Latin American Cities Codexery

Maracaibo

Second-largest city in Venezuela, economic hub of western Venezuela.

Last updated

Where it is

Street map of the area around Maracaibo; the red dot marks 10°37′59″N 71°37′59″W
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Coordinates: 10°37′59″N 71°37′59″W (10.6330, -71.6330) · Open in OpenStreetMap

Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Maracaibo (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.

Located on Lake Maracaibo's western shore where it meets the Gulf of Venezuela, Maracaibo serves as both a city and a municipality in northwestern Venezuela.[1] As Zulia's capital, Maracaibo ranks as Venezuela's second-largest city proper, with only Caracas being larger.[1]

Geography and history

Arawakan-speaking and Kalina peoples were the original inhabitants of early settlements in this area.[2] European arrival in the region first occurred during 1499.[3] Two failed founding attempts preceded Maracaibo's eventual establishment: Captain Ambrosio Ehinger tried in 1529, and Captain Alonso Pacheco attempted again in 1569.[2] Captain Pedro Maldonado finally established the settlement in 1574, naming it "Nueva Zamora de la Laguna de Maracaibo".[2]

Following the 1669 pirate destruction of Gibraltar, Maracaibo became an essential transfer point for goods heading to inland communities.[2] Henry Morgan conducted a raid on Maracaibo during March 1669, afterward proceeding to Gibraltar.[4] Petroleum's 1917 discovery triggered substantial population expansion through in-migration.[2] During April 1964, the supertanker Esso Maracaibo lost steering from an electrical failure and hit pier 31 of the 8.7 km bridge, collapsing a 259 m roadway segment into the lake.[5]

What the cited sources add

The Diocese of Maracaibo was established on 23 July 1965 and elevated to an archdiocese on 30 April 1966 by Pope Paul VI.[6] Maracaibo is one of the hottest cities in both Venezuela and South America.[7] Approximately two-thirds of Venezuela's total petroleum production comes from the Lake Maracaibo basin, establishing it as the nation's foremost oil-producing zone.[8] Violence and looting spread across Maracaibo in 2019, triggered by extensive poverty and nationwide power outages.[9]

Zulia Solar launched a local solar-energy pilot in early 2023 centered on Maracaibo, with the goal of placing rooftop solar panels on 400 houses and 100 apartment units.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: mlssoccer, "José Martínez MLSsoccer.com", mlssoccer (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Maracaibo Venezuela", Encyclopedia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Irama Iglesias, "Error", efemeridevenezolana (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harry Morgan's Way, (AlisonPress, 1977), Dudley Pope,; Caribbean, James A.Michener, Guild Publishing, 1989, ASIN: B00EFKMICY (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The collison between "Esso Maracaibo" & the Bridge", Auke Visser's Other Esso Related Tankers Site; "DISASTER ON LAKE", The Canberra Times, 14 April 1964, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: David M. Cheney, "Maracaibo (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]", catholic-hierarchy.org; "Religion: Si to a Demanding Friend", 11 February 1985; David M. Cheney, "Maracaibo (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]", catholic-hierarchy.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pronóstico del tiempo para Maracaibo - precisa y detallada previsión del tiempo en Maracaibo para el día de hoy, de mañana y de la semana. Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela", es.meteocast.in (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Lake Maracaibo", Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kuntz, "Venezuela: City of Maracaibo in Ruin as Economy Plunges", Der Spiegel, 2019-09-03; Otis, "Why one family is joining a historic wave of Venezuelans migrating to the U.S.", National Public Radio, 2023-10-31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Maracaibo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Grassroots Venezuelan Solar Energy Initiative", Havana Times, 4 April 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Maracaibo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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