Southern Atlantic Crossing

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world. It lies between North and South America in the west and Europe and Africa in the east.

The airport for Puerto La Cruz in northeast on the Caribbean. Isla de Margarita is off the coast.

Buenos Aires is one of the largest cities of Latin America, a major world port, and Argentina’s commercial and social center. Heavily industrialized, he city is one of the world’s leading exporters of processed foods. It was founded in 1536, abandoned, then resettled in 1580, and was the first Latin American city to revolt (1810) against Spanish rule.

Officially independent in 1816, it became the capital of a united Argentina in 1862. It grew into an urban colossus in the late 19th century, when railroads into the agriculturally abundant pampa to the west began to supplement the great inland river transportation system that linked the city with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, and immigration from Europe increased. Famous landmarks include the 19th century cathedral, the opera house, and the many beautiful municipal parks.

Of all the cities in all the world, Hollywood chose this one to immortalise as the classic exotic colonial outpost. Those looking for a latter-day Humphrey Bogart round every corner will be disappointed. This is no sleepy dive. Morocco’s largest city and industrial centre, it’s a huge brash metropolis where traditional Moroccan burnouses (cloaks) seem out of place among the natty suits and designer sunglasses.

Dakar, (dä-kär´) largest city (1988 pop. 1,447,642) and capital of Senegal, on Cape Verde Peninsula, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is an economic center for a market-gardening region, and its expanding industries produce food products, fertilizers, cement, and textiles. The city is the busiest port in W Africa, also serving Mali and Mauritania, and is linked by rail and air with other Senegalese cities. Dakar became the capital of French West Africa in 1902 and was occupied by U.S. forces in World War II. The modern city is an educational and cultural center.

Southeast of Cordoba in southern Spain, Granada was occupied by the Moors until Castilian troops took it over in 1492 ending the Moor reign.

Motril is its second largest town and to some, the name is synonymous with sugar and sugar cane, which is the basis of its economy.

Montevideo is on of South America’s major ports, and Uruguay’s only large city, with nearly half its population. It is a specious beautiful city with amazing architecture and spectacular beaches.

Recife, (rè-sê´fe) chief city (1990 est. pop. 1,375,000) of NE Brazil,a port on the Atlantic Ocean; also known as Pernambuco. Cut by many waterways, it lies partly on the mainland and partly on an island and is often called the Brazilian Venice. It is an important transportation center; its economy is based on the processing and export of cotton,
sugar, and coffee. Industrial products include glass, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic rubber. Founded (1548) by the Portuguese, Recife was briefly held by the British (1595) and the Dutch (1630-54).

Rio de Janeiro, (rê´o dâ zhe-nâr´o) city (1990 est. pop. 6,042,000), SE Brazil, capital of Rio de Janeiro state, former capital of Brazil, on Guanabara Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil’s second largest city and principal port, Rio (as it is popularly called) has diverse manufactures and handles much of the nation’s foreign trade. It is predominantly a modern city, with a new airport and subway system. A cosmopolitan city, long the cultural center of Brazil, it is also its greatest tourist
attraction. Rio is celebrated for its pre-Lenten carnival and for its beautiful natural setting within an amphitheater of low mountains. Noted landmarks are Sugar Loaf Mt., which dominates the harbor, and Corcovado peak, with its colossal statue of Jesus. Founded by French Huguenots in 1555, the city was taken by Portugal in the 1560s. It replaced Bahia (now Salvador) as Brazil’s capital in 1763 and was supplanted by Brasília in 1960.