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[edit] The Apure is a Venezuelan river
- It is not Colombian. The real source of Apure river is the origin of Uribante in Páramo El Cobre (3800 meters above sea level). --Fev 14:51, 29 March 2007 (UTC). Actually, the brook at the source of the Uribante is between two mountains being 3800 and 3912 meter above sea level. --Fev 20:25, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
- Yes the Apure is primarily a Venezuelan river, but not exclusively. Also where a river originates and where its waters originate may not be the same. The waters of the Rio Grande originate from, among other places, a snow bank at the head of Bear Creek, Colorado, but that is not where the Rio Grande starts. The Uribante River is a separate river whose downstream end is at the Apure, just like the downstream end of the Apure is at the Orinoco. --Bejnar 22:45, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
- The Uribante River is not a separate river from the Apure River. Being the Apure an affluent of the Orinoco, when we account for the extension of Orinoco watershed we have to include the whole Apure's watershed including, obviously, the Uribante's. Thus, in considering the Apure longitude and basin extension, we have to include Uribante River. It is a matter of place names: the Apure is formed by the Uribante and the Sarare, being the first, by far, the longest and more important of the two rivers. So, when we take into account the total longitude of Apure river, we should include the Uribante, the same way the longitude of Río Grande (named Río Bravo del Norte in Mexico) is from its source (Bear Creek or other) and not where it gets its Rio Grande's name. If we consider the longitude of Apure River from the point where Uribante and Sarare join, it would be much shorter. The same with the watershed area. --Fev 19:18, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Length
The Encyclopedia Britannica currently (2007) lists the Apure as being 510 miles (820 km) long. The straight-line distant (point-to-point) from where it flows out onto the llanos to its confluence with the Orinoco is about 300 miles as measured on a map. This is consistent with the 1911 Encyc.Brit. statement: "It has a sluggish course across the llanos for about 300 m.[miles], and is navigable throughout its length." TIFF image of "Apure" from 1911 edition Especially if that 300 mile figure ignores the twists and bends in the river. Also the navigability of the river as stated in 1911 has been questioned. The rapids at about the 110 mile mark are a limit to large craft navigation. More later. --Bejnar 22:45, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
- To measure total length of many rivers, such as the Apure is very easy now using satellite images. Besides this, if the 2007 Encyc. Brit. states its longitude as 820 km and its source being in Colombia, it is not the Uribante, but the Sarare, the river we are taking into account as the origin of Apure river. --Fev 19:29, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Apure-Arauca
- Bejnar is wrong considering the Apure River as a Colombian River. It is the Arauca, not the Apure, the river whose origin is in Colombia, as you can see in any good book or Atlas. Please be more careful on these matters. --Fev 01:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Uribante-Sarare
- These two major rivers are Venezuelan, not Colombian being the Uribante, by far, the longest and more important. These three rivers (Uribante, Sarare, Apure) are entirely in Venezuelan territory. --Fev 13:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC). However, the Sarare river has some small afluents coming out from Colombia. --Fev 19:37, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] References
- There are thousands of good and recent references about the Apure River, both in Spanish and English. I will try to improve this article in about two weeks. --Fev 03:02, 10 April 2007 (UTC) (thanks)
[edit] The Apure Basin
- Extension of the Apure watershed is about 50 % of what the article says. I will modify it as soon as possible.--Fev 04:00, 13 April 2007 (UTC). Reference that shows this 167.000 square km surface is completely wrong and should be eliminated from the article. --Fev 01:49, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
- 167,000 square km. may be wrong, but it came straight from the Saunders article. Abstract of Saunders, James F., III and Lewis, William M., Jr. (October 1988) "Transport of phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon by the Apure River, Venezuela" Biogeochemistry 5(3): pp. 323-342. What source do you have? --Bejnar 04:33, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
- For this 167,000 square km. number Saunders, on page 324, cites Zinck, A. (1977) Rios de Venezuela Cuadernos Lagoven, Caracas, OCLC 5708660. The map of the drainage basin is at Fig. 1 Map of Apure watershed. --Bejnar 04:49, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
- Bejnar is wright and Alfred Zinck's booklet is a very fine work on Venezuelan rivers. He also has another similar and complementary work on "Valles de Venezuela". However, I think the real figure is (including basins of the river Guárico, Aguaro and Guaritico rivers), about 147.000 km², as the lt:Apūrė states. It was my mistake and I apologize for that. And it is now very easy to calculate the real basin surface and river longitude in every part of the Earth. Let's see which is the right number with good literature references which could made an article's improvement. --Fev 16:55, 16 April 2007 (UTC). The map of Apure watershed allows to make a quite good measure of its area. --Fev 19:33, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
