Cuyuni

Cuyuni

 

a river in Venezuela and Guyana. It is about 600 km long and drains an area of about 80,000 sq km. The river rises in the northeastern part of the central Guiana Highlands and flows mainly along the low and hilly slope of the highlands, forming a number of rapids and waterfalls before falling into the estuary of the Essequibo River. It is a deep river, with high water occurring in the summer (lower reaches) and in the winter and spring. The average water discharge at the border between Venezuela and Guyana is 1,050 cu m per sec. The large deposits of gold in the Cuyuni basin are being exploited.