Sierra Nevada De Mérida
Related Category: Latin American and Caribbean Physical Geography
(syā´rä nāvä´
thä
thā mā´rē
thä), mountain range, NW Venezuela, a spur of the Andes extending c.200 mi (320 km) NE from the Colombian border to the Caribbean coastal range. From 30 to 50 mi (48–80 km) wide, it rises between the Orinoco llanos and Maracaibo lowlands to perpetually snowcapped peaks. Pico Bolívar (c.16,420 ft/5,000 m high) is the highest point in Venezuela. Coffee is raised in the Mérida.
