Country Venezuela Municipality Heres Elevation 54 m (177 ft) Population 371,566 (2011) | State Bolívar Founded 22 May 1764 Time zone VST (UTC– 4:30) | |
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Weather 26°C, Wind NE at 13 km/h, 78% Humidity Colleges and Universities Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana, Universidad de Oriente - Núcleo de Bolívar Points of interest Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art, Orinoco Botanical Garden, Casa San Isidro, Mirador Angostura, Cerro El Zamuro | ||
Ciudad Bolívar ([sjuˈðað βoˈliβar]; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about 1 mile (1.6 km) in width, is the site of the first bridge across the river, and is a major riverport for the eastern regions of Venezuela.
Contents
- Map of Ciudad BolC3ADvar BolC3ADvar Venezuela
- History
- Law and government
- Vegetation
- Climate
- Economy
- Universidad de Oriente
- Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana
- Other universities
- Culture
- Transportation
- Notable People
- References
Map of Ciudad Bol%C3%ADvar, Bol%C3%ADvar, Venezuela
Historic Angostura gave its name to the Congress of Angostura, to the Angostura tree, and to Angostura bitters. Modern Ciudad Bolívar has a well-preserved historic center; a cathedral and other original colonial buildings surround the Plaza Bolívar.
History
The city was founded in 1764 as San Tomas de la Nueva Guayana or Santo Tomé de Guayana de Angostura del Orinoco, named in honor of its diocese and for its position at the first narrows of the Orinoco River. Ciudad Bolívar was the site of the Congress of Angostura from 1819 to 1821. It was responsible for the creation of Gran Colombia in its first year of operation. Angostura bitters were invented in the city in 1824, although the company which produced them later moved to Trinidad and Tobago.
The city was renamed in honor of Simon Bolivar in 1846.
The Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto was a native of the city. The Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art, named in his honor and designed by Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, was opened in 1973.
Law and government
Ciudad Bolívar's municipal government is led by the mayor. Its local legislature is the Municipal Council, made up of seven councillors. A municipal comptroller oversees the public finances, and the Local Public Planning Council manages the municipality's development.
Vegetation
Moriche palms and scrub oaks are found on the shores of the river. Species including the carob tree, the sarrapia, and the merecure are prevalent. Local fauna include capybaras, turtles, herons, parrots, limpets, and iguanas, and others. Fish in the area include Salminus hilarii (a species of Salminus) and Pygocentrus palometa.
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Ciudad Bolívar has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) with distinctive dry and wet seasons. The average temperature is 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) which remains fairly constant throughout the year, varying between 27.6 °C (81.7 °F) in January to 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) in October. The dry season, which runs from December to April has little precipitation during these months and temperatures tend to be cooler than the wet season but still hot, regularly reaching 32 °C (90 °F) during the day and dropping to 22 °C (72 °F) during the night. The wet season which runs from May to early November sees and increase in precipitation levels although days without any precipitation are common. Temperatures tend to be slightly warmer than the dry season. On average, Ciudad Bolívar receives 977 mm (38.5 in) of precipitation per year and there are 89.3 days with measureable rainfall. The city is fairly sunny, averaging almost 2900 hours of bright sunshine or an average of 7.9 hours of sunshine per day, ranging from a high of 260.4 hours in October (8.4 hours of sunshine per day) to a low of 201.0 hours in June (or 6.7 hours of sunshine per day).
Economy
The Bolívar state economy is dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry, particularly cattle and pigs. Agricultural products of the area include maize, cassava, mango, yam, and watermelon. Tourism has become increasingly important to the area.
Local mass media include the television stations Bolívar Visión and TV Río, and newspapers El Bolivarense, El Expreso, El Progreso, and El Luchador.
Universidad de Oriente
Universidad de Oriente (UDO) Núcleo de Bolívar, is the main public institution located in Ciudad Bolivar and in other cities of eastern Venezuela. On 20 February 1960, by resolution of the University Council, is created the Bolívar Nucleus, since that is become the most important university in the country South-Eastern.
Today, this UDO nucleus has a Basic Courses School, Health Sciences School "Dr. Francisco Battistini Casalta" and Earth Sciences School, undergraduate degrees in Industrial Engineering, Geological Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Geology, Medicine, Nursing and Bioanalysis.
Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana
Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana (UNEG) is another public institution in Ciudad Bolívar, founded 9 March 1982 by resolution N° 1.432 of President Luis Herrera Campins. This university was conceived as a center of superior education regional.
The original name of the university project was South University the Dr. Carlos Grüber Hernández (1931–2007) cas one of the pioneers in the fight for the University of South, he was the Founder President of the University of Southern Pro Guiana Committee.
The UNEG Ciudad Bolívar offers undergraduate degrees in Administration and accounting, Education and Tourism.
Other universities
Culture
Ciudad Bolívar's historic district is a popular tourist attraction, featuring houses and buildings that date from the colonial period. The Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art—named after the city's native sculptor and painter Jesús Soto—features a collection of modern works by Venezuelan and international artists. Ciudad Bolívar is also the birthplace of musicians Cheo Hurtado, Iván Pérez Rossi and Antonio Lauro, and the home of the musical group Serenata Guayanesa.
Traditional local cuisine includes desserts and preserves made of cashew nuts, eaten alone or roasted with salt. The cassava bread prepared in the area is well known, as well as several meals made of tortoise meat such as the Carapacho de Morrocoy Guayanés (baked tortoise in its shell). Locals also use the juice of cassava to create the spicy Catara sauce, an alleged aphrodisiac.
Transportation
Buses are the main means of public transport in the city.
The José Tomás de Heres Airport is located in the center of the city.
The Angostura Bridge connects the city to the rest of Venezuela. The freeway that connects Ciudad Bolívar with Ciudad Guayana is a major regional road.