Piedra del Cocuy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Piedra del Cocuy |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
 Piedra del Cocuy
Location in Venezuela
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Amazonas State, Venezuela |
Piedra del Cocuy is a special rock formation in Venezuela. Its name means "Cocuy Rock" in Spanish. You can find it close to where three countries meet: Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia. This amazing rock stands near the edges of the Amazon and Orinoco River areas.
Piedra del Cocuy is an inselberg. This is a German word for an "island mountain." It means it's a big, isolated rock hill that rises suddenly from a flat plain. This one is made of strong, hard rock called granite. Its highest point is about 450 meters (1,476 feet) above sea level.
Contents
Where Three Countries Meet
Piedra del Cocuy is located in the Río Negro area of Amazonas State, Venezuela. The exact point where Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia meet is just 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) west of the rock. This special spot is on an island called San José in the Rio Negro (Amazon) river.
The areas next to this triple border are:
- In Colombia: Inírida, Guainía
- In Brazil: São Gabriel da Cachoeira in the Amazonas State
Border Towns and Communities
Several small towns and communities are found near Piedra del Cocuy, right at the border.
La Guadalupe, Colombia
This community is on the Colombian side of the Rio Negro (Amazon) river. It has about 300 people living there. Most of them are Amerindians, who are the native people of the Americas.
San Simón del Cocuy, Venezuela
This community is on the Venezuelan side of the Rio Negro. It is directly across the river from La Guadalupe.
Cucuí, Brazil
Cucuí is on the Brazilian side. It is mainly a military post. A road connects Cucuí to the larger city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira.
Getting Around the Region
The most important way to travel in this area is by using the Rio Negro (Amazon) river. It acts like a natural highway for boats.
There is also a road, called BR-307, on the Brazilian side. This road connects the border post of Cucuí to the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira.
Life and Economy
People have lived in this region for thousands of years. Many indigenous groups, like the Baniwa, Karupaka, and Karry, call this place home. They belong to the Arawak language family.
For a long time, the main way people made a living here was by finding gold. This traditional gold mining has sometimes caused problems between the native groups and miners, who are called garimpeiros.
Images for kids
-
Cândido Rondon, a Brazilian military leader and explorer, with his team on top of Piedra del Cocuy in 1929-1930.
See also
In Spanish: Piedra del Cocuy para niños
