Carabobo

Carabobo State (Spanish: Estado Carabobo, IPA: [esˈtaðo kaɾaˈβoβo]) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,369 km (1,687 sq mi) and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 2,245,744.
Carabobo State was the site of the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821. This was a decisive win in the war of independence from Spain, and was led by Simón Bolívar.
There are several versions about the origin of the name Carabobo. One of them refers to a voice coming from a local Arawaco language: Karau means savannah and bo means water. The repeated bo acts as a superlative, i.e. a lot of water or streams. Thus, Carabobo would mean Savannah of Waters or Savannah of Ravines.
When Europeans arrived to what would become Venezuela, one of the most important cultural centres was located around the Valencia Lake. The Native Americans in the region were hunters, gatherers, but also fishers and farmers. Many petroglyphs and ceramics remain from this time.
There are signs of human presence in the Valencia region from the fourth millennium BC onwards. Humans were also present earlier in other areas of what is now Carabobo, like in Bejuma.
An important human settlement occurred around the Valencia Lake between 200 and 1000 AD. These people already practiced some kind of agriculture.
At the end of the first millennium new populations started to arrive from the Orinoco region, probably via the El Pao River. From the eighth century onwards the Orinoco populations started to merge with the older groups. This fusion produced what is known as Valenciode culture. People lived in houses built on artificial mounds in the very fruitful valleys to the East and West of the Valencia Lake. They produced specially anthropomorphic sculptures.
Around the year 1200 the Valencioide culture reached the whole area of the Valencia Lake basin, the centre of Northern Venezuela and several islands in the Caribbean. The Indians would trade sea products like the (Strombus gigas), salt (specially from the Paraguana Peninsula), turtles and fish from coral reefs. The trade took place in villages along the coast.
Taramainas, Tacariguas and other tribes inhabited the Valencia Lake region when the Europeans arrived. The different groups spoke mostly Arawak languages, but there were also several Carib groups.
The Indians grew maize, a typical product of Western South American cultures and also Manioc, a typical product of groups from the East. Many metates or grinding stones for maize as well as budares for the preparation of cassava remain from those times.
The Jirajara Indians from Nirgua (now a region between Yaracuy and Carabobo), would go to the Valencia Lake and from there through the mountains to the Sea at the level of Borburata to get salt.
Juan de Villegas founded the town of Borburata in 1548. Seven years later, in 1555, he founded Valencia in the central plains to the west of the Tacarigua (Valencia) Lake.
In 1577 and 1583 the region of Valencia suffered a series of raids by Carib tribes coming from the Low Orinoco. The Spanish troops led by Garci-González repelled and went after them.
During the late 16th and 17th centuries, the region suffered many attacks by French and British pirates. The town of Borburata was eventually abandoned for a long period, and settlers moved to Valencia, which was less likely to be raided as it was a day walk from the Caribbean. Some of the attacks included:
In 1624 Indians to the Northwest of the Valencia Lake established the settlement of Guacara.
Attacks by English and French pirates continued during a great part of the century. In 1659, the English pirate Myngs plundered Puerto Cabello on a raid that had taken him to Cumaná and later Coro. In 1677, Valencia was plundered by French pirates, who burnt down the Ayuntamiento or "City Hall" and destroyed most historical documents.
At the beginning of 1694, the governor of Venezuela, Francisco Berroterán, declared the growing Guacara, Los Guayos and San Diego doctrinas, "towns of Indians".
The Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas, a company organized by Basque entrepreneurs, received 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.
Venezuela's independence was declared on 19 April 1810 in the Casa de la Estrella, in Valencia. The Independence act was signed there the next year, 5 July.
Several very important battles between Spanish royalist forces and the pro-Independence troops under Bolivar took place in the Carabobo region. The most important was the Battle of Carabobo, fought on 24 June 1821 and considered a key battle in the struggle for Venezuelan independence. After the battle, what was left of the Spanish forces holed up in the San Felipe Castle in Puerto Cabello until 10 November 1823, when they surrendered and left Venezuela.
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.
During World War II, the crews of several Italian ships and one German ship took refuge on the Puerto Cabello bay. On 31 March 1941, they set fire to their ships to prevent US troops from capturing them. A big fire in the haven of Puerto Cabello ensued. Several hundred marines were captured. Many of the Italians eventually would decide to settle down in Venezuela.
In the second half of the 20th century, Carabobo experienced a population explosion. Many immigrants arriving from Europe to Venezuela after WW2 settled down in Valencia and surrounding areas. From the 1970s onwards, immigration came mainly from other Latin American countries. The La Cabrera Tunnel was constructed in the late 1950s using the New Austrian Tunnelling method.
The first local elections for governors took place in 1988. Salas Römer became elected governor of Carabobo. In 2006 the Valencia city metro was inaugurated, making it the third city in the country with a system of this type.
Most of Carabobo State – 75% – is mountainous and part of the Coastal Range. The highest elevations are found throughout the northern part, in the western part of the state and in the southern part of Lake Valencia.
There is a central depression around Lake Valencia and towards the south the plains begin.
Cobalongo or Caobal Hill, in the municipality of Puerto Cabello, in the north, is the highest point in the state, at 1990 meters above sea level. Other of the highest peaks are:
There is a large number of anticlines, synclines, diaclases, fractures and faults. One of the most important faults is La Victoria, located south of Valencia. This area shows some tectonic activity of moderate importance.
The mountains have very deep slopes. The slopes can exceed 80%. In the plains, the slopes are less than 1%. In the area of the Tocuyito high plateau the slopes reach 5%.
In the State of Carabobo, in front of Puerto Cabello there are a number of small islands:
In Lake Valencia there are also several islands. Some have disappeared due to the rise in the level of the lake since the 1970s. The largest island is Burro Island.
The State of Carabobo has three hydrographic basins: the Basin of the Caribbean Sea, the Basin of Lake Valencia and the Basin of the South.
Rivers:
These rivers generally flow from the northern part of the Coastal Mountain Range into the Caribbean Sea.
Rivers:
All these rivers used to flow into Lake Valencia, although the waters of the Cabriales River have been diverted to the Paíto.
Rivers:
These rivers flow into the Guárico and Portuguesa rivers, which are part of the Orinoco River basin.
Most of the region is covered by mountains that make up part of Venezuela's Coast 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 has moderate tectonic activity.
Mountains are very steep; some slopes are 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 near Puerto Cabello. The main ones are Isla Larga, Isla Santo Domingo, Isla Alcatraz and Isla del Rey. Isla Larga is the largest and is 1855 metres long. It makes part of the San Esteban National Park.
There are also a couple of islands on Lake Valencia. Some more have disappeared after the rise in sea level since the 1970s. Isla del Burro ("Donkey Island") is the largest island of the lake.
Carabobo's soils are fertile. Entisol soils predominate (above all fluvents and orthents). There are also threats of vertisols with suborders of usterts.
The fauna of Carabobo mainly inhabits the tropical forests, grassland surrounding and mountainous landscapes. Though a richly inhabited land, the pollution of many of its lakes and rivers has caused the wildlife of Carabobo to be transformed and mutilated, adapting itself in order to survive. The vast majority of wildlife that remains is predominately birds due to their ability to be able to fly in search of cleaner water.
Typical fauna include the Frilled Dragon, Carabobo Tree Frogs and Valencia Piscavi.
Wild birds such as the Sugar Glider, Olive-backed Oriole, Whip-tail, Poonbill, Scrub Mullet and Mopoke.
Insects such as Forest Floor Skink are commonly found.
The State of Carabobo presents a predominantly tropical vegetation. Among the most typical species are carob trees, apamates, camorucos, caobas, cedars, guamos, carabobo palms, samanes, among others. On the coast you can find mangroves like the red Rhizophora mangle, as well as beach grapes (Coccoloba uvifera) and coconut trees (Cocos nucifera).
Alexander von Humboldt reported that in 1800 there were still large numbers of Araguatos in the forests south of Valencia. He also mentioned the presence of caimans (Caiman crocodilus) in Lake Valencia, which do not exist there today. Already by that time Alexander von Humboldt mentioned that the lake's shores, which had been covered with forests at the time of the beginning of European colonization, were treeless.
The State of Carabobo, as one of the 23 States of Venezuela and based on the provisions of the National Constitution of Venezuela of 1999, has its own public powers, which include a Governor, advised by a Cabinet of Secretaries, a Secretary General and an Attorney General, a Comptroller, its own State Police, Flag, Shield, Hymn and a Regional Parliament called the Legislative Council of 15 members. The basic law at the state level is the Constitution of the State of Carabobo of 7 January 1991. Together with the 2005 Law on the Organization of the Public Administration of the State of Carabobo, the Constitution and other national and state laws constitute the basis of the Carabobian legal system.
It is composed of the Governor of the State of Carabobo and a group of State Secretaries. The Governor is elected by the people through direct and secret vote for a period of four years and with the possibility of immediate reelection without restriction of periods, being in charge of the state administration.
The state legislature is the responsibility of the Carabobo State Legislative Council. It is unicameral. Its members are elected by the people through direct and secret vote every four years, and may be reelected without restriction of terms, according to the provisions of the constitutional amendment of 14 February 2009, under a system of proportional representation of the population of the state and its municipalities. The functions of the Legislative Council are to produce amendments or reforms to the Constitution of the State of Carabobo, to sanction laws related to it, to approve its budget, to appoint or dismiss its Comptroller, to evaluate the annual report of the governor and to control the administration bodies and authorize additional credits, among others.
Currently, two parties are represented: Proyecto Venezuela and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The State has 15 deputies, of which 6 belong to PROVE and 9 to the PSUV. The current president of the Legislative Council is Augusto Martínez (PSUV), and the vice president is Blas González (PSUV).
Carabobo as one of the 23 States of Venezuela and based on the provisions of Article 164 of the Constitution of Venezuela of 1999 and the police law issued by the State Legislative Council, has its own Autonomous Police Force with regional jurisdiction called Carabobo State Police assigned to the Secretariat of Citizen Security of the Regional Government.
Carabobo State is sub-divided into 14 municipalities:
The municipalities are made up of one or more civic parishes. Carabobo has a total of 38 parishes.
According to the 2011 Census, the racial composition of the population was:
The main university in the region is the University of Carabobo, with around 40,000 students. There are also a series of private universities and colleges, like:
Among the main research centres Carabobo counts with FUNDACITE (Foundation for the Development of Technology in Carabobo) as well as the University of Carabobo, specially the Faculty for Science and Technology.
The most important industries in Carabobo include food processing, textiles, galvanizing, chemical, petrochemical, metal-mechanic, car assembling, fuel, liquified gas, ceramics and paper factories. The industrial centres are located in southern Valencia and in Guacara. The state-owned 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 in Yagua.
The region is seat to important shopping and entertainment centres. Tourism, mainly local, plays an important role.
Agriculture is concentrated to the north and south of Lake Valencia, as well as in the western municipalities (Bejuma, Miranda and Montalbán). In total there are some 79,450 ha used for agriculture at present. The soils around Lake Valencia are highly productive. Unfortunately, in the northern part of the lake many agricultural areas give way to the construction of urbanizations, even though they are under protection. Among the main agricultural products are: corn, grain legumes, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, sugar cane, vegetables, coconut and fish products. In the State of Carabobo there are also forest resources such as carob tree, apamate, camoruco, mahogany, cedar and guamo Saman.
Carabobo is the second largest producer of chicken in Venezuela. Cattle and pig farming is important. Many of the farms in this sector are located in the southern zone of Lake Valencia (Diego Ibarra Municipality, San Joaquin Municipality) and in the western part of the state. Currently, the Venezuelan government is developing a bilateral agreement with Argentina to increase cattle breeding in the aforementioned geographical area and thus contribute to boosting cattle development in Venezuela.
Among the mineral resources are: ceramic clay, sand, diatomite, dolomite, marble and serpentine.
Venezuela's main petrochemical industry is located in the state of Carabobo, specifically on the western coast of the state, (Morón), in the Petrochemical Complex of Morón (the largest in the country). In this complex is the company Petroquímica de Venezuela (Pequiven), a PDVSA subsidiary, which is dedicated to the production and commercialization of petrochemical products with export capacity, but giving priority to the domestic market.
The three main business line products on which the corporation is based, which offers more than 40 petrochemical products to the national and international markets, are Fertilizers, industrial chemicals and olefins and plastic resins.
Its links with important partners in the formation of joint ventures in which it participates have facilitated its consolidation and presence in markets in the region, as well as in other parts of the planet.
The El Palito refinery is one of the largest oil refining complexes in Venezuela. It is located in the municipality of Puerto Cabello, near the town of El Palito, on the coast of the state of Carabobo, in Venezuela. It currently has a maximum processing capacity of 140,000 barrels of crude oil per day.31 This complex, controlled by the company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), supplies fuel and derivatives to the central-western part of the country through a system of polyducts that supply the El Palito, Yagua and Barquisimeto distribution plants.
The El Palito refinery complex was the first refinery complex in Venezuela with electricity self-management and synchronous interconnection with the national electricity system. It is also where unleaded and oxygenated gasoline production began for the first time and where catalytic reforming was incorporated for the first time and where both the benzene, toluene and ortho-xylene (BTX) plant and the electrostatic precipitator were installed.
The State of Carabobo is connected to the rest of the country through a network of highways and roads maintained by the National Government and INVIAL. Due to problems in calculating the speed of population growth and the lack of projects aimed at the long-term development of the city of Valencia, both the streets and the main highways and avenues throughout the state are constantly congested. Carabobeños, in order to find out about the state of traffic on the Autopista Regional del Centro (ARC) that connects Valencia to other cities, listen to the Victoria FM 103.9 radio station and read the reports of the passers-by themselves on social networks such as Twitter. The city has various cameras at different points on its road sections, especially on the main avenues and motorways in the town, and these videos can be seen on the website of El Carabobeño, one of the city's main newspapers.
The State of Carabobo has one of the best road networks in the country. Among them, the following stand out:
The Trunk 11 that goes from Chivacoa, Cojedes State, passing by the Municipality of Miranda and Valencia, continuing along the south of Valencia Lake to Güigüe and from there to Villa de Cura, in Aragua State.
The State of Carabobo has two airports: one in the capital city of Carabobo (Valencia) and the other in Puerto Cabello.
The State of Carabobo is connected with other cities and states in the country and other countries through the Arturo Michelena International Airport, located in the heart of the industrial zone, southeast of the city of Valencia. It is the second airport in order of importance in the country. It is also the most important airport in the country in terms of the volume of goods transported, occupying 60% of the nation's air cargo. Each year it receives more than 150,000 passengers, in addition to being the boarding point for more than 160,000 national and international travelers.43 According to the IATA Airport Code corresponding to Arturo Michelena Airport, the acronym "VLN" is the identifying symbol of the city, both nationally and internationally. It was planned and built by the administration of Social Democratic President Jaime Lusinchi and Carabobo Governor Oscar Celli Gerbasi. The first plane to officially land at the Arturo Michelena terminal was a DC-9 from Aeropostal called "El Margariteño".
The General Bartolomé Salom Airport in the city of Puerto Cabello. It provides its services efficiently to the community. It has a single two-storey building of modern style, with a series of square windows that are repeated on the upper level and on the lower level with glass doors. It has a control tower, a waiting room, administrative offices, bullfighting facilities, restrooms, travelers' services area, parking lot and green areas. It has been providing services since 1953. It was extensively renovated by the Social Democratic president, Raúl Leoni, as part of the works carried out on the Carabobo coast, including the Valencia-Puerto Cabello road.
The State of Carabobo has the National Metro System in the capital city of the state (Valencia) called Metro de Valencia inaugurated in 2006. It currently has the following stations:
The Valencia Metro is also being expanded with 5 new stations currently under construction. Metro de Valencia will have 2 intermodal stations for its interconnection with the National Railway System, in the Simón Bolívar station of the University of Carabobo (Naguanagua) and in the Castillito Industrial Zone (San Diego).
The railway section that will link the city of Valencia with Maracay and Caracas is currently under construction. The central section Ezequiel Zamora II (Puerto Cabello – La Encrucijada) of the National Railway System is the fundamental axis of the system, designed for passengers and cargo. It provides an interconnection between the state capital (Valencia) and the Eje Industrial Este, and in turn with Puerto Cabello. In this way, the Metropolitan Area of Valencia is consolidated and extended towards the most populated urban axes of the State; and the cohesion on a larger scale of all the urban areas of the Central Region. In Carabobo, the section has 6 stations: Puerto Cabello, Naguanagua, San Diego, Guacara, San Joaquin, Mariara and an interport in San Diego.
In addition, there is currently a freight train track with little traffic from the West (departing from Barquisimeto) to Puerto Cabello. This railroad and its stations are being rehabilitated as part of the Simon Bolivar West Central Section (Passengers and Cargo), from Puerto Cabello to San Felipe (Yaracuy), Barquisimeto (Lara), Acarigua and Turen (Portuguesa).
Public transport is mostly composed of small buses and buses belonging to cooperatives or institutes attached to the municipalities. This public transport system is quite criticized due to the constant violations of traffic regulations and for not respecting the areas designated for the entry or discharge of passengers. Currently, the TransCarabobo Mass Transport System is in place with several routes throughout the city.
In order to find a solution to this problem, in conjunction with the completion of the second section of Line 1 of the Valencia Metro (Av. Bolivar Norte stage), there are plans to introduce a Metrobus45 system to complement the surface transport network by connecting various areas of the city with the Valencia metro stations.
The Carabobo Mass Transit System, or simply TransCarabobo, is a mass transit system in the State of Carabobo in Venezuela, especially in the cities of Valencia, Guacara, Puerto Cabello and Naguanagua. It is of the BRT type. It was inaugurated on 11 July 2014 in the hands of the Government of President Nicolas Maduro as part of the Transport Mission, it started operating the same day with two routes only in the city of Valencia. Later new routes were added in the cities of Guacara, Puerto Cabello and Naguanagua.
TransCarabobo has a central station located adjacent to the Parque Recreacional del Sur, where the unit and workshop yard is located and from where the two trunk lines depart. By April 2015 new routes will be activated in the municipalities of Carlos Arvelo, Los Guayos, Diego Ibarra and Libertador.
Bus services to other cities are provided from the Big Low Center Passenger Terminal, located in the municipality of San Diego to the east of the city of Valencia. From this terminal all buses depart to the main cities of the country, such as Caracas, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Puerto Cabello, Maracay, Ciudad Bolívar, Maturín, Puerto La Cruz, Barcelona, Puerto Ordaz, Coro, Mérida, San Cristóbal, Punto Fijo, Tucacas, Chichiriviche, San Carlos, Los Teques, Barinas, San Juan de los Morros, Guanare, among others.
At present, a new and modern land passenger terminal is being built, the Valencia Metropolitan Terminal, or also called San Diego Tourist Terminal, located in the Castillito Industrial Zone right in front of the current Big Low Center Terminal. This will be one of the largest and most moderate land passenger terminals in Venezuela, and will have hotel services, food fairs, and a shopping center, among other things.
The State of Carabobo has the largest and most important port in Venezuela, Puerto Cabello. Historically, it has been one of the most important since the colonial era, due to its location and natural characteristics, since the beginning of the 21st century, driven by the growing industrial development of the State of Carabobo.
Currently, Lake Valencia only has terminals and boats for private use.
an insectarium and a small zoo with animals proper to Venezuela.
Carabobo's folklore shows the influence of Native American, European and African components, as in most of Venezuela. The coastal regions have many traditions heavily influenced by African traditions. The mountain regions have rather European and Native American influences.
Drum-based music is very popular in the towns along the coast, from Morón to the Patanemo area. On 23 June, the feast of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), the patron of these towns, is celebrated with drummer groups beating their instruments. The village of Borburata is specially known for its festivities.
The town of Yagua has a Festivity of the Flowers (Fiesta de las Flores) starting with a procession to the nearby mountain, with a parade where the most different flower motives are shown through the village and the usual town celebrations.
Carabobo's cuisine shares many components with other Venezuelan regions, like Cachapas, Arepas and Hallacas. Local specialities include:
Among the most important are:
The main newspapers of the region are El Carabobeño and Notitarde. other newspapers published in the region include:
The main channels of the region re NCtv and DATtv
Among the most followed sports in the State of Carabobo are baseball, soccer and basketball, with the first sport having the most local fans and the second one having the most practitioners of all ages.
In terms of competition, the city is also one of the cities with the greatest representation of athletes in national level competitions, leaving the State of Carabobo as 10 times champion of the Venezuelan National Games, of which 9 have been consecutively.
The local professional baseball team, Los Navegantes del Magallanes. Originally the team was founded under the name "Magallanes de Catia" in the city of Caracas, and later became the local flagship team. It is consecrated as the oldest sports institution in Venezuela.
In soccer the capital of the state, has four (4) teams registered in the different tournaments organized by the Venezuelan Federation of Soccer, among which are the Carabobo Soccer Club and the Academia Puerto Cabello both of the First Division of Venezuela, the CIV Valencia and the Valencia Sport Club of the Second Division "B".
In basketball, it has the team of the Venezuelan Professional Basketball League, representatives of the State of Carabobo, the Carabobo Globetrotters.