Pico Mucuñuque

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pico-mucuuque

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Pico Mucuñuque?3,618 meters (11,870 feet)
2. What is the location?Mérida state, Venezuela
3. What is the mountain range?Andes Mountains (Cordillera de Mérida)
4. Why is the páramo around Pico Mucuñuque special?The páramo has cool, wet weather and many plants that grow only there, like frailejones. It also hosts many unique animals that live in this high‑altitude environment.
5. How does Pico Mucuñuque help keep water clean for people?The plants on the mountain act like a sponge, soaking up rain and slowly releasing it into rivers. This keeps the water clean and supplies nearby towns and cities.

Páramo: A high-altitude tropical grassland ecosystem found in the Andes Mountains, characterized by unique flora and fauna.
Endemism: The state of a species or genus being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island or mountain range.
Tectonic Uplift: The process by which large areas of the Earth's crust are raised to higher elevations due to geological forces.
Hydrological Functions: The role an ecosystem plays in the storage, movement, and purification of water.