Caroní River

The Caroní River is a major river of the Orinoco basin in South America, having its source in South Eastern Venezuela, in the Guiana Highlands. It is a blackwater river, with the dark color of the water due to leaching from decomposed plant sediments, not from the amount of iron around the riverbed as is often suggested. The Caroní river meets with the Orinoco river and merges into it for approximately 13km. The two rivers meet where Ciudad Guayana (city of Guiana) now exists. This city was created by the fusion of the old settlement of San Felix and the new town of Puerto Ordaz on either side of the river.

The river has been dammed for the production of energy. The power of the water has been used by man to produce hydroelectric energy. Today it has 4 different dams. They are, in order following the flow of the river: The "Raúl Leoni" Hydroelectric Complex (official name of the Guri Dam), Caruachi, Macagua I , Macagua II and Macagua III, with a total of 15.910 MW of installed capacity in 2003. A new dam, Tocoma, is currently under construction between Guri and Caruachi. With a projected installed capacity for the whole Hydroelectric Complex (upsteam Caroni River and downstream Caroni River), between 17.250 and 20.000 MW in 2010.

The Ciudad Guayana city council (Alcaldia Mayor de Caroní, ALMACARONÍ) has for the past 15 years conducted a swim race of the rivers Orinoco and Caroní where around 900 competitors meet. The "Paso a Nado Internacional de los Rios Orinoco-Caroní" is celebrated every year on a Sunday close to April 19. This competition has gained importance worldwide being one of the swim-meets with the most competitors worldwide.