Caracas.

Caracas: Shell Caribbean Petroleum Company,, 1950. The capital of Venezuela at the height of its wealth An uncommon poster, featuring an aerial photograph of Caracas, released to commemorate the 383rd anniversary of the city's founding. It also features Caracas's crest in red, 12 photographs of major landmarks, and a graph showing the population growth from 1567 to 1950. There are only four institutional copies on Worldcat, none of which are in the UK. Significant oil extraction in Venezuela began in the early 20th century, the Shell Caribbean Petroleum Company opening its first major oilfield at Mene Grande in 1914. Over the following half century the country experienced a wave of foreign investment. By the 1950s Venezuela was the world's third largest producer of fuel and had the fourth highest GDP per capita. The economy became inextricably linked with the value and availability of petroleum, and extraction companies were some of the most powerful players in deciding its future. This poster was produced by the company on behalf of the Venezuelan government in July 1950. It was distributed as a free supplement in the magazine Topicos Shell de Venezuela. Most of the poster is taken up by an aerial photograph of the city, highlighting important areas such as the Avenida Bolivar, Sabana Grande district, and the Panteón Nacional. The 12 individual landmarks include the central bank, Shell factory, and the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas. Large photographic poster (858 x 1270 mm), printed on one side only in red and black, large central photograph of Caracas, 12 additional photographic illustrations of landmarks; text in Spanish. Illustrations bright, many folds sometime repaired with masking tape on verso, a few small closed tears along folds, patches of staining at edges: a very good copy.