 The two tallest peaks are El Cerro del Aripo and El Tucuche which top 900 m (3,000 ft).The 3278 hectare protected Caroni Swamp has long formed a physical barrier to the city's expansion to the south, forcing urban growth relentlessly eastward at the expense of a traffic relieving ring road.This west coast mangrove area is the island's second largest wetland after the east coast Nariva Swamp which is almost twice as large.