Apartaderos is a small
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
town in
Mérida State
Mérida or Merida may refer to:
Places
*Mérida (state), one of the 23 states which make up Venezuela
*Mérida, Mérida, the capital city of the state of Mérida, Venezuela
*Merida, Leyte, Philippines, a municipality in the province of Leyte
*M� ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
Located at an altitude of , it is the
highest town in Venezuela, surrounded by
páramo
Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrowe ...
vegetation, the town has tourism facilities such as restaurants, gift shops and small hotels. In addition to tourism the main activities are
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
, flower cultivation and crafts. It can be reached from
Mérida city and
Valera
Valera is a city in Trujillo State in Venezuela, situated between the rivers Momboy and Motatán. The mayor is José Karkom, who has had that post since 2013. The city is home to Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Colombian and Spanish commu ...
by the
Transandean Highway
The Trans-Andean Highway (official designation Troncal 7, official name Carretera Trasandina), was inaugurated on July 24, 1925. It is 1,539 km long. It runs through the Venezuelan states of Mérida, Trujillo and Táchira, from the proxim ...
, which reaches its highest point at in El Collado del Cóndor (also known as
Pico El Águila
Pico El Águila or Collado del Cóndor is the milestone that stands at the highest elevation on the Venezuelan Transandean Highway (a branch of the Pan-American Highway) in the Cordillera de Mérida
The Cordillera de Mérida is a series of m ...
by the locals) a couple of minutes from the town. In terms of climate, January, the coldest month, averages , while the hottest month, June, averages . Apartaderos has an
Alpine tundra climate (
Köppen: ''ET''), the yearly average is with the average temperature of the warmest month below the .
Apartaderos sits at the intersection of three river valleys: the Chama which flows down to the city of Mérida, the Santo Domingo which flows to Los Llanos (plains) of Barinas, and the Motatán, which flows to the city of Valera. The striking landscape around Apartaderos has inspired native American myth and poetry.
See also
*
List of highest towns by country
This is a list of the highest settlements by country. Many of these are too small to be regarded as towns or cities. Only permanent settlements occupied year-round are included. When possible, the highest point in the contiguous year-round settl ...
References
Populated places in Mérida (state)
Extreme points of Venezuela
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