The Río Chama (), is one of the main rivers of the
state of Mérida in
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
.
The headwaters of the Chama are the Mifafí high lands, in the
Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
Range, near the town of
Apartaderos. Its outlet is at
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo () is located in northwestern Venezuela, between the states of Zulia, Trujillo, and Mérida. While Maracaibo is commonly referred to as a lake, its current hydrological characteristics may better classify it as estuary and/or ...
.
From the headwaters to an elevation of about above sea level, the Chama runs as a steep mountain torrent. As it progresses through the valley, it quickly becomes contaminated with sewage from the many towns that lie along its path. The river continues its journey passing at the foot of the plateau where the city of
Mérida sits. Near the town of Ejido, the
Albarregas river joins the Chama, dumping all the pollutants from the city of Mérida and thus reaching its peak of contamination. From there, the river continues in steep descent, through a very rocky river bed. This allows the water to become oxygenated and naturally purified from its organic contaminants. At the town of
Las Gonzalez, the Chama, while still contaminated, is often used by white water rafters.
Near the town of
Estanques, the river enters an approximately long
canyon
A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...
, characterized by being steep and narrow. This canyon is mostly tropical, providing a natural scenery that contrasts with the Andean set up that mostly characterizes the river. Upon leaving the canyon, the river passes by the second largest city of the state,
El Vigía. In the final, short, section of the river, the Chama enters into the state of
Zulia
Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...
and reaches Maracaibo Lake.
References
{{Coord missing, Venezuela
Rivers of Venezuela
Maracaibo basin
Rivers of Mérida (state)
Rivers of Zulia