Appendix VI
Bifurcation The Amazonian rainforests in southern Venezuela feature a geographic curiosity called a bifurcation. This name can be traced back to the famous expedition of the “equatorial regions of the New Continent” undertaken in 1800 by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, who first devoted professional interest to the bifurcation of the Orinoco. The dictionary defines bifurcation as the division of the river into two parts or branches, in our case of the Orinoco and Baria rivers, for Amazonia has two ready examples of this oddity. After its bifurcation, i.e. the breaking away of the Brazo Casiquaire canal, the Orinoco River continues on its route to the ocean, but the Casiquiare turns to the southwest where it empties into the Rio Negro. So two rivers
BRAZIL Pico da Neblina 2 944 m
Canon Grande
Baria Maturacá flood plain
Brewer-Carías and FUDECI base camp
VENEZUELA bifurcation of Rio Baria 0°50'29'' S 66°11'05'' Z
Ba
ria
flo
od
pla
in
Ba ria
North 10 km
A modified satellite photo (viewed from the north) in the Google Earth program shows clearly how the Baria River originating in Canon Grande (up left) completely disappears under the impenetrable roof of the rainforest after reaching its floodplain. It emerges from its vegetative shelter about 9 miles up north although it "disappears" again. Except for the 500−yard section right after the bifurcation of the Maturacá River, the passage is not visible in the shot at all. 122