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CARACAS

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 298 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CARACAS , the See also:

principal See also:city and the See also:capital of the See also:United States of See also:Venezuela, situated at the western extremity of an elevated valley of the Venezuelan See also:Coast Range known as the See also:plain of Chacao, 6z m. S.S.E. of La Guaira, its See also:port on the Caribbean coast, in See also:lat. 10° 30' N., See also:long. 67° 4' W. The plain is about if m. long by 3 M. wide, and is separated from the coast by a See also:part of the See also:mountain See also:chain which extends along almost the entire See also:water front of the See also:republic. It is covered with well-cultivated plantations. The Guaira See also:river, a See also:branch of the See also:Tuy, traverses the plain from See also:west to See also:east, and flows past the city on the See also:south. Among its many small tributaries are the Catuche, Caroata and Anauco, which flow down through the city from the See also:north and give it a natural See also:surface drainage. The city is built at the narrow end of the valley and at the See also:foot of the Cerro de See also:Avila, and stands from 2887 to 3442 ft. above See also:sea level, the See also:elevation of the Plaza de See also:Bolivar, its topographical centre, being 3025 ft. Two See also:miles north-east is the famous Silla de Caracas, whose twin summits, like a gigantic old-fashioned See also:saddle (silla), rise to an elevation of 8622 ft.; and the Naiguete, still farther eastward, overlooks the valley from a height of 9186 ft. The See also:climate of Caracas is often described as that of perpetual See also:spring. It is subject, however, to extreme and rapid See also:variations in temperature, to alternations of dry and humid winds (the latter, called catias, being irritating and oppressive), to chilling See also:night mists brought up from the coast by the See also:westerly winds, and to other influences productive of See also:malaria, See also:catarrh, fevers, bilious disorders and See also:rheumatism.

The maximum and minimum temperatures range from 84° to 48° F., the See also:

annual mean being about 66°, and the daily variation is often as much as 15°. The city is built with its streets See also:running between the See also:cardinal points of the See also:compass and See also:crossing each other at right angles. Two intersecting central streets also See also:divide the city into four sections, in each of which the streets are methodically named and numbered, as North 3rd, 5th, 7th, &c., or West 2nd, 4th, 6th, &c., according to direction and location. This method of numeration See also:dates from the See also:time of Guzman Blanco, but the See also:common See also:people adhere to the names bestowed upon the city squares in earlier times. The streets are narrow, but are clean and well-paved, and are lighted by See also:electricity and See also:gas. There are several handsome squares and public gardens, adorned with statues, trees and shrubbery. The principal square is the Plaza de Bolivar, the conventional centre of the city, in which stands a See also:bronze equestrian statue of Bolivar, and on which See also:face the See also:cathedral, See also:archbishop's See also:residence, Casa Amarilla, See also:national library, See also:general See also:post See also:office and other public offices. The Independencia See also:Park, formerly called Calvario Park, which occupies a See also:hill on the west See also:side of the city, is the largest and most attractive of the public gardens. Among the public edifices are the capitol, which occupies a whole square, the university, of nearly equal See also:size, the cathedral, See also:pantheon, masonic See also:temple (built by the See also:state in the spendthrift days of Guzman Blanco), national library, See also:opera-See also:house, and a number of large churches. The city is generously provided with all the See also:modern public services, including two See also:street See also:car lines, See also:local and long distance See also:telephone lines, electric See also:power and See also:light, and waterworks. The principal water See also:supply is derived from the Macarao river, 15 M. distant. Railway connexion with the port of La Guaira was opened in 1883 by means of a See also:line 23 M. long.

Another line (the Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela) passes through the mountains to See also:

Valencia, 111 m. distant, and two See also:short lines run to neighbouring villages, one to Petare and See also:Santa See also:Lucia, and the other to El See also:Valle. The archbishop of Venezuela resides in Caracas and has ecclesiastical See also:jurisdiction over the dioceses of See also:Ciudad Bolivar, See also:Calabozo, See also:Barquisimeto, See also:Merida and See also:Maracaibo. There are no manufactures of See also:note. Caracas was founded in 1567 by Diego de Losada under the pious See also:title of See also:Santiago de See also:Leon de Caracas, and has been successively capital of the See also:province of Caracas, of the captaincy-general of Caracas and Venezuela, and of the republic of Venezuela. It is also one of the two See also:chief cities, or capitals, of the Federal See also:district. It was the birthplace of See also:Simon Bolivar, and claims the distinction of being the first See also:colony in South See also:America to overthrow See also:Spanish colonial authority. The city was almost totally destroyed by the See also:great See also:earthquake of 1812. In the See also:war of See also:independence it was repeatedly subjected to pillage and slaughter by both parties in the strife, and did not recover its losses for many years. In 1810 its See also:population was estimated at 50,000; seventy-one years later the See also:census of 1881 gave it only 55,638. In 1891 its See also:urban population was computed to be 72,429, which in 1904 was estimated to have increased to about 90,000.

End of Article: CARACAS

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