The coast.range (Sierra Costanera) begins where the Andes terminate on the left bank of the Cojedes, an affluent of the Portuguese. The mountains themselves do not constitute a large mass of rooks, but divide Into several ridges, and their elevation is little more than half that of the mountains south of the Cojedes. The mountain region grows narrower as it proceeds north; by the mouth of the Yaracul, where it is called Sierra de Nirgua, two contiouous ridge& branch off to the mat, and on the north-west of it is a mountainous tract of considerable extent, but of moderate elevation, called the mountains of Coroga& But north of the Rio Tocuyo the country rises higher, and extends in its most elevated part in an uneven table-land, which in general is a few miles wide, and in this part, where it is called Sierra San Luis, attains an elevation of 4200 feet above the sea. Between this high ground and the sea on the north is a tolerably level tract, *Send miles wide, but on the east along the shorn of the Oolfo Tristo the hills come close up to the sea at several places, and leave between them level tracts, which form part of the valleys that traverse the country from east to west. This part is swampy and very un healthy ; and although the alluvial soil of the valleys, and the declivi ties of the hills, which are covered with thick forests, are extremely fertile, and yield rich crops of cacao, coffee, sugar, and other tropical productions, it would be entirely uninhabited if the mines of Aroa and the valuable timber of the forests did not attract a few adven turers. Farther west the country differs a good deal iu character, but it suffers from want of water, and is little cultivated. The climate and the vegetation are however favourable to the sheep and goat, which are numerous ; the skins of the animals constituting the prin cipal wealth. The Sierra San Luis coutains a greater portion of cultivable land; and coffee, sugar, plantains, cotton, maize, yucca, and several kinds of vegetables are grown.
The peninsula of Paraguanti is an appendage to the region of the mountains of Coro, being united to it by a narrow isthmus. The centre of the peninsula is occupied by a rocky mass, called El Cerito do Santa Anna, which rises to 1320 feet, and from which a high ridge extends to Cape San Roman. On the other sides it is surrounded by a low and level tract, the soil of which is arid and of indifferent quality. Cotton and a few tropical vegetables are grown : it is rather populous, and a considerable number of the inhabitants are employed in making salt.
The eastern portion of the coast range is composed of two well marked ridges and one which is frequently interrupted. The most northern of these ridges branches off from the Sierra de Nirgua, near the innermost recess of the Golfo Triste, and runs close to the sea as far eastward as Cape Coders, about 130 miles ; its mean elevation exceeds 4500 feet. The highest summits are north-east of the town of Caracas ; the Sills de Caracas is 8808 feet, and the Picache de Nalguatd is OISO feet above the sea-level. Between Puerto Cabello
and the town of Valencia there is a considerable depression in this range, called Abra de Puerto Cabello, through which the road leads that unites these two commercial towns.
The southern ridge, called the interior ridge, branches oft' from the Sierra de Nirgua at Mount Tueuragua (3880 feat high) and runts east ward, parallel to the northern ridge; it terminates south-east of the mouth of the Rio Tui with the Cerro de Altagracia (5040 feet), but its continuation to the banks of the Rio Unare is marked by some lofty isolated hills. The Cerro de Platilla 6217 feet, and the Cerro Aaul 5816 feet high, are ita highest summits. These two parallel ridges of the coast range are connected by a transverse ridge, which occurs east of the Abra de los Llanoe, and attains an elevation of moro than 5300 fort above the see. The country inclosed by the two parallel ridges is divided by this ridge into two parts, of which the western, in whloh the Lake of Valencia is situated, has the name of Valles de Aragua, and the eastern constitutes the valley of the river Tui. The Lake of Valencia extends from west to east about 30 miles, and from north to south 13 miles in the widest part, and has no outlet. The soil about it, which in most parts is alluvial, as the whole of the plain once seems to have formed part of the lake, is much more productive than that of any other portion of the republic. This tract is very populous, and its lower and more level parts are covered with planta tions of sugar, coffee, tobacco, indigo, plantain, and cotton, and with fields of wheat, maize, yucca, and other tropical roots and vegetables. The surrounding mountains are partially covered with woods, but large tracts are only overgrown with bushes or grass.
The valley of the river Tui le, next to the vales of Aragua, the most populous and beat cultivated portion of the republic. It extends from west to east about 100 miles, and is in general about 20 miles wide, but only a small portion of this extent fa level enough to admit of cultivation. The course of the Tut is above 150 miles, and it becomes navigable for small river bargee between Amgiiita and Santa Lucia, about 83 miles from its embouchure. East of the mouth of tho river is the Laguna de Tacarigua, which is 15 miles long and more than six miles wide; and is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of low land, over which in one place the sea breaks at high-water. This lake contalos en incredible quantity of fish of different kinds, and is much frequented by fishermen; but the bulk of the population of the valley of the Tui are occupied in agriculture : they raise coffee, cacao, indigo, tobacco, sugar, maize, rice, and in a few places wheat, yuccas, plantains, mendloc, and nearly all the roots and vegetables which are cultivated in South America and tho West Indies. Many extensive tracts are covered with grass for the greater part of the year, on which numerous herds of cattle pasture.