Guárico

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Guárico
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Basic data
Country Venezuela
Capital San Juan de los Morros
surface 64,986 km²
Residents 905,000 (2017)
density 14 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2 VE-J
Website www.guarico.com.ve (Spanish)
politics
governor Luis Enrique Gallardo
Political party United Socialist Party of Venezuela

Coordinates: 8 ° 45 ′  N , 66 ° 14 ′  W

Guárico is one of the 23 states of Venezuela . The capital is San Juan de los Morros . Guárico is bordered to the north by the states of Carabobo , Aragua and Miranda , to the south by Apure and Bolívar , to the west by Cojedes and Barinas and to the east by Anzoátegui .

In the north, Guárico consists of a mountainous border, the rest is dominated by the Llanos , through which the Orinoco also flows. The name is derived from the river of the same name , which means something like cacique (chief) in a Caribbean language .

physical geography

North Guárico is relatively mountainous, while Central and South Guárico form the real Llanos

Guárico is part of the Venezuelan Llanos . The state is about the size of Latvia and slightly smaller than Bavaria.

geology

For the most part, Guárico is very flat. To the north are mountains like Los Morros and part of the coastal mountain range.

Main mountains in Guárico:

  • Pico Platillón (1929 m)
  • Cerro La Gloria (1570 m)
  • Pico Blanco (1500 m)
  • Topo Valentinero (1430 m)
  • Topo Cujicito (1410 m)
  • Cerro Caramacate (1290 m)
  • Cerro Platanal (1250 m)
  • Topo Paraparo (1210 m)
  • Cerro Aserradero (1130 m)
  • Morros de San Juan (1068 m)

Waters

The rivers of the Unare Basin flow from the valley of Valle de la Pascua to the Caribbean in a north-easterly direction: Unare, Quebrada Honda, Morichito, Santa María de Ipire and Agua Amarilla. The other rivers in the state tend to flow from north to south towards the Orinoco. Important rivers Guáricos are Río Chirgua, Río Espino, Río Guárico , Río Macaira, Río Manapire, Río Memo, Río Tamanaco, Río Tiznados, Río Tucupido, Río Orituco and Río Zuata.

nature

flora

Typical vegetation in Guárico

The Guáricos plants are typical of the South American Llanos. The Copernicia tectorum is a species of palm that is very common in Guárico and a symbol of the state. The buriti palm is also very common.

fauna

Many species of fish can be found here, such as the black pacu , the pavón, the electric eel , various types of serrasalmus, surubim and others. a.

Among the mammals of the region one can find

The Amazon dolphins also live in the larger rivers. Giant otters can also be found there.

natural reserve

  • Aguaro-Guariquito National Park

history

Pre-Columbian times

People lived in this region as early as 3500 BC. BC archaeologists primarily distinguish three cultural areas:

  1. the Unare region in the northeast
  2. the region of mountains and hills in the north-northwest
  3. the southern region or real Llanos

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, numerous Indian ethnic groups lived in this region: Cumanagotos and Palenkes (who were Caribs ), Otomaks , Guamos and others.

Ur-Americans like the Otomaks and Guamos lived primarily as hunters and gatherers. Agriculture tended to be practiced in the northern area.

Conquest and Colonial Era

The Spaniards began to colonize the region around Los Morros in the north at the end of the sixteenth century. Many Spaniards came to the northern area of ​​Guáricos because the Caracas and Tuy valleys were already occupied by other new settlers and they were still in search of gold and encomiendas . Most of the Spanish villages were not founded by Catholic missionaries until after 1660 and especially in the eighteenth century. They came to take control of the region only in the seventeenth century.

Spanish settlers founded El Sombrero in 1720. Four years later they founded Calabozo . In 1728 the Spaniards founded the village of Chaguaramas in a place where Cumanagoto Indians had previously lived. The monk Anselmo Isidro de Ardales established the village of Tucupido in 1760 with groups of Cumanagotos.

Altagracia de Orituco was founded in 1769. San Juan de los Morros was not officially founded until 1780.

Guárico was part of the province of Caracas during colonial times.

Alexander von Humboldt crossed the Llanos through Guárico at the beginning of 1800 and carried out many scientific studies in the region. At that time he described how native Americans were still organized in missions of the Catholic monks and how many robbers and refugee slaves sought refuge in the region. The region was particularly suitable for raising cattle. The cultivation of useful plants was hardly practiced, because in the summer time many regions were very dry and there were no irrigation systems.

Nineteenth century

Pablo Morillo, Spanish general
José Antonio Páez, freedom fighter

War of Independence

Several important battles of the War of Independence took place in Guárico.

The military leader José Tomás Boves struck down the liberation fighter Campo Elías on February 3, 1814 in La Puerta, San Juan de los Morros. A few months later, in June, troops loyal to Spain, led by Boves, fought again against the Liberation Army in this area, this time led by Simón Bolívar and Mariño. Boves managed to defeat the Liberation Army a second time.

On August 2, 1816, the Quebrada-Honda battle took place near El Socorro . The royalists were defeated by the Independence Army under the leadership of the adventurer and impostor Gregor MacGregor .

On February 12, 1818, the independence troops led by José Antonio Páez defeated the troops of the Spanish officer Pablo Morillo . Shortly afterwards, however, on March 16, 1818, Pablo Morillo was able to put down Simón Bolívar's troops in La Puerta, near San Juan de los Morros.

Caudillo period

After independence, Guárico was repeatedly a battlefield in the country's various civil wars.

Venezuela was hit by a serious economic crisis from 1842 onwards. In 1846 there was a peasant uprising, which became particularly important in the Llanos and thus in Guárico. The insurgents complained about the social injustice and the political grievances. The protests continued until May 1847.

In 1848 the province of Caracas was divided into three smaller provinces; Guárico was one of them.

Until 1848 Guárico was part of the Province of Caracas

On February 17, 1860, the Battle of Coplé between the federalists and troops of the central government took place near Calabozo . The battle itself was not decisive for the government or the rebels. The continuation of the guerrilla war, however, contributed to the fact that the government, led by Guzmán Blanco, signed a peace agreement with the federalists on March 23, 1863.

On March 11, 1892, the military and landowner Joaquín Crespo rose against the then president, Raimundo Andueza Palacio, who had changed the constitution to rule for two years after his reign in early 1892. Joaquín Crespo marched from his hacienda in Guárico against Caracas.

From the twentieth century to the present

Juan Vicente Gómez defeated in a short battle near San Juan de los Morros the troops of General Luciano Mendoza, who fought on the side of the so-called Revolución Liberadora against Cipriano Castro .

Since 1946, foreign companies have been finding oil in the state of Guárico. The fields around El Carrizal and then El Sombrero attracted many workers. The oil companies built a road from El Sombrero to Puerto La Cruz and invested in hospitals and schools. At the end of 1947, however, it was decided that Carrizales was not economical. So the oil companies moved away from this village, and with them the money. El Sombrero and other regions of Guárico continued to produce oil.

In 1957, the construction of the Guárico reservoir began. With 230 km 2 it is the largest reservoir in Venezuela and contributes significantly to the region's agriculture.

In 1988, as everywhere in Venezuela, the first direct elections for the governor took place.

politics

The current governor is Luis Enrique Gallardo of the PSUV . The state sends five MPs to the National Assembly . For the period 2011–2016 there are three MPs from the PSUV, one from the PCV and one independent, supported by the Democratic Unity Group.

2008 gubernatorial elections

The 2008 elections resulted in the following distribution of votes:

  • William Lara: 52.54%, supported by

PSUV PCV UPC

  • Lenny Manuitt: 33.20%, supported by

PPT MIRAG GE UNIDOS et al

  • Reinaldo Armas: 13.42%, supported by

AD GEMORO UNTC Proyecto Venezuela et al

economy

The region's economy is predominantly agricultural. Corn, rice and sorghum are grown here. There is a notable breeding of cattle and pigs .

Silica sand , barite , gypsum, gravel and zinc are mined in Guárico.

Petroleum industry

Guárico is located in the so-called Orinoco Belt, an area north of the Orinocos where there are large reserves of petroleum. The petroleum can mainly be extracted in the form of oil sands, which brings great difficulties for production and processing.

PDVSA has been trying to reactivate oil fields in West Guárico since 2010.

Administrative division

Guárico.
(1) José Tadeo Monagas , (2) San José de Guaribe , (3) Chaguaramas ,
(4) José Félix Ribas , (5) Zaraza , (6) Leonardo Infante ,
(7) El Socorro , (8) Santa María de Ipire , (9) Las Mercedes ,
(10) Guayabal , (11) Camaguán , (12) Miranda ,
(13) Ortiz , (14) Roscio , (15) Mellado

The state is made up of 15 districts ( Municipios ):

Municipio Capital Residents 2011 Area in km²
Camaguan Camaguan 24,391 1,164
Chaguaramas Chaguaramas 12,966 2,069
El Socorro El Socorro 17.097 1,164
Francisco de Miranda Calabozo 141,987 13,490
José Félix Ribas Tucupido 38,408 2,792
José Tadeo Monagas Altagracia de Orituco 74,559 3,455
Juan Germán Roscio San Juan de los Morros 126.178 1,824
Julián Mellado El Sombrero 27,664 2.983
Las Mercedes Las Mercedes 33,025 7,691
Leonardo Infante Valle de la Pascua 120,889 10,613
Ortiz Ortiz 23,755 4.129
Pedro Zaraza Zaraza 62,027 2,410
San Gerónimo de Guayabal Guayabal 20.206 4,357
San Jose de Guaribe San Jose de Guaribe 11,426 1,128
Santa Maria de Ipire Santa Maria de Ipire 13,161 4,549

Most important cities

Cities of Guáricos
city population Municipio
1981 census 1990 census 2008 estimate
Calabozo 61,995 89.402 148,298 Francisco de Miranda
San Juan de los Morros 70,916 81,028 125,876 Juan Germán Roscio
Valle de la Pascua 59,582 86,881 124,468 Leonardo Infante
Zaraza 15,480 30.181 51,777 Pedro Zaraza

Education and culture

The following universities and colleges are located in Guárico:

  • Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Centrales Rómulo Gallegos
  • Universidad Nacional Abierta
  • Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica de la Fuerza Armada Nacional
  • Universidad Nacional Experimental Simon Rodríguez
  • Pedagógica Experimental Libertador
  • Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela
  • Instituto Nacional Cooperación Educativa
  • Instituto Universitario Monseñor Arias Blanco
  • Instituto Universitario de Tecnología de los Llanos
  • Colegio Universitario de Administración y Mercadeo

kitchen

The most famous dish is the "Pisillo Guariqueño". It is fried venison with garlic and paprika that has been dried under the sun. You also eat a lot of beef, river fish and capibara meat .

The chicken soup is also very popular in the region.

Attractions

The Morros

Morros de San Juan

Alexander von Humboldt describes it as follows:

“These crests form steep peaks that rise on a rock wall with a very broad base. The wall drops off steeply and resembles the devil's wall ... These peaks can be seen in the Llanos from a great distance, they make a strong impression on the imagination of the inhabitants of the plains, who are not used to any unevenness of the ground. " )

San Juan de Los Morros thermal baths

The place has bathing halls and swimming pools and is located northwest of San Juan de Los Morros, about 58 km from Maracay .

The water contains sulphurous compounds with alkali metals and borates and has an average temperature of 33.5 ° C. The water flows from the main spring at 6,800 liters per hour. The thermal bath is surrounded by a dry tropical forest.

Gurumen thermal baths

The baths are located between Ortíz and San Francisco de Cara, 60 km from San Juan de Los Morros.

Aguaro-Guariquito National Park

The Aguaro-Guariquito National Park has a total area of ​​5690 km².

Guatopo National Park

This park is located between the states of Miranda and Guárico. The area is about 122,464 hectares.

Infrastructure

Road network

The state has fewer roads than other regions north of the Orinoco.

Air traffic

There's one airport in Calabozo .

Waterways

The village of Cabruta on the Orinoco has a small port where ferries are used.

media

National newspapers such as El Universal and El Nacional can be found in the main cities. There used to be several regional newspapers. What remains is the pro-government Diario La Antena.

swell

  1. ↑ 2008 elections in Guárico
  2. ↑ PDVSA in Guárico (English)
  3. ↑ Guárico (Venezuela): Municipalities & Urban Places - Population Statistics, Graphics and Map. Retrieved April 15, 2018 .
  4. ↑ IIES - Proyecciones de Población ( Memento of the original of November 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / iies.faces.ula.ve
  5. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (Municipio Sebastian Francisco de Miranda)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ine.gov.ve  
  6. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (Municipio Juan Germán Roscio  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ine.gov.ve  
  7. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (Municipio Leonardo Infante)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ine.gov.ve  
  8. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (Municipio Pedro Zaraza)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ine.gov.ve  
  9. ↑ Humboldt, Alexander: Journey into the equinox regions of the New Continent. Editorial: ttmar Ette. 2 B. Insel, Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1991, ISBN 3-458-16947-4 . Volume II, 709 pp.