Villa de Maracaibo City flag City seal City motto: Muy noble y leal (English: Very noble and loyal</br> City nickname: La Tierra del Sol Amada (Spanish: The Beloved Land of the Sun)</br> Location of Maracaibo Municipalities Maracaibo Municipality Mayor Gian Carlo Di Martino (2004 – 2008) Area   –Land   –Water 393 km² N/A km² N/A km² Population   –Total (2005)   –Density Metropolitan area 2,000,000 3,104/km² Time zone UTC –4 Latitude Longitude 10º 34’ 0’’ N 71º 44’ 0’’ W Official website: Alcaldía Mayor The city of Maracaibo, nicknamed La Tierra del Sol Amada (The Land Beloved by the Sun), founded in 1571, is the capital of the Zulia State and is Venezuela's second largest population center. The 1990 census assigned a population of 1,249,670—a number that many considered to be understated. Maracaibo is located at 11°2' North, 71°35' West (11.0333, -71.58333). [1] Maracaibo was founded on the western side of Lake Maracaibo which is the dominant feature of the oil-rich Maracaibo Basin. Favored by prevailing winds and a protected harbor the city is located on the shores of the lake where the narrows, which eventually lead to the Gulf of Venezuela, first become pronounced. During the city's first 390 years or so Maracaibo remained isolated and separated from the rest of the country. Land transportation was only possible across the lake by ferry or other marine transport. Cars, buses, and trucks, with their constant flow of manufactured goods and agricultural product, depended on the ferry system between the city and the eastern shore with their roads to connect to the country's highway system. This isolation was both a challenge and an advantage. The very nature of the city's location made for a population known for independent thought and character. The separation from Caracas, the seat of national government, created a liberty of thought and character for the "Maracucho" (those that called Maracaibo their home). This characteristic of scrutiny and suspect of "national decision" served the city well. Even in today's connected world the national government's decisions are a bit more suspect and debated by Maracaibo's citizens than in the rest of the country. A protective watchdog attitude remains today by this "independent" population. The dictatorial regime of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez of the 1950s set as a goal the construction of a bridge connecting the two lakeshores. Various bridge projects for the spanning of the Lake Maracaibo narrows near the city were in the works. The General's government had decided that this "city of independent thought" should be more "connected" to the rest of the country. Proposals for a bridge design that included rail transport and tourist facilities were seriously considered. The fall of the Pérez Jiménez government in January 1958 quickly led to a less elaborate design project that was approved and funded by a democratic and more conservative government. The building of the "El Puente Sobre El Lago de Maracaibo "General Rafael Urdaneta"—(General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge over Lake Maracaibo) named after the distinguished hero of the War of Independence was opened to public traffic in 1962. The project was completed on schedule in 40 months. This bridge construction project was a remarkable feat. Built under very difficult conditions, when completed, it became the longest prestressed concrete bridge in the world. The structure is in constant use and remains today as the most important link between Maracaibo, along with much of the State of Zulia, and the rest of Venezuela. Historical perspective François de Pons, the agent of the French government to Caracas, provides some historical insight into the people of Maracaibo in his travel journal (} |none }} |2=} |de Pons et al. {{{5 |} |de Pons, 1806 & {{{3 {{{4 |} |de Pons & 1806 {{{3 |de Pons 1806 }} }} }} |3=} |2=# |3=#CITEREFde Pons1806 }} |2=} |de Pons et al. {{{5 |} |de Pons, 1806 & {{{3 {{{4 |} |de Pons & 1806 {{{3 |de Pons 1806 }} }} }} }} |2=, |3=} |2=, p. {{{p |3=} |2=, pp. }} }} }}). The following excerpts describe the local population of Maracaibo. They perform coasting, or long voyages, with equal facility; and when all trade is suspended by the operations of war, they enter privateers. Bred up in the neighborhood of the lake, they are mostly all expert swimmers and excellent divers. Their reputation stands equally high as soldiers. Those who do not enter into the sea service, form plantations, or assist in cultivating those, which belong to their fathers. Nothing proves better their aptitude for this kind of occupation, than the immense flocks of cattle with which the savannas of Maracaybo [sic] are covered. He also notes the appreciation of literature, the arts, education, and culture among the people of Maracaibo: But what confers the greatest honor on the inhabitants of Maracaybo, is their application to literature; in which, notwithstanding the wretched state of public education, they make considerable progress....They likewise acquired the art of elocution, and of writing their mother tongue with the greatest purity; in a word, they possessed all the qualities which characterize men of letters. During the period of de Pons's visit, however, he believed the people of Maracaibo to lack integrity with regard to honoring their commitments: After allowing that the inhabitants of this city possess activity, genius, and courage, we have nothing further to say in their praise. They are accused of violating their promises, and even of attempting to break through written engagements. Their character, in this respect, is so notorious, that every stranger whom business induces to visit Maracaybo, affirms, that it would be much better to enter into commercial speculations with the women, because they appear alone to possess that sincerity and good sense which are every where else considered as belonging particularly to men. External links References } |} |} |} |, }} }} |} |, }} |} |, | & |} |} |1= }} |, et al. }} }} }} |… }} (1806)} |2=} |2=, } |2=[ ] |3= }}} |, vol. |, no. |, pp. |} |, p. }} }} |3=} |2=, } |2=[ ] |3= }} in } |, ed., }}A Voyage to the Eastern Part of Terra Firma, or the Spanish Main, in South-America, during the years 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804} | ( ed.) |, I. Riley and Company |, New York |, |, pp. |} |, p. }} }} |3=} |2=, } |2=[ ] |3= }} | ( ed.) |, I. Riley and Company |, New York |, }} }} | [] }}de:Maracaibo es:Maracaibo eo:Marakajbo fr:Maracaibo nl:Maracaibo pl:Maracaibo pt:Maracaibo Search Term: "Maracaibo" Categories: Cities in Venezuela