Zulia
Encyclopedia
Zulia State is one of the 23 states
of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo
. In June 30, 2010, it had an estimated population of 3,821,068, giving it the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is located in the northwestern part of the country. It is also one of the few (if not the only one) states in Venezuela where voseo
is widely used.
Zulia State is located northwest of Venezuela, around Maracaibo Lake. This lake is the largest water body of its kind in Latin America and its basin covers one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western hemisphere.
Zulia is a large border state, separating Venezuela from Colombia
in the east of the country. It is bordered to the northwest by the Guajira Peninsula
and the Perija Mountains, to east by the states of Falcon and Lara
, and to the south by the Andean Venezuelan states of Táchira
, Mérida
, and Trujillo
, with Lake Maracaibo as a territorial state border.
Zulia is a territory that has brought huge wealth to the country due to its oil and mineral exploitation, but it is also one of the major agricultural areas of Venezuela, highlighting the region's contribution in areas such as livestock, bananas, fruits, meat and milk, among others.
, the largest lake in South America, lies within Zulia. The Lake Maracaibo Basin covers the largest oil
and gas
reserves in the western hemisphere. A long and mostly uninhabited border separates Venezuela from Colombia to the north and west from the Guajira Peninsula to the Perijá Mountains. Venezuela's Andean states of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo border Zulia State at the Southern end of Lake Maracaibo and finally the states of Lara
and Falcón complete the boundaries of Zulia.
The name Venezuela also comes from the Lake Maracaibo area. Spanish Conquistadors sailing into this area found the indigenous peoples living in communities of huts supported by stilts along the shores of the Lake over 500 years ago and promptly named this new territory "Little Venice
" (Pequeña Venecia) or Venezuela.
Due to the size of Lake Maracaibo size and geographical conformation there also exist islands of moderated extension which some are populated .
It had been said that was also named after the Zulia river, which in Colombia is known as Batatas and leads into the Catatumbo River
; even though another history tells that both names, river and state name came from the princess Zulia, daughter of a famous Cacique
Cinera a Tribal Chief. He was an important leader of a tribal federation located in what is now Republic of Colombia's Norte de Santander Department, the princess Zulia was well known due to her physical and moral qualities, formidable temper, and bravery. By the time her father dies courageously in combat against the Spaniards, a ceremonial customary funeral to honor and bury tribal leaders was held, she buried her father and swear over her father's remains to revenge his death.
The theory that the name "Zulia" is a vocal transliteration from the chibcha aborigine origins for the exotic plant known as "Edging Lobelia"(Lobelia erinus
) has an historical flaw: This plant is not original from South America, and was presumably introduced after the colony. Also, this plant is not called "Zulia" in this region.
. During the Spanish colonial period, its lands were part of the Venezuela Province until 1676, year in which its lands were added to the Province of Mérida del Espiritu Santo de la Grita, lately also known as Espiritu Santo de Maracaibo. In 1789 this province extended through the actual Venezuelan states of Zulia, Apure
, Barinas
, Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo. In 1810 was separated from Mérida and Trujillo. On January 28 of 1821, the Zulia Province decided to obtain independence from Spain. During the Gran Colombia
in 1824 received the name of "Zulia Department
" honoring the Zulia River
. With the dissolution of the Gran Colombia in 1830, was named Maracaibo Province
which was one of the 11 provinces of Venezuela
during this period.
The Zulia's State category was granted from Venezuela's Federal constitution on April 22 of 1864, where the denomination of Province was changed to State conforming the State of Maracaibo, conserving the previous province's territory. At the end of the same year the state's legislation determined to change the name to The Sovereign State of Zulia but it just lasted a few months. In 1874 its name again became Zulia State. In 1881 due to federal government orders the Falcon-Zulia state was created; at this time was definitely configured its Autonomous State status until April 1 of 1890 when congress billed the separation of the Falcon-Zulia State. But suffered some conformation changes during the end of the 19th century, lastly in 1899 the actual delimitation was finally draw and the name has remain as Zulia State or "Estado Zulia".
Zulia is comprised by 21 municipalities (municipios):
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 Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
. In June 30, 2010, it had an estimated population of 3,821,068, giving it the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is located in the northwestern part of the country. It is also one of the few (if not the only one) states in Venezuela where voseo
Voseo
Voseo is the use of the second person singular pronoun vos in many dialects of Spanish. In dialects that have it, it is used either instead of tú, or alongside it....
is widely used.
Zulia State is located northwest of Venezuela, around Maracaibo Lake. This lake is the largest water body of its kind in Latin America and its basin covers one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western hemisphere.
Zulia is a large border state, separating Venezuela from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in the east of the country. It is bordered to the northwest by the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
and the Perija Mountains, to east by the states of Falcon and Lara
Lara (state)
Lara State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Barquisimeto.Lara State covers a total surface area of and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,795,100.- Municipalities and municipal seats :...
, and to the south by the Andean Venezuelan states of Táchira
Táchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
, Mérida
Mérida (state)
Mérida State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Mérida.Mérida State covers a total surface area of 11,300 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 843,800.- Climate and Vegetation :...
, and Trujillo
Trujillo (state)
Trujillo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Its capital is Trujillo. The state is divided into 20 municipalities and 93 parishes. Trujillo State covers a total surface area of 7,400 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 711,400....
, with Lake Maracaibo as a territorial state border.
Zulia is a territory that has brought huge wealth to the country due to its oil and mineral exploitation, but it is also one of the major agricultural areas of Venezuela, highlighting the region's contribution in areas such as livestock, bananas, fruits, meat and milk, among others.
Geography
Lake MaracaiboLake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the...
, the largest lake in South America, lies within Zulia. The Lake Maracaibo Basin covers the largest oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
reserves in the western hemisphere. A long and mostly uninhabited border separates Venezuela from Colombia to the north and west from the Guajira Peninsula to the Perijá Mountains. Venezuela's Andean states of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo border Zulia State at the Southern end of Lake Maracaibo and finally the states of Lara
Lara (state)
Lara State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Barquisimeto.Lara State covers a total surface area of and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,795,100.- Municipalities and municipal seats :...
and Falcón complete the boundaries of Zulia.
The name Venezuela also comes from the Lake Maracaibo area. Spanish Conquistadors sailing into this area found the indigenous peoples living in communities of huts supported by stilts along the shores of the Lake over 500 years ago and promptly named this new territory "Little Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
" (Pequeña Venecia) or Venezuela.
Due to the size of Lake Maracaibo size and geographical conformation there also exist islands of moderated extension which some are populated .
Toponymy
Legend also tells that Guaimaral, son of the legendary Cacique Mara, was in pilgrimage near the Pamplona region, and he married the beautiful Indian Zulia, who he love deeply, but unfortunately she was killed in a battle against the conquerors. Sadly Gaimaral returns to his father's domains naming rivers, towns and regions with his beloved name. It must be remarked that the theory that the name Zulia came from an Indigenous princess still doesn't stand on a strong historical proof, but it is the most accepted.It had been said that was also named after the Zulia river, which in Colombia is known as Batatas and leads into the Catatumbo River
Catatumbo River
The Catatumbo River is a river rising in northern Colombia, flowing into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The Catatumbo River is approximately 210 miles long...
; even though another history tells that both names, river and state name came from the princess Zulia, daughter of a famous Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Cinera a Tribal Chief. He was an important leader of a tribal federation located in what is now Republic of Colombia's Norte de Santander Department, the princess Zulia was well known due to her physical and moral qualities, formidable temper, and bravery. By the time her father dies courageously in combat against the Spaniards, a ceremonial customary funeral to honor and bury tribal leaders was held, she buried her father and swear over her father's remains to revenge his death.
The theory that the name "Zulia" is a vocal transliteration from the chibcha aborigine origins for the exotic plant known as "Edging Lobelia"(Lobelia erinus
Lobelia erinus
Lobelia erinus is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.-Description:...
) has an historical flaw: This plant is not original from South America, and was presumably introduced after the colony. Also, this plant is not called "Zulia" in this region.
History
From Europe's point of view, Zulia was first seen in 1499 during an expedition commanded by Alonso de OjedaAlonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda was a Spanish navigator, governor and conquistador. His name is sometimes spelled Alonzo and Oxeda.-Early life:...
. During the Spanish colonial period, its lands were part of the Venezuela Province until 1676, year in which its lands were added to the Province of Mérida del Espiritu Santo de la Grita, lately also known as Espiritu Santo de Maracaibo. In 1789 this province extended through the actual Venezuelan states of Zulia, Apure
Apure
Apure State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations pronounced by the colonial authorities. In 1824 the Department of Apure was created, under...
, Barinas
Barinas (state)
Barinas State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Barinas. Current President Hugo Chávez was born in this state...
, Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo. In 1810 was separated from Mérida and Trujillo. On January 28 of 1821, the Zulia Province decided to obtain independence from Spain. During the Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
in 1824 received the name of "Zulia Department
Zulia Department
Zulia Department from 1824 to 1830 was one of the departments of Gran Colombia located in Distrito del Norte.It encompassed 4 provinces - Maracaybo/Maracaibo, Coro Province, Mérida Province y Trujillo Province....
" honoring the Zulia River
Zulia River
Zulia River is a river in Venezuela and Colombia. It is a tributary of the Catatumbo River. The Zulia forms a small part of the international boundary between the two countries....
. With the dissolution of the Gran Colombia in 1830, was named Maracaibo Province
Maracaibo Province (Venezuela)
Maracaibo Province was a province of Venezuela from 1830 to 1864. Before 1830 the area was named Zulia Department. In 1864 the area was named Maracaibo State, which shortly after was renamed to Sovereign State of Zulia and in 1874 Zulia State....
which was one of the 11 provinces of Venezuela
Provinces of Venezuela
The Provinces of Venezuela were administrative divisions used from Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia in 1830 to 1864, when the States of Venezuela were created. There were initially 11 provinces, with 3 created later, until in 1856 the Law of Territorial Division divided Venezuela into 21...
during this period.
The Zulia's State category was granted from Venezuela's Federal constitution on April 22 of 1864, where the denomination of Province was changed to State conforming the State of Maracaibo, conserving the previous province's territory. At the end of the same year the state's legislation determined to change the name to The Sovereign State of Zulia but it just lasted a few months. In 1874 its name again became Zulia State. In 1881 due to federal government orders the Falcon-Zulia state was created; at this time was definitely configured its Autonomous State status until April 1 of 1890 when congress billed the separation of the Falcon-Zulia State. But suffered some conformation changes during the end of the 19th century, lastly in 1899 the actual delimitation was finally draw and the name has remain as Zulia State or "Estado Zulia".
Climate
In the septentrional sector conditions of a semi arid climate prevails with an irregular pluviometric regime. With annual medial precipitation registered in Maracaibo city between 358 and 666 mm, with median temperature of 82.4 °F (28 °C). The precipitation rates increases in the western and eastern regions of Lake Maracaibo forming a tropical rain forest savanna climate, with annual average temperatures from 27°C to 28°C and rainfall superior than 1,000 mm, registered in Mene Grande. In the southern lake region and increase of the rainfall conforms a tropical rain forest and jungle climate, like in the El Tokuko region, with an annual average of 2,556 mm surpassing the 3,500 mm/year in the prominent heights of the Serrania de PerijaMunicipalities and municipal seats
| Municipality | Seat | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Almirante Padilla | El Toro |
| 2. | Baralt | San Timoteo |
| 3. | Cabimas | Cabimas Cabimas Cabimas is a town on the shore of Maracaibo Lake in Zulia State in northwestern Venezuela. Its current population is around 200,859 .Before 1900, Venezuela was known to possess commercial quantities of petroleum. One major find was the 'Zumaque 1' well in 1914, in the area of Mene Grande, about 50... |
| 4. | Catatumbo | Encontrados |
| 5. | Colón | San Carlos del Zulia San Carlos del Zulia San Carlos del Zulia is the capital of Colón Municipality, located in Zulia State, Venezuela. Founded on March 14, 1778, by Captain Nicolás José Antúnez Pacheco y de la Cruz y Velasco, alderman of the city of Maracaibo, accompanied by lieutenant Ramón Hernández de la Calle, in charge of the... |
| 6. | Francisco Javier Pulgar | Pueblo Nuevo / El Chivo |
| 7. | Guajira | Sinamaica Sinamaica Sinamaica is the seat of Páez Municipality, in Zulia State, Venezuela. It is a village of about 2,000 people.... |
| 8. | Jesús Enrique Lossada | La Concepción |
| 9. | Jesús María Semprún | Casigua el Cubo |
| 10. | La Cañada de Urdaneta | Concepción |
| 11. | Lagunillas | Ciudad Ojeda Ciudad Ojeda Ciudad Ojeda is a city located in the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia State in northwestern Venezuela. Its population as of the 2005 census was listed as 128,941.-History:... |
| 12. | Machiques de Perijá | Machiques Machiques Machiques is a city in Zulia State, Venezuela, located in the northwest portion of the country. It is close to the border with Colombia, and the area's main economic activity is cattle raising.- Transport :... |
| 13. | Mara | San Rafael del Moján San Rafael del Moján San Rafael del Moján is a locality in Zulia State in Venezuela.... |
| 14. | Maracaibo | Maracaibo Maracaibo Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state... |
| 15. | Miranda | Los Puertos de Altagracia |
| 16. | Rosario de Perijá Rosario de Perijá The Rosario de Perijá Municipality is located in Zulia, Venezuela. It was founded in 1989. The municipality has a total surface of 3543 km² and it has some 67 712 inhabitant . Its capital is Villa del Rosario... |
La Villa del Rosario La Villa del Rosario Rosario is a town of Venezuela in the Zulia State.It is located about sixty miles southwest of Maracaibo, the State Capital. La Villa del Rosario is the capital of Rosario de Perijá Municipality. It has about 120.000 inhabitants. Its economy is based on cattle-raising, agriculture and milk... |
| 17. | San Francisco | San Francisco |
| 18. | Santa Rita | Santa Rita |
| 19. | Simón Bolívar | Tía Juana |
| 20. | Sucre | Bobures |
| 21. | Valmore Rodríguez | Bachaquero |