The Eastern Venezuela Pioneer Front, 1830s–1930s: The Role of the Corsican Trade Network

Abstract

The anvil-shaped Paria peninsula of north-eastern Venezuela acts as a natural barrier against the damp northern trade winds that turn into rainfall when they hit the mountains, favouring the growth of dense tropical rainforest and the development of shaded cocoa cultivation. Set between the Gulfs of Cariaco and Paria, the peninsula marks the final extension of the coastal mountain range and is part of present-day Sucre state. The rocky formations of the northern mountains fall abruptly into the Caribbean along most of the coast. Transversal geological faults mark the gap between the peninsula and the island of Trinidad and provide for several passages through the mountains, like that leading south-east from the major port of Carúpano. In the south, small valleys open on a narrow coastal fringe along the muddy waters of the Gulf of Paria, an area of high agricultural potential, with much of its population gathered around the port of Güiria. To the south-east, beyond the peninsula, other valleys are connected to Paria’s population centres by mountain passes and mangrove-lined river estuaries (Rojas, 1981; see Figure 2.1).