La Esmeralda (Ye'kuana: Medadanña[1][2] or Kadawanadunña[3]) is a small settlement in and the capital of Alto Orinoco Municipality in Venezuela’s Amazonas State. The name means “the emerald”. It is located on the shore of the Orinoco river, only 9 miles from the Casiquiare canal bifurcation that links it to the Amazon River.
La Esmeralda | |
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Coordinates: 3°10′26″N 65°32′48″W / 3.17389°N 65.54667°W | |
Country | Venezuela |
State | Amazonas State |
Municipality | Alto Orinoco Municipality |
Founded | 1758 |
Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) |
Population (2013) | |
• Total | 20 030 |
Time zone | UTC−4 (VET) |
Climate | Af |
The settlement contains about a hundred homes, a school, an airfield and a military outpost.
Geography
It is located on the shore of the Orinoco river, only 9 miles from the Casiquiare canal bifurcation that links it to the Amazon River.
Climate
La Esmeralda has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
Climate data for La Esmeralda | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.4 (88.5) | 30.4 (86.7) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.4 (88.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.5 (79.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.9 (80.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.5 (72.5) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 109 (4.3) | 120 (4.7) | 163 (6.4) | 296 (11.7) | 356 (14.0) | 379 (14.9) | 351 (13.8) | 298 (11.7) | 194 (7.6) | 205 (8.1) | 173 (6.8) | 125 (4.9) | 2,769 (108.9) |
[citation needed] |