Orinoco

American  

[awr-uh-noh-koh, ohr-, aw-ree-naw-kaw] / ˌɔr əˈnoʊ koʊ, ˌoʊr-, ˌɔ riˈnɔ kɔ /

noun

1. a river in N South America, flowing N from the border of Brazil, along the E border of Colombia, and NE through Venezuela to the Atlantic. 1,600 miles (2,575 km) long.

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Orinoco British  

/ ˌɒrɪˈnəʊkəʊ /

noun

1. a river in N South America, rising in S Venezuela and flowing west, then north as part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela, then east to the Atlantic by a great delta: the third largest river system in South America, draining an area of 945 000 sq km (365 000 sq miles); reaches a width of 22 km (14 miles) during the rainy season. Length: about 2575 km (1600 miles)

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Example Sentences

Mining activity is concentrated in a vast southeastern territory known as the Orinoco arc.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

East of Maracaibo lies the Orinoco Belt, home to the world’s largest proven deposits, estimated at more than 300 billion barrels.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

Wells pumped viscous, tar-like oil from fields in the Orinoco Belt, a 54,000-square-mile region that holds most of the country’s gargantuan crude reserves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Jubilant workers in hard hats hung the flags of Venezuela and PdVSA at Orinoco oil fields.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Battered by European diseases and slave raiding, many fled to the Orinoco, becoming wandering foragers.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann