Eastern and delta region

• Caño Río Grande: Also called "Los Navíos" (The Ships), as it is up this distributary that the cargo ships sail to the industrial zone of Guayana. It is the most important and biggest of the many rivers into which the Orinoco branches out to form the delta. It can be seen how its waters loaded with sediment (150 million tons a year) flow westward (Gulf of Paria and the Caribbean Sea).
• Gulf of Paria: Covering an area of 9,700 m2 and with a maximum depth of 37 m, this is a body of water that has low salinity due to the influence of the rivers. It is an important fishing area.
• Paria Peninsula: This peninsula closes the Gulf of Paria to the north. Its northern slopes, with their extraordinarily attractive beaches and coves, have some of the most beautiful scenery in the Caribbean. Much of this area falls within the boundaries of the Paria Peninsula National Park, which covers an area of 37,500 hectares. On the southern coast is the village of Macuro, where, according to some historians, Christopher Columbus saw the South American continent for the first time.
• Araya Peninsula: This peninsula closes the Gulf of Cariaco to the north. A mountain range, which is a continuation of the coastal range, runs across its entire length. It is extremely dry -desert-like for the most part-, but has singularly attractive scenery. The Gulf of Cariaco covers an area of 635 m2 and is rich in fish. It has a maximum depth of 110 meters.
• Araya Salt Pans: These famous salt pans are located on the westernmost point of the Araya Peninsula. In the middle of the salt pans is the natural "mother lake", and the artificial, more modern salt works are on the northern side. Next to the village of Araya, right on the coast, is the Fuerza Real de Santiago de Araya (Santiago de Araya Royal Fort), one of the most important colonial fortifications of America and of considerable interest to tourists.
• Unare and Píritu Lagoons: These two lagoons, separated only by the estuary of the Unare River, are fairly shallow because of the sediment brought down by the river. A shrimp farm has been set up recently on Píritu Lagoon, an excellent example of how advantage of can be taken of these bodies of water. Unare Lagoon covers an area of 60 m2 and Píritu Lake 37 m2. The average depth of both is less than one meter.

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