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Maracaibo (GULF OF or GULF OF VENEZUELA)

GULF OF, or GULF OF VENEZUELA, a wide inlet of the Carribean Sea, extending from the peninsulas of Paraguana and Guajira to the حمدی MARABOU strait by which it is connected with the lake. The latter forms the floor of a great valley, shut in by lofty mountains. waters are sweet, and deep enough for the largest vessels; but the bar at the mouth, where a swift current runs, makes entrance difficult. The gulf and lake were discovered in 1499 by Ojeda, who found here houses built on piles, and so gave the district the name Venezuela ("Little Venice"), which was afterward extended to the entire country.

MARAGHA MARAGHA (märä-gä), a town of western Persia, 55 miles S. of Tabriz and 20 miles E. of Lake Urmia. It is celebrated as the capital of Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, and as the site of the observatory which Hulagu built for the astronomer Nasr ed- Din. Pop. about 16,000.

MARAJÓ (märä-zhō') or JOANNES, an island between the estuaries of the Amazon and Para; area, nearly 18,000 square miles. It is for the most part low and covered with grass and bush, but in the E. and S. with dense forest.

The soil is fertile, and large herds of cattle are reared in the N. E.