AMAZONAS  , a territory belonging to

Venezuela, and occupying the extreme southern part of that republic, adjoining the Brazilian state of Amazonas . It lies partly within the drainage basin of the Orinoco and partly within that of the Rio Negro, an affluent of the Amazon . The territory is covered with dense forests and is filled with intricate watercourses, one of which, the Casiquiare, forms an open communication between the Orinoco and the Rio Negro and is navigable for large canoes . The capital of the territory is Maroa, situated on the Guainia river, an affluent of the Rio Negro .