. Europe and other continents . picture is taken at CiudadBolivar, far up the river. Find it on the map, Fig. 75. But a large part of Venezuela is occupied by the broadplains of the Orinoco valley. Some of these plains, thetreeless llanos (p. 55), are the seat of extensive cattleraising, as in the case of the pampas of Argentina. Inparts of Venezuela, for example upon the mountain slopes,are vast forests which produce valuable dyewoods and 1 This name, which means little Venice, was applied to the countrybecause, when first visited in 1199, white men found an Indian villagebuilt on piles or po
. Europe and other continents . picture is taken at CiudadBolivar, far up the river. Find it on the map, Fig. 75. But a large part of Venezuela is occupied by the broadplains of the Orinoco valley. Some of these plains, thetreeless llanos (p. 55), are the seat of extensive cattleraising, as in the case of the pampas of Argentina. Inparts of Venezuela, for example upon the mountain slopes,are vast forests which produce valuable dyewoods and 1 This name, which means little Venice, was applied to the countrybecause, when first visited in 1199, white men found an Indian villagebuilt on piles or posts in the water along the shores of Lake Maracaibo. 128 SOUTH AMERICA rubber. Among the mountains also are found valuablemineral deposits, especially gold. There is some agriculture. Hardy crops, like po-tatoes, beans, and barley, are raised even at altitudes ofeight thousand feet ; but below five thousand feet arefound such semi-tropical and tropical products as sugar-cane, bananas, cocoa, and coffee (Fig. 95). The latter is. Fig. coffee at Caracas. The dark-colored portion is covered with coffee the chief export ; in fact, Venezuela is one of the leadingcoffee-producing sections of South America. The capital, Caracas (Fig. 96), five or six miles fromthe sea, is situated upon a highland over three thousandfeet above sea level. It is connected with its ports by ashort railway line which winds about in its descent to thesea. In 1812 Caracas was visited by one of the most terribleearthquakes ever recorded. Being Ascension Day, a greatpart of the population was at church. The first shock caused TROPICAL ANDEAN COUNTRIES 129 the bell to toll, but after all clanger was thought past, therecame a terrible subterranean noise, resembling the rolling ofthunder, but louder and longer than thunder is commonlyheard. Then came a shaking of the earth so tremendous thatchurches and houses were overthrown and the inhabitantsburied beneath their ruins. On that day fully twelve thou-
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