Caracas (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈɾakas]), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital A capital city is the area of a country, province, region, or state, regarded as enjoying primary status; although there are exceptions, a capital is almost always a city which physically encompasses the offices and meeting places of the seat of government and is fixed by law. An alternate term is political capital, but this phrase has a second and largest city of Venezuela Venezuela (pronounced /ˌvɛnɨˈzweɪlə/ ; Spanish: [beneˈswela]), officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea. The republic is. It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range (Cordillera de la Costa). The valley's temperatures are springlike. Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and 910 m (2,493.44 and 2,985.56 ft A foot is a non-SI unit of length in a number of different systems including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. Its size can vary from system to system, but in each is around a quarter to a third of a meter. The most commonly used foot today is the international foot. There are three feet in a yard and 12 inches in a) above sea level The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio (both in broadcasting and other telecommunications uses) by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach. It is also used in aviation,. The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded to the southwest by the Central American countries of Panama, to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico, to the north by The Greater Antilles , and to the east by the Lesser Antilles, separated from the coast by a steep 2200 m (7400 ft) high mountain range A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or fold mountains and may,, Cerro Ávila Cerro El Ávila , usually just referred to as "El Ávila," is a mountain in the mid-north of Venezuela. The mountain rises next to the capital Caracas and separates the city from the Caribbean Sea. It is a National Park; to the south there are more hills and mountains.
El Distrito Metropolitano de Caracas (Metropolitan District of Caracas) includes the Distrito Capital The Capital District of Venezuela is a federal district corresponding to the capital Caracas. It has an area of 433 km² and there is only one administrative division (municipio), Libertador, which contains the City of Caracas. It is the seat of the federal government and the head of the public powers (the capital city proper) and four other municipalities in Miranda State including Chacao, Baruta, Sucre, and El Hatillo. The Distrito Capital had a population of 2,097,350 as of 2009,[1] while that of Distrito Metropolitano was estimated at 3,196,514 as of (2008).[2]
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History
Conqueror Diego de Losada, founder of Santiago de León de CaracasAt the time of its founding, more than five hundred years ago, the valley of Caracas was populated by indigenous peoples. Francisco Fajardo, the son of a Spanish Spanish people or Spaniards constitute the European nation and ethnic group native of Spain, in the Iberian Peninsula, which forms the southwest of Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain. Spain, in its current boundaries, was formed out of a number of predecessor captain The army rank of Captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or cavalry troop. In the Chinese People's Liberation Army, a captain may also command and a Guaiqueri cacica Cacique (female form: Cacica) is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Spanish, subsequent to encounters with the Taíno upon their arrival in the New World, used the word as a title for the leaders of the other indigenous, attempted to establish a plantation in the valley in 1562 after founding a series of coastal towns. Fajardo's settlement did not last long. It was destroyed by natives of the region led by Terepaima and Guaicaipuro Guaicaipuro formed a powerful coalition of different tribes which he led during part of the XVI century against the Spanish conquest of Venezuelan territory in the central region of the country, specially in the Caracas valley. He commanded, among others, Cacique Naiguatá, Guaicamacuto, Chacao, Aramaipuro, Paramaconi and his own son Baruta. This was the last rebellion on the part of the natives. On 25 July 1567, Captain Diego de Losada laid the foundations of the city of Santiago de León de Caracas.
During the 1600s, the coast of Venezuela was frequently raided by pirates Piracy is a war-like act committed by private parties that engage in acts of robbery and/or criminal violence at sea. With the coastal mountains as a barrier, Caracas was relatively immune to such attacks – one of the reasons it became the principal city of the region. However, in the 1680s, buccaneers crossed the mountains through a little-used pass while the town's defenders were guarding the more often-used one, and, encountering little resistance, sacked and set fire to the town.[3]
The cultivation of cocoa under the Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas stimulated the development of the city, which in 1777 became the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela.
An attempt at revolution to gain independence organized by José María España and Manuel Gual was put down on 13 July 1797. But the ideas of the French Revolution The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political upheaval in French and European history. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years. French society underwent an epic transformation as feudal, aristocratic, and religious privileges evaporated under a sustained assault from liberal political and the American Wars of Independence inspired the people, and on 5 July 1811, a Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal was signed in Caracas. This city was also the birthplace of two of Latin America's most important figures of the Venezuelan War of Independence The Venezuelan War of Independence was the war fought for the emancipation of what is today Venezuela, between 1811 and 1823. It was part of a series of related emancipation movements throughout Spanish America, resulting from Napoleon's invasion of Spain. The Venezuelan war was militarily and politically linked to other South American wars of: Francisco de Miranda Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda, was a Venezuelan revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spanish American colonies failed, he is regarded as a forerunner of Simón Bolívar, who during the Hispanic American wars of independence successfully liberated a vast portion of and "El Libertador" Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios y Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader. Together with José de San Martín, he played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from Spain. An earthquake destroyed Caracas on 26 March 1812, which was portrayed by authorities as a divine punishment for the rebellion against the Spanish Crown. The war continued until 24 June 1821, when Bolívar gained a decisive victory over the royalists The royalists were the American and European supporters of the various governing bodies of the Spanish Monarchy, during the Spanish American wars of independence, which lasted from 1808 to 1826. In the early years of the conflict, when King Ferdinand VII was captive in France, royalists supported the authority in the Americas of the Supreme at the Battle of Carabobo The Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela.[4]
As the economy of oil-rich Venezuela grew steadily during the first part of the twentieth century, Caracas became one of Latin America's economic centers, and was also known as the preferred travel hub between Europe and South America. During the 1950s, Caracas began an intensive modernization program which continued throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. The Universidad Central de Venezuela, designed by modernist architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and now a UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of monument, was built. New working- and middle-class residential districts sprouted in the valley, extending the urban area towards the east and southeast. Joining El Silencio, also designed by Villanueva, were several workers' housing districts, 23 de Enero and Simon Rodriguez. Middle class developments include Bello Monte, Los Palos Grandes, Chuao, and El Cafetal. On 17 October 2004, one of the Parque Central The Parque Central Complex towers consist of twin 56-story towers. The buildings are located in Caracas, Venezuela. The towers are the tallest buildings in the country, with a height of 225 m towers caught fire. The dramatic change in the economic structure of the country, which went from being primarily agricultural to dependent on oil production, stimulated the fast development of Caracas, and made it a magnet for people in rural communities who migrated to the capital city in an unplanned fashion searching for greater economic opportunities. This migration created the rancho (slum) belt of the valley of Caracas.
Symbols
Sketch of Caracas in 1812 Colonial painting of Our Lady of Caracas, Patroness of the city View of Caracas in 1839; once a colonial city of red-tiled roofs, the city now has many skyscrapersThe flag of Caracas consists of a burgundy red field with the version of the Coat of Arms A coat of arms strictly speaking is a distinctive design painted on a shield, but the term is also broadly applied to the heraldic achievement consisting of the shield and certain accessories; in either sense, the design is a symbol unique to a person, family, corporation or state. Such displays can also be called armorial bearings or devices, or of the City (effective since the 1980s). The red field symbolises the blood spilt by Caraquenian people in favour of independence and the highest ideals of the Venezuelan Nation. Later, in the year 1994, presumably as a result of the change of municipal authorities, it was decided to increase the size of the Caracas coat of arms and move it to the centre of the field. This version of the flag is still in use today.
The coat of arms of the City of Caracas was adopted by the Libertador Municipality to identify itself. Later, the Metropolitan Mayor Office assumed the lion, the scallop and Saint James' Cross for the same purpose.
The anthem of the city is the Marcha a Caracas, written by the composer Tiero Pezzuti de Matteis with the lyrics by José Enrique Sarabia. The lyrics are said to be inspired by the heroism of the Caracas people, and the memory of the City of Red Roofs. Incidentally, the National Anthem A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people of Venezuela (Gloria al Bravo Pueblo) recites: "...Y si el despotismo levanta la voz, seguid el ejemplo que Caracas dio." ("...and if despotism raises its voice, follow the example that Caracas gave."), reflecting the fact that, in addition to generously giving many heroic fighters to wage the War of Independence, the junta set up in Caracas (19 April 1810) served as inspiration for other regions to do the same, as did its declaration of independence By means of the signing of the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence on July 5, 1811, Venezuelans of the time took the decision, supported by several politicians, of breaking away from the Spanish Crown and to build a new nation to split the premises of equality between individuals, abolition of censorship and dedication to the freedom of a year later.
Local government
Caracas has five municipalities: Baruta, El Hatillo, Chacao, Libertador and Sucre. The constitution of Venezuela The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the current and twenty-sixth constitution of Venezuela. It was drafted in mid-1999 by a constitutional assembly that was created by popular referendum. This 1999 Constitution was adopted in December 1999, replacing the 1961 Constitution – which had been, of the 26 constitutions in use specifies that municipal governments be divided into executive On the study of political science the executive branch of government has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers and legislative A legislature is a type of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise taxes and adopt the budget and other money bills. Legislatures are known by many names, the branches. The executive government of the municipality is governed by the mayor, while the legislative government is managed by the Municipal council A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term. In English it can refer to what are also called city councils and town councils. In 8 March 2000, the year after a new constitution was introduced in Venezuela, it was decreed A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for this concept may vary from country to country—the executive orders made by the President of the United States, for example, are decrees (although a decree is not in Gaceta Official N° 36,906 that the Metropolitan District of Caracas would be created, and that some of the powers of these municipalities would be delegated to the Alcaldía Mayor, physically located in the large Libertador municipality, in the center of the city.
In 2009, Congress stripped the mayor of control of Libertador and replaced him with an official hand-picked by the president. [5]
Economy
Alejandro Otero´s Abra SolarBusinesses located here include service companies, banks, and malls, among others. Most economic activity is in services, excepting some industries established in its metropolitan area.[6] The Caracas Stock Exchange The Caracas Stock Exchange or Bolsa de Valores de Caracas is a stock exchange located in Caracas, Venezuela. Originally established in 1947, BVC merged with a competitor in 1974 to become the only securities exchange operating in Venezuela and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is headquartered here. The PDVSA is the largest company in Venezuela [7] and negotiates all the international agreements A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc. Regardless of the terminology, all of these international agreements under international law are for the distribution and export of petroleum.[8] When the company existed, the airline Viasa had its headquarters in the Torre Viasa.[9][10]
Small and medium industry contribute to the Caracas economy. The city has communication and transportation infrastructure between the metropolitan area and the country. Important industries in Caracas include chemicals In chemistry, a chemical substance is a material with a specific chemical composition, textiles A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres together, leather Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry, food The food industry is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population. Only subsistence farmers, those who survive on what they grow, can be considered outside of the scope of the modern food industry, iron Iron is the most common element in the earth as a whole, and the fourth most common in the Earth's crust. It is produced as a result of stellar fusion in high-mass stars, and it is the heaviest stable element produced by stellar fusion because the fusion of iron is the last nuclear fusion reaction that is exothermic. Iron is the most widely used and wood Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many plants. It has been used for centuries for both fuel and as a construction material for several types of living areas such as houses. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. In the strict sense wood is produced as products. There are also rubber Natural rubber is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid found in the sap of some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the latex sap collected and refined into a usable rubber. The purified form of natural rubber is the chemical polyisoprene, which can also and cement In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The factories.[11]
Cost of living
A 2009 United Nations The United Nations Organization or simply United Nations (UN) (Arabic: الأمم المتحدة, French: Organisation des Nations Unies, Chinese: 联合国 / 聯合國, Spanish: Organización de las Naciones Unidas, Russian: Организация Объединённых Наций) Filipino: Organisasyon ng Nagkakaisang mga Bansa is an survey reported that the cost of living Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time are often operationalized in a cost of living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living in different geographic areas. Geographic differences in cost of living can be in Caracas was 89% of that of its baseline city: New York.[12] However this statistic is based on a fixed currency-exchange-rate of 2003 that might not be completely realistic due to elevated inflation rates in the last several years.
Crime
Crime, and in particular violent crime is a serious problem in Caracas. Official Caracas police figures show it had 4,160 murders in 2006, the latest year for which statistics were available. Kidnappings, assaults and robberies occur regularly throughout the country. Visitors are advised to register with their embassy. The police have resorted to the use of use remote-controlled Zeppelins to monitor the streets below.
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Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:09:49 GMT+00:00
Bloomberg Judge William Paez had made the ruling after the Caracas daily El Nacional published a photograph on its front page on Aug. 13 showing dead bodies at a ...
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Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:54:02 PDT
Andrea Griminelli's concert in Caracas with Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel conductor, on December 9, 2006. youtube.com.
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Wed, 26 May 2010 21:46:00 GM
A giant globe-shaped Pepsi sign that has been a fixture of the . Caracas. skyline for years has been ordered removed by city officials allied with President Hugo Chavez.
