is a species of armadillo in the family Dasypodidae. It is endemic to Colombia and Venezuela, where its habitat is the intermittently flooded grassland of ...

(''Dasypus sabanicola'') and the short-tailed opossum ''

Monodelphis orinoci ''Monodelphis'' is a genus of marsupials in the family Didelphidae, commonly referred to as short-tailed opossums. They are found throughout South America. , the most recently described species is ''M. vossi''. Species * Sepia short-tailed o ...

'' are endemic to the Llanos. The Llanos' wetlands supports around 70 species of water birds, including the scarlet ibis. A large portion of the distribution of the

sharp-tailed ibis The sharp-tailed ibis (''Cercibis oxycerca'') is a species of ibis native to open wet savannas in parts of northern South America. Taxonomy and systematics The sharp-tailed ibis is monotypic, being the only representative of the genus ''Cercibis ...

(''Cerbibis oxycerca'') and

white-bearded flycatcher The white-bearded flycatcher (''Phelpsia inornata'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Phelpsia''. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lo ...

(''Phelpsia inornata'') is in the Llanos. Native reptiles include the Orinoco crocodile (''Crocodylus intermedius''), spectacled caiman (''Caiman crocodilus''),

Green anaconda The green anaconda (''Eunectes murinus''), also known as the giant Emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. Lik ...

(''Eunectes murinus''), and Arrau turtle (''Podocnemis expansa''), which live in the ecoregion's wetlands. File:2007 02 Capybaras 05.jpg, A group of

s at Hato La Fe, Venezuela Image:guaraticocroc.jpg, Spectacled caiman, Guaratico River, Venezuela

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples of the Llanos include the Guahibo in the western Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, and the Yaruro in the eastern Llanos in Venezuela.

Cattle raising and farming

The primary economic activity in the Llanos since the Spanish colonial era is the herding of millions of cattle. An 1856 watercolor by Manuel María Paz depicts sparsely populated open grazing lands with cattle and palm trees. The term '' llanero'' ("plainsman") became synonymous with the cowhands that took care of the herds, and had some cultural similarities with the gauchos of the Pampas or the '' vaqueros'' of Spanish and Mexican Texas. Decades of extensive cattle raising has altered the ecology of the Llanos. Grasslands and savannas are frequently burned to make them more suitable for grazing and eliminate trees and shrubs. Non-native grasses have been introduced for cattle fodder, including the African grass ''

Melinis minutiflora ''Melinis minutiflora'', commonly known as molasses grass, is a species of grass. It is a perennial grass native to Africa, where it occurs in disjunct populations (an arc from central Angola to Cameroon in western central africa, the areas arou ...

'', and now cover large areas. Agriculture, particularly rice and maize, now cover extensive areas, including rice fields in former seasonal wetlands.

Oil and gas

In Los Llanos, the governments of Venezuela and Colombia had developed a strong oil and gas industry in the zones of Arauca, Casanare, Guárico, Anzoátegui, Apure and Monagas. The

Orinoco Belt The Orinoco Belt is a territory in the southern strip of the eastern Orinoco River Basin in Venezuela which overlies the world's largest deposits of petroleum. Its local Spanish name is ''Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco'' (Orinoco Petroleum Belt). T ...

, entirely in Venezuelan territory, consists of large deposits of extra heavy crude ( oil sands). The Orinoco belt oil sands are known to be one of the largest, behind that of the Athabasca Oil Sands in Alberta, Canada. Venezuela's non-conventional oil deposits of about , found primarily in the Orinoco oil sands, are estimated to approximately equal the world's reserves of conventional oil.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 105,323 km², or 28%, of the ecoregion, is in protected areas. Protected areas include Aguaro-Guariquito National Park (5,857.5 km²),

Cinaruco-Capanaparo National Park The Santos Luzardo National Park ( es, Parque nacional Santos Luzardo) Also Cinaruco-Capanaparo National Park It is a protected area with the status of national park that is located between the rivers Capanaparo and Cinaruco and the confluence of ...

(5,843.68 km²),

Tortuga Arrau Reserve Tortuga is the Spanish word for a turtle or tortoise. It may also refer to: Geography Islands * Tortuga (Haiti), a Caribbean island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola, a pirate stronghold in the 17th-century * Tortug ...

(98.56 km²), and Caño Guaritico Wildlife Refuge (93.0 km²) in Venezuela, and

El Tuparro National Natural Park El Tuparro National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro) is a national park located in the Vichada Department in the Orinoquía Region of Colombia. It is the only protected area in the Eastern Plains ('' Llanos Orientales'') un ...

(5,549.08 km²) in Colombia.UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) from the World Database of Protected Areas, September 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

Gallery

File:NP Llanos24 lo (5853385573).jpg, Colombia File:GanadoLlanosVenezuela.jpg, Venezuela File:Guaraticoriver.jpg, The Guaratico River near Mantecal, Venezuela File:Llanosbongo.jpg, Tourist metal bongo on the Guaratico River File:Llanos1.jpg, The flat, expansive Llanos File:Llanosmarsh3.jpg, Wet season File:Llanosnight4.jpg, Sunset File:Llanosstorm.jpg, Thunderstorm tracks

Cities situated in the Llanos

In Colombia

Acacías Acacias is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, Colombia. This town is one of the most important municipalities in terms of population and economy, together with La Macarena, Granada and the capital city of Villavicencio. The name of th ...

* Arauca, Arauca * Gaviotas *

Maní, Casanare Maní is a town and municipality in the Department of Casanare, Colombia. References Municipalities of Casanare Department {{Casanare-geo-stub ...

Orocué Orocué is a town and municipality in the Department of Casanare, Colombia, located on the shore of the Meta River. Historically, it went by the name San Miguel del Macuco. It is located 180 km from Yopal, and 546 km from Bogotá. ...

Paz de Ariporo Paz de Ariporo is a town and municipality in the Department of Casanare, Colombia. An 1856 watercolor by Manuel María Paz is an early depiction of the main square of Paz de Ariporo. At that time, the town was called Moreno, and it served as t ...

* Puerto Carreño * Inírida *

Puerto López, Meta Puerto Alfonso López () is a small town and municipality in the Orinoquía Region (Llanos region) of Meta Department, Colombia. It is known as Puerto López and is a port on the Meta river. The town is located approximately 100 kilometers ea ...

San José del Guaviare San José del Guaviare () is a town and municipality in Colombia, capital of the department of Guaviare by the Guaviare River The Guaviare is a tributary of the Orinoco in Colombia. It flows together with the upper Orinoco (until here also ca ...

* Saravena *

Tame Tame may refer to: *Taming, the act of training wild animals *River Tame, Greater Manchester *River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley *Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality * "Tame" (song), a song by the Pixies from their 1989 alb ...

* Villavicencio *

Yopal Yopal () is a municipality and capital city of the department of Casanare in Colombia. History During the period of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the land on which Yopal stands was occupied by the indigenous Achagua people. The ...

* Fortul

In Venezuela

* Acarigua * Araure * Barinas *

Calabozo Calabozo, officially Villa de Todos los Santos de Calabozo, is a city in Venezuela located in the Guárico state, capital of the Francisco de Miranda Municipality and former capital of the state. It has a population of 168,605, according to t ...

Caripito Caripito is a city in the state of Monagas, Venezuela. It has around 50,000 inhabitants. It is the third largest city in the state, after Maturín and Punta de Mata. History Caripito is first recorded as a mission town, but the existence of t ...

* El Tigre * Guanare *

Maturín Maturín () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inha ...

Puerto Ayacucho Puerto Ayacucho () is the capital and largest city of Amazonas State in Venezuela. Puerto Ayacucho is located across the Orinoco River from the Colombian village of Casuarito. The city was founded to facilitate the transport of goods past the ...

* Sabaneta * San Carlos * San Fernando de Apure * Tucupita *

Valle de la Pascua Valle de la Pascua is the capital city of the autonomous municipality of Leonardo Infante, Guárico, Venezuela . The city is located in the central plains of Venezuela and was founded on February 25, 1785, by Father Mariano Martí. Along with Z ...

References

External links

*
Dawn on the Plains
Photo Feature, ''Havana Times'', Oct 1, 2010.
The llanos music

The llanos of Colombia and Venezuela

Los Llanos de Colombia
{{Authority control Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Plains of South America Plains of Venezuela Grasslands of Colombia Grasslands of Venezuela Geographical regions of Venezuela Ecoregions of South America Neotropical ecoregions Geography of Portuguesa (state)