ANGOSTURA, or CIUDAD BOLIVAR, a seaport t. of Venezuela, in lat. 8° 8' n., and long. 68' 55' w., on the right bank of the Orinoco. about 240 in. from its mouths. It is built at a point or puss (angostura), where, on both skis, the river is narrowed by rocks to a width of 3134 ft., after having measured 3 m. across at thrice the distance from the sea. The site of A. is only 191 ft. above the sea-level—an elevation which, on the intermediate distance as above, yields an average of less than 10 in. to the mile. In fact the bottom of the river in front of the town is lower than the surface of the sea, for, even in the lowest state of the water, it is said to be 200 ft. deep, with a margin for floods to the amount of 50 or 60 ft. more. Under these circumstances, tire bed of the stream must be about 250 ft. under the level of time city, or about 60 ft. under the level of time sea. When the river does rise to its highest, there are at least portions of the city inundated; and instances are believed to have occurred in which careless people were devoured by alligators in the very streets. Chiefly, as is supposed, through time free access of the trade-winds over the flat surface of the country, A. enjoys, in proportion to its latitude, a singularly temperate climate. Even in the hottest season of the year, the thermometer is said seldom to show more than 86° F.; while, between the beginning of Nov. and the end of April, it ranges from 77° by day to 69° by night.
The situation of A. is highly favoraLte, in a commercial view. The basin of the Orinoco, which lies nearly all above time town, and is estimated to contain 250,000 sq.m., or more than twice the area of the British isles, is particularly rich towards the north. On that side it reaches very nearly to time coastline, so as to comprise sonic of the best parts of Venezuela. Towards the south, again, it consists, in a great measure, of boundless plains, traversed by countless herds of cattle. Over the whole of this vast basin, and that almost equally in both directions, the main stream and its affluents are, with hardly any interruptions. navigable to near the foot of the mountains. Owing the impetu osity of the currents and the .obstruction of shoals, sailing-vessels are said to take fifteen days to sail up to A.; but with steam-navigation these impediments would in great measure disappear.
With such advantages of position, A. was a flourishing mart before the commence ment of the war of independence; but the civil broils materially interfered with its pros perity. As far back as 1807, A. had 8500 inhabitants; ere twenty years elapsed, the population had been reduced to little more than a third part of the number. According to later information, however, it was rapidly approaching its former amount.