VENEZUELA. 



VENEZUELA. 



990 



The eastern or principal branch of the Andes enters Venezuela at 

 the source of the river Tachira, an affluent of the Zulia, and ter- 

 minates on the north-east, on the banks of the Rio Cojedes, south of 

 Barquicimeto, near 9 10' N. lat. It constitutes an enormous mass 

 of rocks, occupying with its declivities a mean width of more than 

 60 mile*, and its length is nearly 330 mile*. The highest portion of 

 this range is generally a narrow table-land, but so elevated that only 

 a few hardy alpine plants are found on it. These table-lands, called 

 paramos, are from 10,000 to 12,000 feet above the sea-level, and the 

 beat known of them are the Paramos de Zumpador, Agrias, Batallon, 

 Portachuelo, A pure, Nequitao, and Rosas. Several summits rise above 

 these table-lands, but only one, the Sierra Nevada de Merida, is always 

 covered with snow: its two pinnacles rise respectively to 15,310 

 and 15,342 feet above the sea-level. The Picacho de Mucuchies and 

 the Salado rise to 14,163 feet The descent from the table-land* on both 

 sides is steep, but frequently interrupted by plains of moderate extent, 

 which lie one below another like terraces. In their natural state the 

 plains have no trees, but in many places they are overgrown with 

 bunhea; whilst the valleys and declivities of the mountains, where 

 they are not too steep, are thickly wooded. The most elevated 

 terraces and the upper portion of the valleys are not inhabited ; but 

 cultivation has advanced to an elevation of from 8000 to 9000 feet. 

 At this height wheat, barley, potatoes, and different European veget- 

 ables are grown, and continue to form the principal objects of agricul- 

 ture to about 4000 feet, where they are replaced by maize, coffee, 

 yuccas, and other tropical productions. Numerous riven originate 

 in the higher part of the range, and descend along it* declivities with 

 continual rnpids and cataracts until they reach its base, where they 

 become navigable, and continue to be so in the plains until they 

 reach on the north the Lake of Maracaibo, and on the south the 

 Rio Apur4. 



Between the Sierra de Perij* and the Andes lie* the bain of the 

 Lake of Maracaibo. This Lake, the largest in South America, covers 

 a surface of 8400 square miles : it is about 2500 square miles lest 

 than Lake Eri<*, the smallest of the five great lakes of North America. 

 The main body of the lake is 92J miles long, and the channel 464 

 miles, so that the whole lake extends 189 miles from south to north ; 

 in its widest part it is 82 miles across ; the channel varies from 14 to 

 4 miles in width. The water of the lake is sweet, but in the northern 

 portion of the channel it is brackish. From the base of the moun- 

 tain rani-en which surround the lake the surface lowers very gradually 

 to iU borders, a distance varying between 50 and 80 miles. That 

 portion of the plain which liee within a distance of from 10 to 20 

 miles from the lake I* for a great part of the year inundated by the 

 watr which descend* in numerous rivers from the Andes and Sierra 

 de Perijit. The whole region in it* natural state however is covered 

 with thick woods, containing excellent timber-tree* and others which 

 afford dye-woods. By the channel there are several tract* which 

 supply pasture for cattle and goat*, and sheep find food in most places. 

 Some part*, especially near the town of Maracaibo, are cultivated, and 

 produce maize, mantlior, yucca, and several other tropical root*. It 

 Is stated that 105 riven, which always contain water, and 400 smaller 

 one*, which contain water only for a part of the year, fall into the 

 lake. The largest riven are the Catatumbo, which runs more than 

 200 miles, and has a navigation of 185 miles; the Zulia, which runs 

 nearly 280 mile*, and is navigable 160 mile* ; the Escalante, whose 

 course is nearly 140 miles, of which about 80 are navigable ; and the 

 Hotatan, which flows more than 180 mile*, and is navigable for more 

 than one-half of it* course. The lake could be navigated by large 

 vessel* if they could pas* the channel, whose depth varies in general 

 between 10 and 12 feet. About 10 miles north of the island* of San 

 Carlos and Zapara a bar above a mile wide run* across the entrance, 

 with a channel near the middle, from 15 to 30 fathom* wide, and 

 having not more than 12 feet of water; so that only vessels of moder- 

 ate size can enter the lake. In 1499, when Ojeda and Vespucci first 

 entered the lake, they found house* in the midst of the channel, which 

 were built on wooden pile* ; and comparing them with Venice, they 

 called the country Venezuela, or Little Venice. 



The coast-range (Sierra Contanera) begin* where the Andes terminate 

 on the left bank of the Cojedes, an affluent of the Portuguese. The 

 mountains themselves do not constitute a large mass of rooks, but 

 divide into several ridge*, and their elevation is little more than half 

 that of the mountains south of the Cojedes. The mountain region 

 grows narrower as it proceeds north ; by the mouth of the Yaracui, 

 where it is called Sierra de Nirgua, two continuous ridges branch off 

 to the east, and on the north-west of it is a mountainous tract of 

 considerable extent, but of moderate elevation, called the mountains 

 of Coroga*. But north of the Kio Tocnyo the country rises higher, 

 and extends in it* most elevated part in an uneven table-land, which 

 in general is a few miles wide, and in this part, where it is called 

 Sierra San Lois, attains on elevation of 4200 feet above the sea. 

 Between this high ground and the sea on the north is a tolerably level 

 tract, aeVeral miles wide, bnt on the east along the shores of the Qolfo 

 Triste the hills come close up to the sea at several places, and leave 

 between them level tracts, which form part of the valleys that traverse 

 the country from east to west. This part is swampy and very un- 

 healthy ; and although the nlluvlal soil of the valleys, and the declivi- 

 ties of the hills, which are covered with thick forests, are extremely 



fertile, and yield rich crops of cacao, coffee, sugar, and other tropical 

 productions, it would be entirely uninhabited if the mines of Aroa 

 and the valuable timber of the forests did not attract a few adven- 

 turers. Farther west the country differs a good deal in character, 

 but it suffers from want of water, and is little cultivated. The climate 

 and the vegetation are however favourable to the sheep and goat, 

 which are numerous ; the skins of the animals constituting the prin- 

 cipal wealth. The Sierra San Luis contains a greater portion of 

 cultivable land ; and coffee, sugar, plantains, cotton, maize, yucca, and 

 several kinds of vegetables are grown. 



The peninsula of Paraguanii is an appendage to the region of the 

 mountains of Coro, being united to it by a narrow isthmus. The 

 centre of the peninsula is occupied by a rocky mass, called El Cerito 

 do Santa Anna, which rises to 1320 feet, and from which a high ridge 

 extends to Cape San Roman. On the other sides it is surrounded by 

 a low and level tract, the soil of which is arid and of indifferent 

 quality. Cotton and a few tropical vegetables are grown : it is rather 

 populous, and a considerable number of the inhabitants are employed 

 in making salt. 



The eastern portion of the coast range is composed of two well- 

 marked ridge* and one which is frequently interrupted. The most 

 northern of these ridges branches off from the Sierra de Nirgua, near 

 the innermost recess of the Oolfo Triste, and runs close to the sea as 

 far eastward as Cape Codera, about 130 miles ; its mean elevation 

 exceeds 4500 feet. The highest summit* are north-east of the town 

 of Caraca* ; the Silla de Caracas is 8808 feet, and the Picache do 

 KaiguaW is 9480 feet above the sea-level. Between Puerto Cabello 

 and the town of Valencia there is a considerable depression in this 

 range, called Abra de Puerto Cabello, through which the road leads 

 that unite* these two commercial towns. 



The southern ridge, called the interior ridge, branches off from the 

 Sierra da Nirgua at Mount Tuouragua (3660 feet high) and runs east- 

 ward, parallel to the northern ridge ; it terminates south-east of the 

 mouth of the Kio Tui with the Cerro de Altagracia (5040 feet), but 

 it* continuation to the bank* of the Rio Unara is marked by some 

 lofty isolated hill*. The Cerro de Platilla 6217 feet, and the Cerro 

 Azul 6816 feet high, are it* highest summits. These two parallel 

 ridge* of the coast range are connected by a transverse ridge, which 

 occurs east of the Abra de lo* Llano*, and attain* an elevation of moro 

 than 5300 feet above the sea. The country iuclosed by the two parallel 

 ridge* t* divided by this ridge into two parts, of which the western, 

 in wbioh the Lake of Valencia is situated, has the name of Valles de 

 Aragua, and the eastern constitutes the valley of the river Tui. The 

 Lake of Valencia extend* from w*t to east about 80 miles, and from 

 north to south 13 miles in the widest part, and ha* no outlet. The 

 oil about it, which in most parts is alluvial, as the whole of the plain 

 once seems to have formed part of the lake, is much more productive 

 than that of any other portion of the republic. This tract is very 

 populous, and its lower and more level part* are covered with planta- 

 tion* of sugar, coffae, tobacco, indigo, plantain, and cotton, and with 

 fields of wheat, maize, yucca, and other tropical roots and vegetables. 

 The surrounding mountains are partially covered with woods, but large 

 tract* are only overgrown with bushes or gnu*. 



The valley of the river Tui is, next to the vales of Aragua, the moat 

 populous and belt cultivated portion of the republic. It extends from 

 west to east about 100 mile*, and is in general about 20 miles wide, 

 but only a small portion of this extent is level enough to admit of 

 cultivation. The course of the Tui is above 150 miles, and it becomes 

 navigable for small river barge* between Aragiiita and Santa Lucia, 

 about 68 miles from it* embouchure. East of the mouth of the river 

 is the Laguna de Tacarigua, which is 15 miles long and more than 

 six mile* wide; and is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of 

 low land, over which in one place the sea breaks at high-water. This 

 lake contains an incredible quantity of fish of different kinds, and is 

 much frequented by fishermen; but the bulk of the population of 

 the valley of the Tui are occupied in agriculture : they raise coffee, 

 cacao, indigo, tobacco, sugar, maize, rice, and in a few places wheat, 

 yuccas, plantains, mandioc, and nearly all the roots and vegetables 

 which are cultivated in South America and the West Indies. Many 

 extensive tract* are covered with grass for the greater part of the year, 

 on which numerous herds of cattle pasture. 



South of the southern ridge of the coast-range is another but much 

 lower ridge, called Oalcra de San Carlos and Del Pao. It is not con- 

 nected with the Andes, like the other ridges, but originates in the 

 savannas of San Carlos, several miles from the base of the Andes, and 

 terminate* before it reaches the banks of the Rio Orituco, an affluent 

 of the Ouarico, which falls into the Orinoco. This ridge is remark- 

 able as forming the line of division between the mountain region above 

 described and the Llanos, which extend south of it, and as marking 

 also the limit of cultivation. 



The mountain region, called Sierra del Bergantin, which occupies 

 the north-eastern portion of the republic, it of comparatively small 

 extent. The river Ncveri, where it flows from south to north, incloses 

 it on the wot ; and from that river it extends along the coast to the 

 most eastern point of the peninsula of Paria. IU length is about 180 

 miles, but its width varies between 50 and 10 miles, and where it 

 approaches the Bocas dos Dragos, or the strait called the Dragons' 

 Mouths, it is still narrower. Ita highest summit is the Turumiquire, 



