Casiquiare canal

Casiquiare canal
Map of the Cassiquiare canal based on Alexander von Humboldt, 1799 observations
Location of the Casiquiare (highlighted in purple) within the Amazon Basin
Location
Country	Venezuela
Physical characteristics
Source	Orinoco River
• coordinates	3°8′18″N 65°52′49″W / 3.13833°N 65.88028°W / 3.13833; -65.88028
• elevation	110 m (360 ft)
Mouth	Rio Negro
• coordinates	2°0′5″N 67°5′54″W / 2.00139°N 67.09833°W / 2.00139; -67.09833
• elevation	79 m (259 ft)
Length	340 km (210 mi)[1]
Basin size	42,478 km2 (16,401 sq mi)[2]
Discharge
• location	Amazonas, Venezuela (near mouth)
• average	2,574.3 m3/s (90,910 cu ft/s)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Siapa, Yatua

The Casiquiare river (Spanish pronunciation: [kasiˈkjaɾe]) is a distributary of the upper Orinoco flowing southward into the Rio Negro, in Venezuela, South America. As such, it forms a unique natural canal between the Orinoco and Amazon river systems. It is the world's largest river of the kind that links two major river systems, a so-called bifurcation. The area forms a water divide, more dramatically at regional flood stage.