Geography and Climate

Merida is a state in Venezuela covering an area of 11,300 km2 dominated the Andean eographical environment, consisting of inland valleys and plains.

On the geography highlights the Cordillera Merida, which is of Tertiary origin, with a length of 460 kilometers 100 miles wide and an average height of 4,000 meters, was born in the knot of Santurbán, heading northeast and forms the stretch end of the Andes Consists of Archean rocks and Mesozoic Derived by the movements of the crust, there is a pit by the river which flows Chamas wich divides the Cordillera de Merida in two major mountain ranges.

The Sierra Nevada is the dominant core and meet the higher altitudes of the country with peaks In the Sierra de La Culata peaks include Sugar Loaf and The Eagle with a height of 4,620 and 4,048 meters above sea level respectively Both branches meet in the desert of Mucuchíes Climate.

The climate of the Andean region is very mild from 1,500 m. height is below 17 C. and less than 500m this average is greater than 25 C.

The weather system is similar to the rest of Venezuela that is from April to November is the most precipitation of rain Climatic types ranging from tropical in the lains the plateau type in the highest mountains,and from sectors such as Lagunillas semiarid tropical wet to the misty slopes of the upper and middle basins of the Caparo River prevailing in this type humid climates covering about 90 of the state . The temperature in the state records are marked differences due to the nature of mountainous terrain.