Ciudad Bolívar

Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar historical zone
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): La puerta del sur de Venezuela (English:"The gate to southern Venezuela")
Motto: No encontrarás otra de más variada riqueza (English:"You won't find another with such a variety of wealth")
Heres Municipality in Bolívar State
Coordinates: 8.122°N 63.55°W / 8.122; -63.55
Country	Venezuela
State	Bolívar
Municipality	Heres
Founded	1764
Government
• Mayor	Victor Fuenmayor
Area
• Total	591 km2 (228 sq mi)
Elevation	43 m (141 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	350,691
• Density	593.39/km2 (1,536.9/sq mi)
• Demonym	Bolívarense
Time zone	VST (UTC-4:30)
• Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC-4:30)
Postal code	8001
Area code(s)	0285
Website	Ciudad Bolívar Online (Spanish)
The area and population figures are for the municipality

Ciudad Bolívar (Spanish pronunciation: [sjuˈðað βoˈliβar]) (English: Bolivar City) is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691.^{[citation needed]}

The town's original name was a contraction of its full descriptive name, Santo Tomé de Guayana de Angostura del Orinoco (Saint Thomas of Guiana of the narrows of the Orinoco). The town also gave its name to the Angostura tree (Cusparia febrifuga) which grows in the area. Angostura bitters were invented there,^{[citation needed]} though the company which produced them has since moved to Trinidad and Tobago. Ciudad Bolívar's historic center is well preserved, with original colonial buildings around the Plaza Bolívar, including a cathedral.

Ciudad Bolivar lies at a spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about 1 mile (1.6 km) in width, and is the site of the first bridge across the river. It serves as an important port on the Orinoco River for the eastern regions of Venezuela. One of the Orinoco Basin's chief commercial centers, its main products include gold, iron ore, cattle, hides and rare woods.

In 1973 a Museum of Modern Art opened. It was designed by Carlos Raúl Villanueva and was named after the city's famous son, the kinetic sculptor Jesús Rafael Soto.

Law and government

Ciudad Bolívar Cathedral and Paseo Orinoco at night

Ciudad Bolívar has one municipality: Heres Municipality, Venezuelan law specifies that municipal governments have four main functions: executive, legislative, comptroller, and planning. The executive function is managed by the mayor, who is in charge of representing the municipality's administration. The legislative branch is represented by the Municipal Council, composed of seven councillors, charged with the deliberation of new decrees and local laws. The comptroller tasks are managed by the municipal comptroller's office, which oversees public finances. Finally, planning is represented by the Local Public Planning Council, which manages development projects for the municipality.

Vegetation

Morichales are found on the shores of rivers, the chaparral. Species including the carob tree, the sarrapia, and the merecure are prevalent, whereas the fauna is represented by such species as capibara, morrocoy, herons, parrots, lapa, iguanas, and others. A high percentage are fluvial species, like the fishes: curbinata, dorado, lau- lau, morocoto, palometa, sapoara.

Climate

The temperature average varies between 26 and 30 °C. Climatic variety is represented by periods of rain and drought, occurring in high and variable forms, greater rainfall in regard to the high temperatures that cause a strong evaporation, arriving at 1022 mm annually. This high rainfall creates rivers of great volume like the Orinoco, as well as others of minor volume: Orocopiche, Marcela, and La Candelaria, for example.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high °F	87	89	91	92	91	88	88	89	89	90	89	87	89
Avg low °F	74	75	77	78	78	77	77	77	78	78	77	76	77
Avg high °C	30	31	32	33	32	31	31	31	31	32	31	30	31
Avg low °C	23	23	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	24	25
Source: Weatherbase

Economy and services

Bolívar state is a region dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry, particularly cattle and pigs, is common. Maize, cassava, mango, yam, and watermelon are characteristic products. Tourism has become economically important.

Ciudad Bolívar is the seat of government of Bolívar state.

Local mass media includes: television (Bolívar Visión, TV Río) and newspapers (El Bolivarense, El Expreso, El Progreso, El Luchador).

Culture

A street in the historical zone of Ciudad Bolívar

Ciudad Bolívar's historical zone is a frequently visited tourist attraction, featuring houses and buildings that date from the colonial period. The Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art—named after the city's most famous son, sculptor and painter Jesús Rafael Soto—features a collection of modern works by Venezuelan and international artists. Ciudad Bolívar is the birthplace of musicians including Cheo Hurtado, Iván Pérez Rossi and Antonio Lauro.^{[citation needed]} It is also the home of the musical group, Serenata Guayanesa.^{[citation needed]}

Gastronomy

Some of the traditional cuisine include desserts and preserves made of cashew nuts, which can be eaten alone or roasted with salt. The cassava bread prepared in the area is well known, as well as several meals made of tortoise such as the Carapacho de Morrocoy Guayanés (baked tortoise in its shell). A culinary delight with alleged aphrodisiac power is the Catara sauce, which is a spicy sauce made of cassava juice or yare.

Colleges and universities

Universidad de Oriente is a public institution located in Ciudad Bolívar, founded in 1962 with Schools of Medicine and Geology. In 1968, more basic courses were created, and in 1969, the academic and administrative activities began.

Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana is a public institution, created in 1982 as a regional center of higher education. The original name of the university was Universidad del Sur.

Other

• Universidad Simón Rodríguez
• Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho
• Instituto Universitario Tecnologico del estado Bolívar
• Universidad Nacional Abierta
• Instituto Universitario Tecnológico Rodolfo Loero Arismendi
• Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela

Transportation

Angostura Bridge over the Orinoco river at Ciudad Bolívar

• Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are a variety of bus types, operated by several companies:
• Bus: large buses.
• Buseta: medium-sized buses.
• Microbus or colectivo: vans or minivans.
• Perrera: a modified pick-up, for mass transportation.

José Tomás de Heres Airport is located in the center of the city.

The Angostura Bridge unites the city with the rest of Venezuela. The freeway that connects Ciudad Bolívar with Ciudad Guayana is also important.

See also

• List of cities in Venezuela

External links

• Bolívar's message to the Congress of Angostura
• (Spanish) Ciudad Bolívar at Venezuelatuya.com
• (Spanish) Images of Ciudad Bolívar