129 



consists entirely of limestone, with various table-lands and partly- 

 covered with fragments of the other rocks, forming the foundation 

 of the island. 



Also the North and West margin of the Rincon plain and the 

 mountainous complex of Slagbaai is surrounded by a narrow 

 coral-limestone mass,, which is particularly broad South of Rincon 

 and descends in terraces to the sea; in the West this mountain 

 ridge is repeatedly divided into isolated mountains by steep clefts. 

 The high chalk-terrace Langeberg determines the shape of the 

 island ; the next terrace extends from Langeberg in all directions to 

 about 2 kilometres from the sea, except in the South, where the 

 third terrace appears a little South of Lac, following a W. E. line. 

 The remaining part of the island consists, like the circumference 

 of Klein Bonaire, of a lower chalk formation. The mountain com- 

 plex in West Bonaire has its highest top in the Brandaris, 240 M. 

 From this mountain and the Karakao, 158 M., situated a little 

 more to the N. E., two mountainranges proceed in a S. E. direc- 

 tion, consisting of round cup-shaped hills with a few apices and 

 ending in the Joewa and Makakoe. 



Besides the large valley of Rincon, bordered to the West by the 

 Brandaris complex, to the South by the high chalk ridge and to 

 the North by the lower chalk ridge we find in East Bonaire a 

 large plain, extending from Karakao to the coast. 



General notes. 



On account of the occurrence of eruptive rocks in the islands 



Curagao, Aruba and Bonaire Sievers i) is of opinion that these 



islands must be considered to form one complex with Goajira, 



which in its turn would cohere with the Sierra Neveda de Santa 



Martha and extend over the first mentioned islands as far as Los 



Rocques. When discussing the vegetation we shall see that a few 



plants occurring in Santa Martha are found in the three islands, 



forming the subject of this Flora. It should be noted that Aruba 



is separated from the other islands by a sea-depth of 2000 M. and 



falls quite within the coast line of Venezuela wheie the depth is 200 M. 



Also the isle of Margarita lies inside the coast line of 200 M. 



depth ; contrary to the group Aruba, Curagao, Bonaire, it consists 



of archaic rocks and corresponds entirely to the continental land 



of Arya and Paria. 



1) W. Sievers: Karten zur phyaikalisohen Geographie von Venezula in Dr. A. 

 Petermanns Mitteilungen aua Justus Perthes' Qeogr. Anst. 42. Band. 1896. VI. p. 125. 



9 



