Caracas

Environment

Venezuela offers a variety of natural habitats: from the Amazon Rain Forest to the plains of Coro (los llanos), from the idyllic beaches on the islands to the Andes mountains, and from Angel Falls to the cities. Caracas has been blessed with an ideal location in a valley, warm days and cool nights, and proximity to the beaches. The Guiare River flows through the city (though difficult to see through the skyscrapers). Though its lush surroundings, good climate, and palm trees make it beautiful, Caracas suffers from severe environmental

problems that are worsening because of rapid urbanization. The city in the valley is surrounded by hillsides that are covered in rachos, makeshift housing and slums where poverty, crime, and desperation prevail.

Caraqueños' reputation for loving their cars is also catching up with them. Traffic and pollution are at all-time highs, and government plans to help quell them have thus far been unsuccessful.

Caraqueños and other Venezuelans are feeling the pain of environmental degradation more than ever. In December 1999, excessive rains caused devastating flooding across the northern coast of Venezuela. The area around Caracas was devastated, and between 30,000 and 50,000 people perished; the exact figure is still unknown. Many environmental experts are particularly concerned because the rapid deforestation of the mountains around the Caracas valley resulted in the earth being incapable of absorbing the rainwater. Further, much of the makeshift housing that was unregulated by the government simply could not withstand the rains. Looking to the future, the government will likely have to develop more successful measures of protecting the environment of Caracas, as well as its citizens.