SUBSIDENCE INFORMATION SHEET
VENEZUELA FUN FACTS:
Population (2012): 28,047,938
The term Venezuela literally means ‘Little Venice’
Venezuela has more Miss Universes and more Miss Worlds than any other country
Around 70% of its food has to be imported
Angle Falls: Worlds highest waterfall, 979 meters. It drops twice off the mountain and the longest drop is 807
meters. Its located on the Auyantepui Mountain in the Cananaima National Park. (15 times higher than Niagara
Falls)
Baseball is the most popular sport
Venezuela has 43 National Parks
Caracas is the largest city and is also known as the witch capital of the world
VENEZUELA SUBSIDENCE, WHY IS IT HAPPENING THERE?
Long term oil exploitation dating back to 1914 * Natural gas and resources
OIL IN VENEZUELA:
Venezuela is the world's fifth largest oil exporting country and has the world's largest proven oil reserves at
an estimated 296.5 billion barrels (20% of global reserves) as of 2012
The amount of oil produced in Venezuela is 2.47 million bbl/day (2011), and the amount of oil consumed is
571,000 bbl/day (2011)
SUBSIDENCE AREAS:
*Guacharo Cave:
Spectacular Rock Formations. The cave is home to thousands of Oilbirds which are found no where else in the
world. Created by water dissolving the underground limestone and creating a hole, which was then drained of its
water resulting in a cave.
*Cave of the Ghost:
Large enough for two helicopters to land. The cave is not technically a cave; it is a collapsed steep gorge.
Karst topography is found throughout the cave.
*Jaua Sarisarinama:
Four large sinkholes in almost perfect circles are located on the top of the mountain. Each one contains its own
ecosystem.
FUN FACTS: The local legend of how the area was named. According to natives to the area, a flesheating evil spirit lived on the mountain, who made the sound Sari Sari when he was consuming human meat.
A lot of excursions into these sinkholes have ended in disaster, including one fateful mission in which
a number of men became trapped after lowering themselves into one of the larger sinkholes.
The largest sinkhole is 1150 feet wide and 1000 feet deep
*Maracaibo:
Largest and oldest lake on the South American Continent. A major oil producing area in the world. Subsidence was
detected as early as 1929. Some areas adjacent to the lake have sunk to do the incredible amount of oil pumping.