Ciudad BolÃvar
Ciudad Bolívar on the map of Venezuela
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of the state of Bolívar in Venezuela with a population of 342 280 (2011 ).
The city was founded in 1764 as Angostura and renamed in 1846 in Ciudad Bolivar in honor of the freedom fighter Simón Bolívar. Angostura was a contraction of the full name Santo Tomé de Guayana de Angostura del Orinoco, which is called in German Saint Thomas of Guiana to the narrowing of the Orinoco.
The city is situated on a 700 meters wide narrowing of the Orinoco. In 1967, the Puente de Angostura was opened near the town, the first bridge over the river. Ciudad Bolivar's historic center is in a very good state of preservation, with colonial time buildings and a cathedral at the Plaza Bolivar. Its port on the Orinoco is important for the eastern regions of Venezuela. As one of the main business centers in the basin of the Orinoco are its main products gold, iron ore, livestock, animal skin, and rare woods.
The city gave its name to the Angosturabaum ( Cusparia febrifuga ), which grows in the region. The bark of the bush -like tree was traditionally used as a bitter tonic and febrifuge. She also finds use in imitation products of Angosturabitters.
In 1973, a museum of modern art, which was designed by Carlos Raúl Villanueva and was named after the most famous son of the city, the sculptor Jesús Rafael Soto, named opened.
History
Ciudad Bolivar was originally founded as Santo Tomé de Guayana by Antonio Berrío around 1595 in a different place than today. The city endured changes throughout their history until the city in 1764 moved to the narrowest part of the Orinoco and took the name of Santo Tomé de Guayana de la Angostura del Orinoco. This move was supported by the Spanish crown, which funded the construction of the church and the government buildings.
1800, the city of Alexander was visited by Humboldt, who held it as a quiet town bordered by a mighty river, and as one of the richest places in consideration of the natural resources of Venezuela. The narrowing of the Orinoco at Ciudad Bolivar increased the strategic importance and made Ciudad Bolivar to one of the key points in the fight for independence. Due to its geographical position, she presented during the War of Independence a very difficult place to be conquered dar. After many battles succeeded Simon Bolivar and Manuel Piar to defeat the Spanish troops in 1817, the city - which had recently declared its independence from the Spanish crown - to conquer and to annex the province of Guayana, the Republic of Venezuela, where Angostura was declared the temporary capital of the independent Venezuela. The following day, Piar was beheaded.
Here also united British Legion with the armed forces of Bolivar before the Battle of Boyacá in the Andes, which secured the independence of Colombia. 1819 declared Simón Bolívar in Congress of Angostura officially the independence of Greater Colombia from Spain. To commemorate the heroes of the liberation war, the city was renamed in 1846 in Ciudad Bolívar.
Today it is the capital of the state of Bolívar, which accounts for about a quarter of the area of Venezuela.
The population was about 10,000 in 1820 and in 2000 312 691.
Geography
Ciudad Bolivar is located on the south bank of the Orinoco, on a narrow part of the river, 43 meters above the sea level. The northern boundary is the Orinoco, while representing the western, eastern and southern boundary municipalities.
Economy
Ciudad Bolívar is dominated by agriculture and cattle breeding on a small scale region. Corn, yucca, mango, sweet potato, and watermelon are characteristic products that are cultivated in the region. The river fishing is operated on a small scale, and tourism, which supports the secondary sector of the region is not negligible, is of great economic importance. Next in the city -based economic activities are commerce, services, transportation, fast food chains and Belieferer the national and international industries.
Culture
Ciudad Bolivar's historic old town is a major tourist attraction, which is characterized by houses and public buildings from the colonial era.
The Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art, named after the sculptor and painter Jesús Rafael Soto, shows a collection of modern works by Venezuelan and international artists.
Ciudad Bolívar is the birthplace of musicians like Cheo Hurtado, Ivan Perez Rossi and Antonio Lauro. It is also the headquarters of groups such as Serenata guayanesa and the ensemble Orinoco. Here, the following genres dominate:
- Venezuelan waltz
- Galeron
- Aguinaldo
- Merengue
- Joropo Guayanés
Sons and daughters of the town
- Luz Machado (1916-1999), author
- Antonio Lauro (1917-1986), composer and guitarist
- Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005), painter, sculptor and kinetic artist
- Alfonso Montes ( b. 1955 ), composer and guitarist
- Jeffrén Suárez ( * 1988), football player
Climate
Ciudad Bolívar is located in the tropics of South America. The average annual temperature is 27.5 degrees Celsius and the mean annual rainfall 1029 mm. In Ciudad Bolívar itself there is a weather station.