Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

81° F. Products: Cattle, petroleum, coal, coffee, sugar, cacao. How Reached.-Connected by railway with Governmentowned coal mines of Naricual and with the port of Guanta. Reached from La Guaira by steamers calling at Guanta and by air from Maracay.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (agency).
Hotels.-Central; Nacional.

BARQUISIMETO.-Capital of State of Lara; altitude, 1,857 feet; population, 36,429; 224 miles from Caracas, 97 miles from Puerto Cabello. Temperature averages 77° F. Principal products: Coffee, sugarcane, maize, wheat, and goatskins.

How Reached.-From Caracas, by air and automobile high

way.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (branch).

Hotels. Central; Perez Correa; San Jose; Universal.

CARACAS.-Capital of Republic; altitude, 3,025 feet; population, 203,342. Although it is in the Tropics, Caracas has springlike weather, due to its situation and altitude; temperature averages 71° F. December to April are the driest months, and July, September, and October are the wettest. Principal products: Coffee, cacao, sugarcane, tobacco. Principal industries: textile mills, cement plant, alcoholic-beverage plants, cigarette and cigar factories, tanneries, shoe and clothing factories.

How Reached.-Reached from all commercial centers by air, also by rail, steamer, or highway from many points. Connected with La Guaira, principal port, and with Maracay, starting point of the domestic air company, by excellent concrete roads and by railway.

Banks.-National City Bank of New York (branch); Royal Bank of Canada; Banco de Venezuela; Banco Caracas; Banco Holandes Unido; Banco Venezolano de Credito; Banco Industrial de Venezuela; Banco Mercantil y Agricola ; Bank of London and South America, Ltd.; Banco Aleman Antioqueno.

Hotels.-Majestic; Palace; Guimera; Royal; Domke; Mel

rose.

Note.-Caracas, capital of the Republic of Venezuela, is an attractive, picturesque city, and is the country's most important commercial and financial center. Here are located the chief wholesale importers and other commercial houses, some of which maintain branches in other cities of the Republic. From Caracas practically the entire country is covered by traveling representatives, and business is done with even such distant places as Trujillo, Merida, and San Cristobal, which are really tributary to Maracaibo. A single agency for covering all of Venezuela can best be located in Caracas. Seat of American embassy.

CARUPANO-State of Sucre; population, 30,153; altitude, 23 feet. On Caribbean Sea; landing, open roadstead. Temperature averages 81° F. Principal products: Cacao, tobacco.

How Reached.-From Caracas and Maracaibo by steamers or by air.

CIUDAD BOLIVAR.-Capital of State of Bolivar; population, 25,134; altitude, 125 feet. Situated on right bank of Orinoco River, 262 miles from its mouth. Vessels lie alongside quays. Distances: 590 miles from Caracas; 300 miles from Port of Spain, Trinidad. Climate, tropical (region of plains); temperature averages 84° F. Principal products: Gold, diamonds, balata, chicle, cattle, tonka beans, alligator hides, woods.

How Reached.-From Puerto Cabello, La Guaira, and Trinidad, by local steamers; from Caracas, by highway and airplane. Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (branch).

Hotels.-Bolivar; Cyrnos.

CUMANA.-Capital of State of Sucre; population, 21,623; altitude, 56 feet. Located on both banks of Manzanares River, less than a mile from Puerto Sucre, with which it is connected by tramway. Vessels lie alongside wharf. Distance from Caracas, 248 miles; from Barcelona, 62 miles; and 2 miles from the sea. Temperature averages 80° F. Principal products: Cacao, tobacco, fish.

How Reached. From La Guaira and Carupano, by steamer; from Caracas, by air.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (agency).

[blocks in formation]

LA GUAIRA.-Department of Vargas, Federal District; population, 9,717. Average temperature, 82° F. On Caribbean Sea; port of entry for Caracas. Good piers, now being greatly enlarged; vessels lie alongside. Distances: 65 miles from Puerto Cabello; 23 miles from Caracas by rail. Principal activity, shipping.

How Reached.-From Caracas, by railway and by automobile, 1 hour; from Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo, and many other ports, by steamer.

Banks.-Agencies for all Caracas banks.

Hotels.-Miramar (at Macuto); Alemania (at Macuto). Travelers who find it necessary to spend more than one day at La Guaira go to the hotels at Macuto, a nearby seaside resort. Note.-La Guaira is the chief port of entry in Venezuela. Practically all of the business, both export and import, of the central part of the Republic passes through it. To most salesmen it is of interest merely as the entrepôt for Caracas. The majority of the important business houses are branches of Caracas firms. American vice consul stationed at La Guaira.

MARACAIBO.-Capital of State of Zulia; altitude, 30 feet; population, 110,010. Landing, from steamer to wharf; distance 572 miles from Caracas. Maracaibo is the hottest large city in Venezuela; average temperature, 86° F.; the warmest months, July, August, and September. There is generally a sea breeze from 3 p. m. until the following morning. Principal products: Petroleum, coffee, cacao, sugar, dairy products, woods.

How Reached.-From Caracas, by steamer, highway, and air. Banks.-Banco de Venezuela; Royal Bank of Canada; Banco

de Maracaibo; Banco Commercial de Maracaibo; Banco Vene zolano de Credito.

Hotels. America; Franklin; Granada; Scandia; Victoria. Note.-Maracaibo, second city of the Republic in importance, is known chiefly for petroleum production and exportation. An active trade is carried on by steamers which ply between Maracaibo, La Ceiba, and Encontrados. Many large wholesale importing and exporting firms are located in Maracaibo, and it is often chosen as a place in which to establish an agency or subagency, with the principal office located in Caracas. Maracaibo is the distributing point for the States of Merida, Tachira, Trujillo, Zulia, and the Department of Santander del Norte in Colombia. American consul in residence. About 50 percent of the Venezuelan exports of coffee pass through the port of Maracaibo. Some cotton is raised in the region lying on the eastern side of the lake.

Lake Maracaibo extends inland from the Gulf of Venezuela on the Caribbean Sea for a distance of approximately 132 miles. Its maximum width east and west is 57 miles. The region covers about 17,000 square miles; the lake itself, 4,800 square miles. The lake is actually a large, shallow, inland gulf, or bay, connected with the sea by four channels, of which the largest is called San Carlos, generally designated the "Barra de Maracaibo." This bar is approximately 2 miles wide; the current through it is at a velocity of 5 to 6 miles an hour and the water depth is only 13 feet, preventing the passage of craft drawing more than 11 feet. Plans for the removal of this bar are now under way.

MARACAY.-Capital of State of Aragua; population, 29,759; altitude, 1,460 feet. Distances: 66 miles from Caracas; 29 miles from Valencia; 60 miles from Puerto Cabello. Average temperature, 84° F. Products: Cattle, coffee, cacao. Industries: Agriculture, cattle raising, dairying, meat packing, manufacturing textiles and paper.

How Reached.-From Caracas, by railway and concrete highway. Planes leave Maracay every day for the most important commercial centers in Venezuela.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (agency).
Hotels.-Jardin; Maracay.

MARGARITA ISLAND.-Forms the State of Nueva Esparta; situated off the north coast; area, 444 square miles (42 miles long, 19 miles wide); population, 73,375. The island is visited by steamers and sailing vessels from near-by ports, and is reached from Carcacas by steamers and by air. Principal products: Fish, pearls, and dates. The chief industry is pearl fishing; exportation of pearls to Europe is important.

Cities.-La Asuncion, the capital has a population of 4,655. Porlamar, the chief port and commercial center, has a population of 9,890. Several houses in Porlamar import direct from the United States.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (agency), in Porlamar.
Hotels. (In Porlamar) Porlamar and Nuevo.

PUERTO CABELLO.-State of Carabobo; population, 22,213. Situated on shores of Mar de la Antillas, 65 miles west from La Guaira; 127 miles from Caracas; 31 miles from Valencia.

How Reached.-Puerto Cabello has an excellent harbor, which is visited by a number of steamship lines, and there is good communication with the rest of Venezuela; also has a drydock shipyard. Good highways connect Puerto Cabello with Valencia, Maracay, Caracas, and La Guaira, and with San Felipe, in the State of Yaracuy. Reached from Caracas by highway and railway.

Bank.-Banco de Venezuela (agency).

Hotels.-Hotel de los Banos; America; Universal.

SAN CRISTOBAL.-Capital of State of Tachira; population, 21,874; altitude, 2,707 feet. Distances: 665 miles from Caracas; 34 miles from the Colombian border; 108 miles from Encontrados; 22 miles from San Antonio, which is near the railroad from Cucuta to Puerto Villamizar. Average temperature, 72° F. Products: Coffee; wheat; cattle.

How Reached.-By automobile from San Felix, which is on the railroad from Econtrados; from Caracas, by highway.

Bank. Banco de Venezuela (agency).

Hotels. Central; America.

Note. San Cristobal is a town of some importance, being particularly well situated in respect to traffic from the western llanos to Zulia or Colombia.

SAN FERNANDO.-Capital of State of Apure; population, 7,972; altitude, 239 feet. On south bank of Apure River, near mouth of Portuguesa River; port of call for steamers on Orinoco and Apure Rivers. Average temperature, 86° F. Products: Cattle; alligator hides.

How Reached. By steamer, via Orinoco and Apure Rivers; regular service with Ciudad Bolivar. From Caracas, by air and (during dry season) by highway.

Bank. Banco de Venezuela (agency).

VALENCIA. Capital of State of Carabobo; third largest city in Venezuela; population, 49,214; altitude, 1,568 feet. Situated on west bank of Cabriales, 3 miles from its mouth, near Lake Valencia ; 96 miles from Caracas; 31 miles from Puerto Cabello ; 129 miles from Barquisimeto. Average temperature, 82° F. Principal products: Coffee, cacao, sugar. Industries: Hat factories, tanneries, cotton mills, sawmills, cigarette factories, sugar mills, cattle raising.

How Reached.-From Caracas and Puerto Cabello, by highway and railroad.

Banks.-Banco de Venezuela (branch); Banco Mercantil y Agricola (branch).

Hotels. Juana de Arco; Central; Ottolina; San Cristobal; Aleman.

THE GUIANAS

BRITISH GUIANA

AREA, TOPOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE

British Guiana, only British Colony in South America, is located in the northeastern part of the continent on the Atlantic Ocean, with Surinam on the east, Brazil on the south and west, and Venezuela on the west. Its area, 89,480 square miles, exceeds that of England, Scotland, and Wales, combined; coast line, 270 miles. Population is estimated at about 305,000, or approximately 3.5 inhabitants per square mile.

Topography and Climate.-British Guiana can be divided roughly into three regions: (a) The flat, swampy coastal lands, from 10 to 40 miles wide; (b) a region of undulating land, slightly higher, consisting in some places of sand dunes, and in others of heavily timbered sections; (c) an area, by far the largest and most elevated portion of the country, lying to the south of the other two regions and having several mountain ranges and extensive savannas. Portions of this third area are heavily wooded, and various minerals are also known to be present. Its resources have never been fully explored and are largely undeveloped.

The average annual temperature of Georgetown is 80° F., and monthly averages range from 78.9° F. in February to 81.2° in September and October. A secondary average maximum temperature, 80.2° F. occurs in April and May. Rainfall is heavy throughout the year. Two maxima occur-one of 11.87 inches in June and another of 11.75 inches in December. The driest months are September and October, when the precipitation is 3.1 and 2.5 inches, respectively.

POPULATION AND INDUSTRY

The population of approximately 305,000 is composed of about 3,000 north Europeans, 8,500 Portuguese, 128,000 East Indians, 122,000 Negroes, 9,000 aborigines, and about 34,500 persons of mixed race. The language of the country is English.

CHIEF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The chief crop of British Guiana is sugar, in which there is a large export trade, as well as in its byproducts, molasses and A considerable amount of rice is grown. Other products are cacao, coconuts, copra, coffee, and citrus fruits. The forests

rum.

« AnteriorContinuar »