Caracas ( ) is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range . The valley's temperatures are springlike. Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and 910 m (2,500 and 3,000 ft) above sea level. The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2200 m (7400 ft) high mountain range, Cerro Ávila; to the south there are more hills and mountains.

El Distrito Metropolitano de Caracas (Metropolitan District of Caracas) includes the Distrito Capital and four other municipalities in Miranda State including Chacao, Baruta, Sucre, and El Hatillo. The city of Caracas had a population of 3,196,514 as of 2008. The population of the urban agglomeration is about 4.95 million.

History

At 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 captain and a Guaiqueri cacica, 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. This was the last rebellion on the part of the natives. On July 25, 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. 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.

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 July 13, 1797. But the ideas of the French Revolution and the American Wars of Independence inspired the people, and on July 5, 1811, a Declaration of Independence 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: Francisco de Miranda and "El Libertador" Simón Bolívar. An earthquake destroyed Caracas on March 26, 1812, which was portrayed by authorities as a divine punishment for the rebellion against the Spanish Crown. The war continued until June 24, 1821, when Bolívar gained a decisive victory over the royalist at the Battle of Carabobo.

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 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 October 17, 2004, one of the Parque Central 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

The flag of Caracas consists of a burgundy red field with the version of the Coat of Arms 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 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 (April 19, 1810) served as inspiration for other regions to do the same, as did its declaration of independence a year later.

Local government

Caracas has five municipalities: Baruta, El Hatillo, Chacao, Libertador and Sucre. The constitution of Venezuela specifies that municipal governments be divided into executive and legislative branches. The executive government of the municipality is governed by the mayor, while the legislative government is managed by the Municipal council. In March 8, 2000, the year after a new constitution was introduced in Venezuela, it was decreed 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.

Economy

Businesses located here include service companies, banks, and malls, among others. Most economic activity is in services, excepting some industries established in its metropolitan area. The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is headquartered here. The PDVSA is the largest company in Venezuela and negotiates all the international agreements for the distribution and export of petroleum.

Small and medium industry contribute to the Caracas economy. The city has communication and transportation infrastructure between the metropolitan area and the country. Caracas is a regional center for the distribution of products. The high concentration of population has also been an important factor for the growth of retail wholesale markets, which form the fastest-growing segment of commerce in the region. Important industries in Caracas include chemicals, textiles, leather, food, iron and wood products. There are also rubber and cement factories.

Cost of living

A 2009 United Nations survey reported that the cost of living was 89% higher than its baseline, New York City.

Geography

Caracas is contained entirely within a valley of the Venezuelan central range, and separated from the Caribbean coast by a roughly 15 km expanse of El Ávila National Park. The valley is relatively small and quite irregular, the altitude with respect to sea level varies from between 870 and 1,043 meters (2,854–3,422 ft), with 900 meters (2,953 ft) in the historic zone. This, along with the rapid population growth, has profoundly influenced the urban development of the city. The most elevated point of the Capital District, wherein the city is located, is the Pico El Ávila, which rises to 2,159 meters (7,083 ft). The main body of water in Caracas is the Guaire river, which flows across the city and empties into the Tuy river, which is also fed by the El Valle and San Pedro rivers, in addition to numerous streams which descend from El Ávila. The La Mariposa and Camatagua reservoirs provide water to the city.

Climate

Under the Koppen climate classification, Caracas has a Tropical savanna climate. Caracas is also intertropical, with precipitation that varies between 900 and 1,300 millimeters (35–51 in) (annual), in the city proper, and up to 2,000 millimeters (79 in) in some parts of the Mountain range. While Caracas is within the tropics, due to its altitude temperatures are generally not nearly as high as other tropical locations at sea level. The annual average temperature is approximately 21.2°C (70°F), with the average of the coldest month (January) 19°C (66°F) and the average of the warmest month (May) 22°C (72°F), which gives little annual thermal amplitude, of 3°C. In the months of December and January abundant fog may appear, in addition to a sudden nightly drop in temperature, until reaching 07 °C (45 °F) or less. This peculiar weather is known by the natives of Caracas as the Pacheco. In addition, nightly temperatures at any time of the year usually do not remain above 20 °C (68 °F), which results in very pleasant evening temperatures. Hail storms appear in Caracas, although only on rare occasions. Electrical storms are much more frequent, especially between June and October, due to the city being in a closed valley and the orographic action of Cerro El Ávila.

Demographics

The population of the Metropolitan District of Caracas is estimated at 3,196,514 as of (2008). The conurbation including the surrounding suburbs has an estimated population of 5 million as of (2008).

Main sights

Federal Capitol

The Federal Capitol occupies an entire city block, and, with its golden domes and neoclassical pediments, can seem even bigger. The building was commissioned by Antonio Guzmán Blanco in the 1870s, and is most famous for its Salón Elíptico, an oval hall with a mural-covered dome and walls lined with portraits of the country's great and good.

East Park

The Caracas East Park (Parque del Este, now officially Parque del Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda) was designed by Brazilian architect Roberto Burle Marx. It is a green paradise in the middle of the city, and it contains a small zoo. A replica of the ship led by Francisco de Miranda, the Leander, is being built in the southern part of the park. Before there used to exist a replica of the Santa Maria ship, used by Christopher Colombus in his voyages to America.

Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex

The Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex (Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño), or more commonly the Teresa Carreño Theatre (Teatro Teresa Carreño), is one of the most important Theaters of Caracas and Venezuela, where symphonic and popular concerts imagine frequently, operas, ballet and theatre.

Simón Bolívar birthplace house

Skyscrapers may loom overhead, but there is more than a hint of original colonial flavour in this neatly proportioned reconstruction of the house where Simón Bolívar was born on July 24, 1783. The museum's exhibits include period weapons, banners and uniforms.

Much of the original colonial interior has been replaced by monumental paintings of battle scenes, but more personal relics can be seen in the nearby Museo Bolivariano. Pride of place goes to the coffin in which Bolívar's remains were brought from Colombia; his ashes now rest in the National Pantheon.

National Pantheon

Venezuela's most venerated building is five blocks north of Plaza Bolívar, on the northern edge of the old town. Formerly a church, the building was given its new purpose as the final resting place for eminent Venezuelans by Antonio Guzmán Blanco in 1874.

Parque Central Complex

At a short distance east of Plaza Bolívar is Parque Central, a concrete complex of five high-rise residential slabs of somewhat apocalyptic-appearing architecture, crowned by two 56-storey octagonal towers, one of them is under repair due to the fire which burnt the building on October 17, 2004.

Parque Central is Caracas' art and culture hub, with museums, cinema, the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex, and the Caracas Athenaeum, home to the esteemed Rajatabla theatre company. The Mirador de la Torre Oeste, on the 52nd floor, gives a 360° bird's-eye view of the city.

Plazas

• Plaza Bolívar is the focus of the old town with the monument to El Libertador, Simon Bolívar, at its heart. Modern high-rise buildings have overpowered much of the colonial flavor of Caracas' founding neighbourhood.
• Plaza Venezuela is the geographic center of Caracas. It is a large urban plaza at the entrance of the Central University of Venezuela. Kinetic artists have displayed their works there, including Carlos Cruz-Diez, Alejandro Otero and Jesus Soto. East of the Plaza is the Plaza Venezuela Fountain, a large computerized display of water, music and colored light refurbished in 2008 to include the latest available technology.
• Plaza Caracas was constructed in 1983. It is in the Simón Bolívar Center, at the foot of the 30-story towers, dominating El Silencio District and forming a unique testimony to the early days of the modernisation of the city. It has various levels for pedestrian and motorised traffic, and contains the business, shops, restaurants, services of a zone in which are concentrated public and private institutions.

El Hatillo

El Hatillo is a colonial town located at the south-east suburbs of Caracas in the municipal area of the same name. This small town, which is one of Venezuela's few well-preserved typical colonial areas, gives an idea of what Caracas was like in centuries past.

Cerro El Ávila

Cerro El Ávila (Mountain El Ávila) (Wuaraira Repano), is a mountain in the mid-North of Venezuela. It rises next to Caracas and separates the city from the Caribbean Sea. It is considered the lung of Caracas due to the fact that there is a lot of vegetation on it.

Las Mercedes

This zone contains restaurants with varied gastronomical specialties, along with pubs, bars, pools and art galleries.

Altamira neighborhood

Altamira is a neighborhood located in the Chacao municipality of Caracas, it has its own Metro Station, many hotels and restaurants, and is an important city business centre , the Francisco de Miranda avenue (a major avenue in Caracas) and the Distibuidor Altamira (a congested highway exit) are both located in Altamira.

Religious buildings

Caracas contains a number religious buildings, first among them, the Caracas Cathedral. Situated on the northeast corner of the Plaza Bolívar, it was founded in 1594. The parents of Simón Bolívar are buried there, besides its hand carved altars, it possesses works of art such as, The Resurrection by Rubens, the Presentation of the Virgin by Murillo, and the Last Supper, an unfinished work by the Venezuelan painter Arturo Michelena.

The Iglesia de San Francisco is of historical value. Bolívar's funeral was held here twelve years after his death. Here he was proclaimed Libertador in 1813 by the people of Caracas. The church has gilded baroque altarpieces, and retains much of its original colonial interior, despite being given a treatment in the 19th century under the auspices of Antonio Guzmán Blanco, which was intended to be modernizing. It contains some 17th century masterpieces of art, carvings, sculptures and oil paintings. The Central University of Venezuela, established during the reign of Philip V, was lodged for centuries in the church cloisters next door, which today are the seat of the Language Academy, and the Academies of History, Physics, and Mathematics.

The Mosque of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim is the second largest mosque in Latin America. For many years it was the biggest.

Colleges, universities and international schools

Central University of Venezuela

The Central University of Venezuela (Universidad Central de Venezuela in Spanish) is a public University. Founded in 1721, it is the oldest university in Venezuela and one of the first in Latin America. The university campus was designed by architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000. The Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, as the main Campus is also known, is considered a masterpiece of architecture and urban planning and it is the only university campus designed in the 20th century that has received such recognition by UNESCO.

Simón Bolívar University

The Simón Bolívar University (Universidad Simón Bolívar, in Spanish, or USB) is a public institution located in Caracas, Venezuela with scientific and technological orientation. Its motto is "La Universidad de la Excelencia" ("University of Excellence"). Both nationally and globally, Simón Bolívar University is a well-known school with a high reputation in scientific and engineering careers .

Other universities

• Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
• Universidad Metropolitana
• Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez
• Universidad Santa Maria
• Universidad José María Vargas
• Universidad Monteavila
• Universidad Nueva Esparta
• Universidad Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre
• Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador
• Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt
• Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela

International schools

• International Christian School
• Colegio Internacional de Caracas
• British School of Caracas

Sports

There are professional Association Football, baseball and several other sports.

Professional teams include Deportivo Italia, Caracas Fútbol Club, SD Centro Italo Venezolano, Estrella Roja FC and Real Esppor Club. The Deportivo Italia has arrived to the semifinals of international tournaments such as the Copa Libertadores de America, while the Caracas Fútbol Club has arrived to the quarterfinals.

Baseball teams Tiburones de La Guaira and Leones del Caracas play in the Estadio Universitario de la UCV, of the Central University of Venezuela, with a capacity of 26,000 spectators.

Another baseball team started in Caracas: the Navegantes del Magallanes. It was moved to Valencia, Carabobo.

Associion Football stadiums include:

• Estadio Olímpico de la UCV, with capacity of 30 000 spectators is seat of the Deportivo Italia and Caracas Fútbol Club.
• Brígido Iriarte stadium, with a capacity of 12 000 spectators (old seat of the Deportivo Italia and Caracas Fútbol Club, and seat of the Estrella Roja FC). The Caracas Fútbol Club opened its own stadium in 2005, Campo Deportivo Cocodrilos.
• Cocodrilos de Caracas plays in the Venezuelan professional basketball league. They play their games in the "Gimansio José Beracasa" in the neighbourhood of El Paraíso.

Caracas is the seat of the National Institute of Sports and of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee.

Caracas hosted the 1983 Pan American Games.

Teams

• Association Football: Deportivo Italia, SD Centro Italo Venezolano, Estrella Roja Futbol club, Caracas Fútbol Club, Real Esppor Club.
• Baseball: Tiburones de la Guaira, Leones del Caracas.
• Basketball: Cocodrilos de Caracas.

Culture

Caracas is Venezuela's cultural capital, boasting many restaurants, theaters, museums, and shopping centers. The city is also home to an array of immigrants from but not limited to: Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, Germany, China, and Latin American countries. The city has the reputation as being one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Museums, libraries and cultural centres

Caracas, has been a city with great cultural aspirations throughout the course of its history. Institutions such as the old Atheneum bear witness to this awareness. The National library holds a great amount of volumes, and affords abundant bibliographic information for the student of the discovery and independence of Venezuela. The museum of Colonial Art has on show an interesting exhibition of Venezuelan art from the periods previous to its independence with fountains, furniture, colonial courtyards etc. In the Fine Arts Museum are kept some archaeological finds with some good examples of precolombine pottery.

Since 1974, Caracas has had a Contemporary Art Museum, containing works representing the most important tendencies in contemporary art, and since 1982, counts with a Children's Museum, a privately managed museum foundation, with the purpose of teaching children about science, technology, culture and arts. The Natural Science Museum, has a rich collection os archaeological pieces from the primitive native cultures, in these collections and in other no less important galleries (Raúl Santana Creole Museum, Transport Museum, the Coin Museum, Bolivarian Museum, Jacobo Borges Museum, Carlos Cruz-Diez Museum, Alejandro Otero Museum, Sacred Museum, etc.) the cultural aspirations of Caracas are more than evident.

File:Palacio de las Academias Caracas Venezuela.jpg|Palace of the AcademiesFile:Science Museum of Caracas.jpg|Science MuseumFile:Federation Arch - Caracas.jpg|Federation ArchFile:Teatro Teresa Carreño.jpg|Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex

Gastronomy

Caracas has a gastronomical heritage due to the influence of immigrants, leading to a choice of regional and international cuisine. There is a variety of international restaurants including French, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican. The district of La Candelaria contains Spanish restaurants, resulting from Galician and Canarian immigrants that came to this area in the mid-20th c

Notable natives

Caracas has been the birthplace of many politicians and artists that notably shaped the country's history and culture:

• Simón Bolívar
• Simón Rodríguez
• Andrés Bello
• Francisco de Miranda
• Manuel Blum
• Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi
• Fermín Toro
• Teresa Carreño
• Rómulo Gallegos
• Fernando Paz Castillo
• Carlos Cruz-Diez
• Pedro Gual
• Antonio Guzmán Blanco
• Armando Reverón
• Martín Tovar y Tovar
• Arturo Uslar-Pietri
• José Ángel Lamas
• Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde
• Juan Bautista Plaza
• Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo
• Juan Vicente Torrealba
• Aquiles Nazoa
• Alfredo Sadel
• Manuel Caballero
• Baruj Benacerraf
• Francisco Rodriguez
• Andrés Galarraga
• Cesar Baena
• Harry Mannil
• Dayana Mendoza
• Majandra Delfino

Transportation

• The Caracas Metro has been in operation since 1981. With 4 lines and more than 50 stations, it covers a great part of the city, it also has an integrated ticket system, that combines the route of the Metro with those offered by the Metrobús, a bus service of the Caracas Metro.
• Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are two bus systems: the traditional system and the Metrobús. The traditional system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several companies on normal streets and avenues:
  • Autobus; large buses.
  • Camioneta; medium size buses.
  • microbus or camionetica; vans or minivans.
• IFE; train services to and from Tuy Valley cities of Charallave and Cúa.
• Simón Bolívar International Airport, the biggest and most important in the country is located outside the city, roughly from the downtown area.
• Caracas Aerial Tramway
• In March 2009 four of the five Caracas districts launched Plan Vía Libre to reduce traffic (the pro-Chavez Jorge Rodríguez' Libertador District is currently not cooperating as the other districts are in the hands of the opposition). On each weekday, cars with certain number plates are banned from entering key parts of the city centre; the numbers rotate so that any particular car is banned one day a week.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Caracas is twinned with:

Tehran, Iran Paris, France Miami, USA Asunción, Paraguay Milan, Italy Bogotá, Colombia Quezon City, Philippines Shanghai, People's Republic of China Cluj-Napoca, Romania São Paulo, Brazil Damascus, Syria Istanbul, Turkey Havana, Cuba Madrid, Spain

Managua, Nicaragua La Paz, Bolivia Minsk, Belarus Lisbon, Portugal Moscow, Russia Navi Mumbai, India New Orleans, USA Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic San Francisco, USA Seoul, South Korea Buenos Aires, Argentina Guatemala City, Guatemala Mexico City, Mexico

Panama City, Panama San José, Costa Rica San Juan, Puerto Rico San Salvador, El Salvador Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain Santiago de Chile, Chile Reykjavik, Iceland Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Washington, USA Sydney, Australia Tegucigalpa, Honduras Montevideo, Uruguay Fortaleza, Brazil Ra'anana, Israel

Districts

See also

• 1967 Caracas earthquake
• Large Cities Climate Leadership Group

Notes

1. citypopulation.de
2. John Lombardi, Venezuela, Oxford, England, 1982, p 72.
3. Maurice Wiesenthal, The History and Geography of a Valley, 1981.
4. Reuters report retrieved September 18, 2009
5. [1]
6. Noticias24, 1 March 2009, Mañana comienza el “Plan Vía Libre” para combatir las colas en Caracas

External links

• FallingRain Map - elevation = 909m
• Map