Maracaibo Venezuela

Description: Maracaibo is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the second-largest city in Venezuela, after the national capital, Caracas, and the capital of the state of Zulia.

The population of the city is approximately 2,658,355 with the metropolitan area estimated at 5,278,448 as of 2010. Maracaibo is nicknamed “The Beloved Land of the Sun” (La Tierra del Sol Amada). Maracaibo is considered the economic center of western Venezuela, owing to the petroleum industry that developed in the shores of Lake Maracaibo.

It is sometimes known as “The First City of Venezuela”, for being the first city in Venezuela to adopt various types of public services, including electricity, as well as for being located in the shores of Lake Maracaibo, where the name of Venezuela allegedly originates.

Population: 2,658,355

Demographics: Maracaibo is a city of immigrants. About two-thirds of the population is mestizo (of mixed European and indigenous [Amerindian] ancestry) or mulatto-mestizo (African, European, and indigenous); about one-fifth of Venezuelans are of European lineage, and one-tenth have mainly African ancestry.

History: The first indigenous settlements were of Arawak and Carib origin. Around the main group were the Añu tribe who built rows of stilt houses all over the northern riviera of Lake Maracaibo. The first Europeans arrived in 1499.

The Dutch corsair Henrik de Gerard plundered Maracaibo in 1614, and in 1642 the city was attacked by the British pirate William Jackson. In 1667, l’Olonnais with a fleet of eight ships and a crew of six hundred pirates sacked Maracaibo and Gibraltar. En route, l’Olonnais crossed paths with a Spanish treasure ship, which he captured, along with its cargo of cacao, gemstones and more than 260,000 pieces of eight.

In March 1669, Henry Morgan sacked Maracaibo, which emptied when his fleet was first spied, and moved on to the Spanish settlement of Gibraltar on the inside of Lake Maracaibo in search of more treasure. A few weeks later, when he attempted to sail out of the lake, Morgan found an occupied fort blocking the inlet to the Caribbean, along with three Spanish ships. These were the Magdalena, the San Luis, and the Soledad.

In 1810, the province of Maracaibo did not join the First Republic of Venezuela and remained loyal to the Spanish crown. Maracaibo then held the seat of the Captaincy General of Venezuela. In 1821, uprisings in favor of independence began to lead to warfare and hostility. The royalists, led by Francisco Tomás Morales, fought with the patriots, led by Rafael Urdaneta, to take back control over the province in the Juana de Ávila Battle, and Morales brought back Spanish rule in 1822 until he was defeated in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo on 24 July 1823, culminating Venezuela’s struggle for independence. For about 380 years, Maracaibo remained isolated and separated from the rest of the country. Transportation to the vicinity was possible through the lake via boat and ferries. Commerce and culture flowed between Maracaibo and the Caribbean Sea, particularly the Dutch Antilles, Colombian coastal cities, Cuba, Hispaniola and later on Miami, New York and Hamburg. This isolation from the rest of Venezuela was both a challenge and an advantage.

The very nature of the city’s location made for a population known for their independent thought and character. The history of this region is rife with stories about the creation of an independent and sovereign nation apart from Venezuela, a nation called La República Independiente del Zulia, ‘the Independent Republic of Zulia’, but this has never come to be. In the 20th century, cars, buses, and lorries, with their constant flow of manufactured goods and agricultural product to and from the city port, depended on ferry services between the city and the eastern shore which was poorly connected to the country’s motorway system. Maracaibo and the Lake Maracaibo region’s economy was more linked to Colombia and the Caribbean than to eastern Venezuela due to the natural route available through Lake Maracaibo then leading to the sea.

In January 1903, as the naval blockade of Venezuela continued during the negotiations with presidente Cipriano Castro, the German warship SMS Panther attempted to enter Lake Maracaibo, which was a center of German commercial activity. Maracaibo has become a large metropolitan city, comprising two municipalities: the municipality of Maracaibo proper, and the municipality of San Francisco, established in 1995, to the south. In recent years, due to political/economic and cultural reasons, many have moved to Maracaibo from rural areas and other cities (including Caracas).

Maracaibo also boasts one of the best universities in the country, the state university, La Universidad del Zulia (LUZ) is well renowned for its excellent law, medical and engineering schools as many other disciplines. Other universities and schools include Universidad Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE) and Universidad Rafael Urdaneta, with one of the country’s leading psychology schools. However, recent political instability has led to the decline of the universidad.

Elevation: 6 m

Climate: Semi arid climate. Average annual temperature in Maracaibo is 31 C (88 F), the average for July is 34 C (92 F), the average for January is 28 C (82 F).

Attractions: Teatro Baralt, General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, Calle Carabobo, Tranvia De Maracaibo, Aguamania, Castillo De San Carlos De La Barra, Jardin Botanico De Maracaibo

Airports: La Chinita International Airport MAR

Distance To City Centre: 15 km

Commute Length: 30 min

Average Cost: 35 USD

Traffic Hours: 7 am – 9 am, 4 pm – 8 pm