Major river, South America.
It rises on the western slopes of the Parima Mountains along the border between Venezuela and Brazil. It flows in a giant arc through Venezuela for about 1,700 mi (2,740 km) and enters the Atlantic Ocean near the island of Trinidad. It forms part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. With its tributaries, it is the northernmost of South America's four major river systems. The aquatic fauna include the piranha s and the Orinoco crocodile . The river basin is largely inhabited by indigenous Indian groups.