Venice is a seaport of Italy on the northern part of the Adriatic (´ dr-t´ k) Sea. It is built on 117 islands in a great lagoon formed by a bay in the Adriatic. The parts of the city are connected by a system of canals, the largest of which is here shown. In all, the canals number 150, over which have been built 378 bridges. The houses are built on piles. The city has a population of about 160,000. The Grand Canal is the city's chief thoroughfare. When you travel in Venice you do not take a street car of a taxicab. You get into a little boat, called a gondola (gn´ d-lå), rowed by Italians. For a small piece of money you can travel through a maze of water streets. On some of these front shabby, unkempt dwellings; on others magnificent palaces rise. The Grand Canal gets its name not only because of its size, but because of the grandeur of the buildings that face it. Along some of the canals are narrow footpaths, but for the most part the houses are built squarely up from the water's edge. How would you like to live in a city where your front yard is water? Venice is an ancient city. During the middle ages it was the home of doges (dj), or dukes who made power of the city-republic felt wherever trading vessels could go. Its chief rival in those days was Genoa (jn´ -å). In the 15th century Venice was the center of the commerce of Europe, and had a population of 200,000 people. Its fleet numbered over 3,000 craft, with 25,000 sailors aboard. It had 45 war vessels (galleys). Its trade was carried on largely with the East. From China and India by way of Constantinople (kn-stn´ t-n´ pl) it brought its heavy cargoes of spices and precious stones. Its commercial downfall dates from the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, in 1453. Keystone ID: 6482 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.