Photo and copyright by The Keystone View Co. 



CARACAS, VENEZUELA 



This city, the capital of Venezuela, occupies a beautiful site in a narrow valley at the 

 foot of the mountains, at a height of some 3,000 feet above the sea. Dominating the city 

 are the twin peaks of the Silla de Caracas, which rise to the height of 8,622 feet. The 

 climate of Caracas has been described as one of perpetual spring, with an annual mean 

 temperature of 66 degrees ; but there are very rapid changes, and the alternation of the dry 

 and humid winds is often very unpleasant. 



As it is, it is now possible to travel 

 from Washington to the Guatemalan 

 frontier on a standard-gauge road ; but 

 who does it once will never do it again. 



The trip across the great Mexican des- 

 ert is an experience not soon forgotten 

 or desired again. With the windows of 

 the Pullman cars down as if going 

 through a tunnel, still the alkaline dust 

 seeps in and makes the traveler feel that 

 he has been in the presence of a thresh- 

 ing machine for 24 hours. 



Two OF THE MOST WONDERFUL RAILR0.\DS 

 IN THE WORED 



If Central America expects to capi- 

 talize on the building of the Panama 

 Canal, it has no more ambitious hopes 

 in that direction than Venezuela and Co- 

 lombia. Although Colombia is still deeply 

 aggrieved over her failure to negotiate 

 a canal treaty with the United States, 

 that does not prevent her from expecting 

 much benefit from the operation of the 



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