December 25th, 2009 Category: Image of the day, Lakes

Venezuela - December 16th, 2009

Sediments in the Gulf of Venezuela appear greenish by the Guajira Peninsula, on the west side of the gulf, and brown below the Paraguaná Peninsula, on the east side. The gulf is connected to Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela to the south, by the 54 km Tablazo Strait. Beneath the partial cloud cover the lake appears greyish blue.

The Paraguaná Peninsula is a peninsula in Venezuela, situated in the north of Falcón state. The island of Aruba lies 27 km to the north. Bonaire and Curaçao are slightly further away. The Paraguaná Peninsula is connected to the rest of the state by a natural isthmus of Médanos.

The Guajira Peninsula, on the other hand, is shared by Colombia and Venezuela. It is the northernmost peninsula in South America and has an area of 25,000 km² (5500 square miles) extending from the Manaure Bay (Colombia) to the Calabozo Ensenada in the Gulf of Venezuela (Venezuela), and from the Caribbean Sea to the Serrania del Perija mountains range. The part of the peninsula furthest to the north is called Punta Gallinas; it is also considered the northernmost part of mainland South America.

Tags: Andes Mountains Aruba Bonaire Calabozo Ensenada Caribbean Sea Colombia Curaçao Guajira Peninsula Gulf of Venezuela Lake Maracaibo Manaure Bay Médanos Isthmus Paraguaná Peninsula Punta Gallinas Serrania del Perija South America Tablazo Strait Venezuela | Comments |