What does this number measure?
Orinoco is presented in the South America group. The comparison follows a reference course rather than a straight-line distance. The documented value is rounded; the choice of source, lakes crossed, meanders and river mouth can affect the published length.
This length follows the course adopted by the catalogue. Maps show simplified, sometimes partial courses; an independent bar represents the documented length, distinct from straight-line distance.
Compare the stated dimensions
The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.
Source and limitations
Approximate documentary length, dependent on the branches and route selected; this reference establishes neither a definite record nor kilometre-level precision.
Top view of a simplified geographic outline of the Orinoco, based on the available mapped segments. The locator drawing may be partial, and river systems may combine several branches. The channel width and the textures of the water and banks are interpreted; this is not a satellite photograph. Only the lower bar represents the reference length documented by the source; the width of the map above does not measure that length. Outline: Natural Earth, public domain. Licence: Public domain.