# 01. Lightning of Catatumbo! Venezuela...
Hello friends, friends of Steemit, this time I want to talk to you about one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on the planet.
The lightning of the Catatumbo
It is a meteorological phenomenon that can cause a series of electrical storms during 260 nights a year, from the month of April to the month of November in the entire basin of Lake Maracaibo. The "scientists" say that we should refer to the phenomenon as "THE" lightning bolts of the Catatumbo, since in reality it is a series of lightning bolts and not just one. But it is understood that it is a denomination like the Catatumbo lightning, since it can be warned from afar, the different storms, the impression of being one, tending to be located much more frequently near the mouth of the Catatumbo river, southwest of the lake, and from which the origin to its name. Sometimes, it is called as the lighthouse of Maracaibo, since its constancy and permanence in the area has been used as a guide for fishermen, sailors and travelers from the colonial era, for what some researchers call it as the first natural lighthouse on the planet .
The Catatumbo lightning is part of the San Juan Manuel bog national park. Declared natural heritage of Zulia on September 27, 2005, and since then the national assembly has made a request for UNESCO to declare it as the first meteorological phenomenon, heritage of humanity.
To observe this phenomenon which generates lightning almost continuously, it is necessary to be at a great distance, which is why it is almost silent.
In the site they usually fall from 16 to 60 beams per minute, being about 20,000 per hour, which would result in 1,176,000 beams per year.
So each of the downloads has enough energy to light up to a million bulbs
Why does this phenomenon happen?
It is originated by the orographic effect of the mountain range of Mérida, that encloses and restrains the winds of the northeast, thus clouds of great vertical development take place, concentrated mainly in the basin of the river of the Catatumbo. The phenomenon is so colossal that it can be seen from hundreds of kilometers away, as from Cúcuta in Colombia.
Guinness record??
Yes, this phenomenon was presented in August 2013 by the environmentalist Erick Quiroga to the Guinness World Record organization. It was not until January 28, 2014 when the organization gave him a certification in recognition of the natural phenomenon, for registering the "highest concentration of lightning in the world." Deserved record !!