Carúpano
Encyclopedia
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuela
n state
of Sucre
. It is located on the Venezuela
n Caribbean
coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná. This city is the shire town
of the Bermúdez Municipality
and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census
, the municipality has a population of 122,195.
first set foot on the American continent for the only time, during his third voyage (in all his other trips he only explored the Caribbean
islands).
It was in Carúpano where Simón Bolívar
, the liberator of Venezuela, issued a decree ending slavery in 1814.
Carúpano features a peculiar mixture of races, as during the 19th century it was the target of European immigration from Corsica
and Sardinia
, among other locations.
At around midnight on May 4, 1962, military officers in rebellion against the government of Rómulo Betancourt
, took over the city of Carúpano. The insurgents, under control of Captain Jesús Teodoro Molina Villegas, Major Pedro Vegas Castejón, and Lieutenant Héctor Fleming Mendoza, occupied the city's streets and buildings, the airport, and the radio station, Radio Carúpano, which they used to broadcast their message, calling themselves the Movimiento de Recuperación Democrática (Movement of Democratic Recuperation). President Betancourt demanded that the rebels surrender, but at the same he ordered the air force began to attack the city and the navy began blocking the seaport in an operation called Operacion Tenaza. The following day, the government was able to take over Carúpano and its surroundings, arresting more than 400 military personnel and civilians that were involved in the rebellion. Those involved were Congressman Eloy Torres of the Communist Party of Venezuela
(PCV), as well as other member of that party and the Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria
(MIR). As a result, Betancourt suspended constitutional guarantees, accused the PCV and MIR of being involved, and decreed both parties as illegal.
In July 1997, a violent earthquake struck the city and most of the state. This earthquake was centered in the town of Cariaco, where most of the deaths and damage occurred.
, sugar
, cotton
, timber
and rum
have been important exports of Carúpano since colonial times. Carupanese rums are highly appreciated nationwide, so the internal consumption usually leaves little surplus rum for export.
As of November 2006, Carúpano is a domestic scheduled destination of Avior Airlines
.
of the Bermúdez Municipality in Sucre. The mayor of the Bermúdez Municipality is José Ramón Regnault Hernández, elected in 2004 with 53% of the vote. He replaced Claudio Marín Morales shortly after the last municipal elections in October 2004.
with Carúpano, back in the late 19th century. This house is today the headquarters of the Tomas Merle foundation and the Paria Project, two organizations that promote tourism and industry.
Escuelas y Liceos:
, former president of Venezuela; Jictzad Viña, Miss Venezuela
2005; Antonio José de Sucre
, one of the paramount leaders of the South American war of independence, was thought to lived there but hailed from Cumana; Andrés Eloy Blanco
, one of the most important Venezuelan poets also came from Cumana; Eladio Lárez
, president of Radio Caracas Television
, one of Venezuela's largest television networks; and Washington Nationals
major league baseball
catcher
Jesús Flores
.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n state
States of Venezuela
Venezuela is divided into 23 states , 1 Capital District and the Federal Dependencies that consist of a large number of Venezuelan islands...
of Sucre
Sucre (state)
Sucre State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Cumaná. Sucre State covers a total surface area of 11,800 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 916,600.-Municipalities and municipal seats:...
. It is located on the Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná. This city is the shire town
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the Bermúdez Municipality
Bermúdez Municipality
The Bermúdez Municipality is one of the 15 municipalities that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 150,504. The city of Carúpano is the shire town of...
and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the municipality has a population of 122,195.
History
It was somewhere on the Peninsula of Paria, near Carúpano, where Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
first set foot on the American continent for the only time, during his third voyage (in all his other trips he only explored the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands).
It was in Carúpano where Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, the liberator of Venezuela, issued a decree ending slavery in 1814.
Carúpano features a peculiar mixture of races, as during the 19th century it was the target of European immigration from Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, among other locations.
At around midnight on May 4, 1962, military officers in rebellion against the government of Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello , known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was President of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Accion Democratica, Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century...
, took over the city of Carúpano. The insurgents, under control of Captain Jesús Teodoro Molina Villegas, Major Pedro Vegas Castejón, and Lieutenant Héctor Fleming Mendoza, occupied the city's streets and buildings, the airport, and the radio station, Radio Carúpano, which they used to broadcast their message, calling themselves the Movimiento de Recuperación Democrática (Movement of Democratic Recuperation). President Betancourt demanded that the rebels surrender, but at the same he ordered the air force began to attack the city and the navy began blocking the seaport in an operation called Operacion Tenaza. The following day, the government was able to take over Carúpano and its surroundings, arresting more than 400 military personnel and civilians that were involved in the rebellion. Those involved were Congressman Eloy Torres of the Communist Party of Venezuela
Communist Party of Venezuela
The Communist Party of Venezuela is a Marxist-Leninist political party, and the oldest continuously existing party in Venezuela...
(PCV), as well as other member of that party and the Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria
Revolutionary Left Movement (Venezuela)
The Revolutionary Left Movement , was a left-wing Marxist political party in Venezuela...
(MIR). As a result, Betancourt suspended constitutional guarantees, accused the PCV and MIR of being involved, and decreed both parties as illegal.
In July 1997, a violent earthquake struck the city and most of the state. This earthquake was centered in the town of Cariaco, where most of the deaths and damage occurred.
Economy
Cacao, coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
have been important exports of Carúpano since colonial times. Carupanese rums are highly appreciated nationwide, so the internal consumption usually leaves little surplus rum for export.
As of November 2006, Carúpano is a domestic scheduled destination of Avior Airlines
Avior Airlines
Avior Airlines is an airline based in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela. It operates scheduled and charter services within Venezuela and the southern Caribbean, as well as Miami out of its base at Generál José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport....
.
Demographics
The Bermúdez Municipality, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, has a population of 122,195 (up from 100,794 in 1990). This amounts to 15.5% of Sucre's population. The municipality's population density is 1,559 people per square mile (601.95/km²).Government
Carúpano is the shire townCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the Bermúdez Municipality in Sucre. The mayor of the Bermúdez Municipality is José Ramón Regnault Hernández, elected in 2004 with 53% of the vote. He replaced Claudio Marín Morales shortly after the last municipal elections in October 2004.
House of Cable
The House of Cable was where the first submarine cable between Europe and America arrived, joining the French city of MarseilleMarseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
with Carúpano, back in the late 19th century. This house is today the headquarters of the Tomas Merle foundation and the Paria Project, two organizations that promote tourism and industry.
Religious buildings
- Iglesia Catedral Santa Rosa de Lima
- Iglesia Santa Catalina de Siena
- Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Coromoto
- Iglesia San Martín de Porres
- Iglesia Ntra. Señora del Valle
- Iglesia San Rafael Ancargél
- Capilla Santa Cruz(Guayacan de las Flores)
- Capilla Santa Cruz(Guayacan de los Pescadores)
- Capilla Santa Cruz(Sector el Mangle)
Squares and parks
- Plaza Bolívar
- Plaza Colón
- Plaza Miranda
- Plaza Santa Rosa
- Plaza Suniaga
- Parque Karupana
Escuelas y Liceos:
- U.E.P " Ramón León Santelli"(Escuela Privada,ubicada en Av. Independencia frente al Hotel Lilma).
- U.E " J.J Martinez Mata "(Escuela Publica,ubicada en Av. Libertad,con calle Paez.
- U.E.P " Rafael Osío Perez "(Liceo Privado,ubicada en Av. Independencia,con calle Paez.
- U.E.P " Dr. José Gregorio Hernandez "(Escuela y Liceo Privado,ubicada en Av. Carabobo.
- U.E.P " San José "(Escuela y Liceo Privado,ubicada en Av. Carabobo,con calle Las Margaritas,y calle Calvario.
- U.E.P " Don Andrés Bello "(Escuela y Liceo Privado,ubicada en Av. Independencia frente a la Plaza Santa Rosa,y calle Dominicci.
- U.E.P " Sagrado Corazón de Jesús "(Escuela Privada,ubicada en Calle Ecuador.
- U.E.P " Inmaculado Corazón de María(Escuela Privada,ubicada en Av. Juncal,cerca del Supermercado Francys.
- U.E " Antonio Jesús Rodriguez Abreu "(Escuela Publica,ubicada en Av. Principal de Canchunchu.
- U.E " Pedro Elías Aristiguieta "(Escuela Publica,ubicada en calle Bolívar al Frente de la Infantería.
- U.E " Manuel María Urbaneja "(Escuela Publica,ubicada en Calle Principal del Sector Curacho.
Notable natives
Famous Carupaneros include Wolfgang LarrazábalWolfgang Larrazábal
Wolfgang Enrique Larrazábal Ugueto , commander of the Venezuelan Navy, became President of Venezuela following the overthrow of Marcos Pérez Jiménez on 23 January 1958....
, former president of Venezuela; Jictzad Viña, Miss Venezuela
Miss Venezuela
The Miss Venezuela contest is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela and has been held since 1952. It is responsible for selecting the country's representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth and Miss International pageants .Under the direction of Osmel Sousa, Venezuela has...
2005; Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá , known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" , was a Venezuelan independence leader. Sucre was one of Simón Bolívar's closest friends, generals and statesmen.-Ancestry:...
, one of the paramount leaders of the South American war of independence, was thought to lived there but hailed from Cumana; Andrés Eloy Blanco
Andrés Eloy Blanco
Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño was an important Venezuelan poet, politician, member of the Generación del 28, and one of the founders of Acción Democrática ....
, one of the most important Venezuelan poets also came from Cumana; Eladio Lárez
Eladio Lárez
Eladio José Lárez Villamizar is a Venezuelan businessperson and TV Presenter. He is the President of Radio Caracas Televisión , which until its removal from the public airwaves on 27 May 2007, was the most watched television channel in Venezuela.-Biography:Eladio Lárez was born in Carúpano in the...
, president of Radio Caracas Television
RCTV
Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional is a Venezuelan cable television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión on 15 November...
, one of Venezuela's largest television networks; and Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Jesús Flores
Jesús Flores
Jesús Miguel Flores is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws right-handed....
.