Carabobo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article should be expanded by translating material from es:Carabobo. |
| Estado Carabobo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
| Carabobo State Anthem | |||||
| Motto: Ocassus servitutis (Latin: Decline of servitude) |
|||||
 Location within Venezuela |
|||||
| Created (given current status) |
1864 | ||||
| State capital | Valencia | ||||
| Area •% |
4,650 km² 0,51 (Ranked 21st) |
||||
| Population •% |
2,227,000 hab. (2007 est.) 8,38 (Ranked 4th) |
||||
| Emblematic tree | The Camoruco (Sterculia apelata) |
||||
| ISO 3166-2 | VE-G |
||||
| Governor | Luis Felipe Acosta Carlez 2004 - 2008 |
||||
| Website: Official Site | |||||
Carabobo is one of the 23 states (estados) of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about 2 hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state covers a total surface area of 4,650 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 2,227,000. [1]
On June 24, 1821, the Battle of Carabobo was fought here, it was a decisive battle in the war of independence from Spain, which resulted in victory for the independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
[edit] Administrative regions
Carabobo has 14 municipalities:
The municipalities are made up of one or more civic parishes. Carabobo has a total of 38 parishes.
[edit] Terrain and soil
Around 75% of the region is covered by mountains that make up part of Venezuela's Cost Mountain Range. The highest peaks are found on the North and West of the state and South of the Valencia Lake.
The Cobalongo or Caobal peak is the highest point of the state, at 1990 metres above sea level.
There is a central low plain around the Valencia Lake and towards the South, where Venezuela's Llanos start.
There is a large amount of anticlinals, synclinals, diaclases, fractures and faults. One of the most important is the one of the Victoria, South of Valencia. This area shows a moderate tectonic activity.
Mountains have very steep slopes. These can be over 80%. On the plains slopes are less than 1%. In the Tocuyito area slopes can reach 5%.
There are a group of small islands off Puerto Cabello. The main ones are Isla Larga, Isla Santo Domingo, Isla Alcatraz and Isla del Rey. Isla Larga is the largest one and it is 1855 metres long. It makes part of the San Esteban National Park.
There are also a couple of islands on the Valencia Lake. Some more have disappeared following the increase in the sea level since the seventies of the XX century. Isla del Burro (Donkey Island) is the largest island of the lake.
Carabobo's soils are very good for the agriculture. Entisoles soilds predominate (above all Fluvents and Orthents). There are also threats of vertisoles with suborders of Usterts.
[edit] Fauna and Flora
[edit] Fauna
The following are some of the most typical wild animals in Carabobo:
Birds: bengalí (Sporophila bouvronides), chirulí (Carduelis psaltria), different types of humming birds, guacharaca (Ortalis ruficauda), picoplata (Ramphocelus carbo)
Mammals: peccaries, agoutis, deers, rabipelados, pumas (Felis concolor)
Reptiles: green iguanas, mapanares (Bothrops atrox), tigras mariposa (Bothrops venezuelensis), Boas constrictor. There are also coast crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) under threat.
[edit] Flora
Carabobo has a typical tropical vegetation. Among others, there are Prosopis, apamates (Tabebuia rosea), camorucos, mahogany, cedars, guamos, Carabobo palm trees, Samanea saman, among others.
On the coast there mangroves like the red Rhizophora mangle as well as coconut trees (Cocoloba uvifera).
[edit] Environment
The Valencia Lake as well as several main rivers show high levels of pollution. A large part of residual water gets poured into them without any processing.
There are also many unofficial rubbish depots that do not comply with international standards.[2]
[edit] History
[edit] Prehistory
Taramainas, Tacariguas and other tribes inhabited the region of the Valencia Lake. The cultural centre was located around the lake. They left many petroglyphs as well as ceramic products.
[edit] Colony
Villegas founded the town of Borburata in 1548. He founded Valencia in the central plains of the area in 1555. Many pirate attacks take place in the XVII century along the coast.
During the late XV and XVI centuries numerous pirate attacks by the French and the British affect the region. In 1677 Valencia is raided and plundered by French pirates, who burnt down the Ayuntamiento and destroyed most of the city's documentation.
The Guipuzcoana company, a company organized by Basque entrepreneurs, is given the monopoly of trade between Venezuela and the rest of the world. In that context, the company built in 1730 the haven of what would become Puerto Cabello.
In 1800 German scientist Alexander von Humboldt explored the area in his South American trip.
[edit] Independence war
On 19 April 1810 Venezuela's independence is declared in the Casa de la Estrella, in Valencia. The Independence act would be signed there the next day, on 5 of July.
Several very important battles between pro-Spain and pro-Independence troops took place during the independence in the Carabobo region. The most important, that took place in the Carabobo Valley, on 24 June 1821, is considered as a key battle for the independence of Venezuela.
Spanish troops remained in the San Felipe Castle in Puerto Cabello until 10 November 1823, when they surrendered and left Venezuela.
[edit] Post-colonial times and civil war period
On 6 May 1830 the Congress of Valencia takes place. There, Venezuela declared the independence from the Great Colombia and Valencia was declared Venezuela's capital.
On 29 March 1832 the central government created the province of Barquisimeto from a part of Carabobo.
In 1858, during the March Revolution, Valencia became again capital of Venezuela.
On 27 April 1881 the central government reforms the administrative divisions and creates the state of Carabobo, which at that time had a part that later was given to Yaracuy.
[edit] XX Century
On 31 of March 1941 the crew of several Italian and one German ship that had taken refuge on the Puerto Cabello bay put fire to their ships in order to prevent US troops from capturing them. A big fire in the haven of Puerto Cabello ensures. Several hundreds of marines are made prisoners. Many of the Italian ones finally would decide to settle down in Venezuela.
The first local elections for governors took place in 1988. Salas Römer became elected governor of Carabobo.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Industry
Among the most important industries Carabobo has food processing, textiles, galvanizing, chemical, petrochemical, metal-mechanic, car assembling, fuel, liquified gas, ceramics and paper factories. The industrial centres are located in the Southern part of Valencia and in Guacara. The state-own petrochemical and oil industrial complex of PDVSA (Complejo de Refinería El Palito) is located on the Western coast, close to Morón.
A major oil distribution centre is located in Yagua.
[edit] Service industry
The region is seat to important shopping and entertainment centres. Tourism, mainly local, plays an important role.
[edit] Agriculture
Carabobo has very productive soils for agriculture. There are important areas for farming in the North and South of the Valencia Lake. Unfortunately, high urbanization has led to the loss of very valuable lands that could otherwise be used for cultivations.
There are many farms of pigs and cows, specially to the South of the Valencia Lake and on the Western part of the state.
[edit] Tourism
- Valencia's historical centre and parks
- Valencia's Aquarium or Acuario de Valencia, which contains a large amount of endemic fish, as well as pink dolphins,
an insectarium and a small zoo with animals proper to Venezuela.
- Old part of Puerto Cabello
- Spanish fortress of Puerto Cabello (Solano Castle)
- Termal baths and spa centre of Las Trincheras (described by Alexander von Humboldt)
- Indian petroglyphs in Vigirima
- Patanemo beach
- Mountains of Canoabo region in the Western part of the state
- Colonial church of Los Guayos
- Abbey of St. Joseph, in Güigüe
- Campo Carabobo, Southwest of Valencia: a monument to the most important battle of independence
[edit] Education
The main university in the region is the University of Carabobo.
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
The main newspapers of the region are El Carabobeño and Notitarde.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
This Venezuela location article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
