The Llanos (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʝanos] or [ˈʎanos], The Plains) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome.
The Llanos' main river is the Orinoco, which forms part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela and is the major river system of Venezuela.[1]
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The climate change of the Llanos is extreme. During the rainy season from May to October, parts of the Llanos can flood up to a meter. This turns the woodlands and grassland into a temporary wetland, comparable to the Pantanal of central South America. This flooding also makes the area unique for its wildlife. The area supports around 70 species of water birds, including the Scarlet Ibis.[1] A large portion of the distribution of the White-bearded Flycatcher is in the Llanos.
The flooding also makes the area unfit for most agriculture before the advent of modern, industrial farming technology. Therefore, during the Spanish colonial era, the prime economic activity of the area came from the herding of millions of heads of cattle. The term llanero ("plainsman") became synonymous with the cowhands that took care of the herds, and had some cultural similarities to the compare to the gauchos of the Pampas or the vaqueros of Spanish and Mexican Texas.
The area slopes gradually away from the highland areas that surround it; elevation above sea level in the llanos area never exceeds 200 meters.
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