Map of the Orinoco Exhibiting its Bifurcation and its Connexion with the River Amazon ….

Scarce c.19th map of the Orinoco, as well as its tributaries in the eastern llanos such as the Apure and Meta, which were explored in the c.16th by German expeditions under Ambrosius Ehinger and his successors. In 1531, starting at the principal outlet in the delta, the Boca de Navios, Diego de Ordaz sailed up the river to the Meta. Antonio de Berrio sailed down the Casanare to the Meta, and then down the Orinoco River and back to Coro. In 1595, after capturing de Berrio to obtain information while conducting an expedition to find the fabled city of El Dorado, the Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh sailed down the river, reaching the savanna country. Alexander von Humboldt explored the basin in 1800, reporting on the pink river dolphins. He published extensively on the river’s flora and fauna.