Portuguesa
Portuguesa | ||
---|---|---|
Symbols | ||
|
||
Basic data | ||
Country | Venezuela | |
Capital | Guanars | |
surface | 15,200 km² | |
Residents | 1,024,300 (2017) | |
density | 67 inhabitants per km² | |
ISO 3166-2 | VE-P | |
politics | ||
governor | Wilmar Castro Soteldo | |
Political party | United Socialist Party of Venezuela |
Coordinates: 9 ° 6 ′ N , 69 ° 6 ′ W
Portuguesa is one of the 23 states of Venezuela . It is located south of the Andes in the steppe ( Llanos ). The capital is Guanare , near Coromoto , the most important Marian pilgrimage site in the country.
The state is named after the Río Portuguesa , from which it flows. According to legend, a beautiful Portuguese woman who was part of an expedition of conquistadors drowned in this river .
history
Several different ethnic groups lived in this region when the Europeans arrived. Among others were the Cuibas and Caquetíos, as well as various tribes of the Guamos Indians. The Guamos were mostly fishermen and collectors.
Nikolaus Federmann and his Spanish and German troops explored this area for the first time around 1530. On December 15th, they arrived in Hacarigua, a village that later became Acarigua . In 1561, a group led by the Portuguese João Fernandes de León, from Vila Nova de Portimão , settled in Guanare .
Around November 1657, the first missionaries arrived in Guanare and Acarigua and began preaching among the Guamonteyes and other groups. El Pilar de Araure was founded in 1696 .
Administrative division
Portuguesa is divided into the following districts ( Municipios ):
Municipio | Administrative headquarters | Population (2011) | Area (km²) |
---|---|---|---|
Agua Blanca | Agua Blanca | 20,717 | 199 |
Araure | Araure | 151.334 | 640 |
Dinner plate | Píritu | 44,945 | 754 |
Guanars | Guanars | 192,644 | 2008 |
Guanarito | Guanarito | 37,553 | 3103 |
Monseñor José Vicente de Unda | Paraíso de Chabasquén | 23,744 | 222 |
Ospino | Ospino | 49,228 | 1675 |
Páez | Acarigua | 177.175 | 425 |
Papelón | Papelón | 16.191 | 2203 |
San Genaro de Boconoíto | Boconoíto | 23,757 | 1031 |
San Rafael de Onoto | San Rafael de Onoto | 17,623 | 187 |
Santa Rosalía | El Playón | 17.601 | 1029 |
Sucre | Biscucuy | 41,037 | 400 |
Turén | Villa Bruzual | 62,947 | 1324 |
Individual evidence
- ^ Arellano, Fernando (1984): Introducción a la Venezuela prehispánica. pág. 201
- ↑ Portuguesa (Venezuela): Municipalities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Charts and Map. Retrieved April 15, 2018 .