By David A. Longanecker. Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Although the federal government plays a secondary role in supporting and financing American higher education, this role remains quite substantial and clearly helps shape the enterprise.
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,140 kilometres (1,330 mi). Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers 880,000 square kilometres (340,000 sq mi), with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia.he Orinoco delta, and tributaries in the eastern llanos such as the Apure and Meta, were explored in the 16th century by German expeditions under Ambrosius Ehinger and his successors. In 1531 Diego de Ordaz, starting at the principal outlet in the delta, the Boca de Navios, sailed up the river to the Meta.
These highlands take up the area of nearly half of the country. The Orinoco river is roughly 2,574 kilometers in length and its water drains about four-fifths of the entire country. Venezuela also boasts of over 1,000 rivers, other than the Orinoco.o the west of Venezuela the hot basin of Lake Maracaibo is located. In the southeastern part of the country, the vast and expansive plains or the llanos and forests are found. The huge undiscovered and uninhabited areas of the Guiana Highlands occur to the south of the Orinoco river.