Venezuelan Andes
| Venezuelan Andes | |
| Andes Venezolanos | |
| Geographic/Natural Region | |
 A view of Venezuelan Andes from Tabay
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| Country | Venezuela |
|---|---|
| States | Táchira, Mérida, Trujillo, Lara, Barinas, Apure, Portuguesa, Zulia |
| Region | Andes |
| Coordinates | 8°45′N 70°55′W / 8.750°N 70.917°WCoordinates: 8°45′N 70°55′W / 8.750°N 70.917°W |
| Highest point | Pico Bolívar |
| - elevation | 4,978 m (16,332 ft) |
| Lowest point | Andean piedmont |
| - elevation | 200 m (656 ft) |
| Area | 47,323 km2 (18,272 sq mi) |
 Geographic map of the Andean Venezuelan natural region.
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The Venezuelan Andes (Spanish: Andes Venezolanos) also simply known as the Andes (Spanish: Los Andes) in Venezuela, are a mountain system that form the northernmost extension of the Andes. They are fully identified, both by their geological origin as by the components of the relief, the constituent rocks and the geological structure.
The Venezuelan Andean system represents the terminal bifurcation of the Cordillera Oriental de Colombia, which in Venezuelan territory consists of two mountainous branches: the Sierra de Perija, smaller, slightly displaced from southwest to northeast with 7,500 km2 in Venezuela; and a larger, frankly oriented Southwest to northeast with about 40,000 km2, the Cordillera de Mérida, commonly known as the proper Venezuelan Andes. The highest point in Venezuela is located in this natural region. It covers around 5.2% of the national territory, being the 4th largest natural region in Venezuela.
Venezuelan Andes can be divided in two sections:
They have a common geological origin, which dates back to the Eocene period of the early Tertiary era, about 40-50 million years ago, coincides with the beginning of the contact of the three tectonic plates (Nazca, Caribbean and South American) that began their orographic rise.
Before the rise of the current Venezuelan Andes, between the Cambrian and Silurian periods, the so-called primitive Andes emerged, which already for the Triassic period (Mesozoic Era) had been almost completely flattened because of the intense erosive process to which were subjected.
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Wikipedia