PERIJ, MOUNTAINS OF

Spanish Serrana De Perij, also called Sierra De Perij, mountain chain, the northward extension of the Andean Cordillera Oriental, forming part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The range extends for 190 miles (306 km) from the vicinity of Ocaa, Colombia, northward to the Guajira Peninsula. Its crest line rises to 12,300 feet (3,750 m) above sea level. Included in the range are the Motilones, Valledupar, and Oca mountains. To the west, across the Csar River, lies the higher Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, while to the east stretches the Maracaibo Lowland of Venezuela.