Venezuela's Andes in the northwest peak at Pico Bolívar (4,978 m) in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, with 200 peaks over 4,000 m and páramos above 3,500 m. The Cordillera de la Costa in the north rises to 2,765 m at Pico Naiguatá, parallel to Caracas at 900 m. Formed by Caribbean plate subduction 80 million years ago, these include Angel Falls (979 m)—world's highest—from Auyán-tepui (2,535 m) in the Guiana Shield. Lake Maracaibo (13,507 km²) sits in a tectonic basin. The Orinoco Delta spans 40,000 km². This landscape hosts 23 national parks with golden eagles and tepui endemics like frog orchids.
