San Cristóbal (Venezuela)
| San Cristobal | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Coordinates: 7 ° 46 ′ N , 72 ° 14 ′ W San Cristóbal on the map of Táchira
|
||
| Basic data | ||
| Country | Venezuela | |
| State | Tachira | |
| City foundation | March 31, 1561 | |
| Residents | 400,000 (2001) | |
| City insignia | ||
 |
 |
|
| Detailed data | ||
| surface | 247 km 2 | |
| Population density | 1,619 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| height | 860 m | |
| Waters | Río Torbes | |
| Post Code | 5001 | |
| Time zone | UTC -4: 30 | |
| City Presidency | Mónica García Tezzi (2008-2013) | |
| Website | ||
| Nickname: " La Ciudad de la Cordialidad " | ||
 |
||
San Cristóbal is the capital of the state of Táchira in Venezuela . The city is located in the Andes in the mountain saddle of Táchira between the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and the Cordillera of Mérida with a view over the River Torbes in the west of the country.
overview
San Cristobál was founded on March 31, 1561 by Juan Maldonado Ordóñez y Villaquirán, a captain in the Spanish army. In 1875 an earthquake caused severe damage to the city. Because of its proximity (~ 50 km) to Colombia and the remoteness from the rest of Venezuela, it had a strong orientation towards the neighboring country in the early years.
This changed at the beginning of the 20th century with the expansion of the road network (especially the Panamericana ) under the rule of the dictators Cipriano Castro and Juan Vicente Gómez (who also both come from Táchira). It quickly became one of the country's trading centers.
One of the most famous people in the city was Isaías Medina Angarita , the president of Venezuela from 1941 to 1945.
Deportivo Táchira FC , one of the biggest football clubs in Venezuela, comes from San Cristóbal and plays its home games at the Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo . This stadium was also the venue for the 2007 Copa America .
In 1962 the Universidad Católica del Táchira was founded.
economy
The main focus of the economy is on agriculture, especially the production of coffee, sugar and vegetables. In addition, there is also the meat industry (cattle) and handicrafts (shoe, bag and ceramic production).
Demographics
Táchira has an estimated one million inhabitants, around 40% of whom live in San Cristóbal. The city's catchment area is inhabited by around 850,000 people.
The inhabitants (of the entire Andean region) are colloquially called " Gochos " (pronounced as Gotschos ).
sons and daughters of the town
- Hans Avé-Lallemant (1888–1945), German company director, CEO of Feldmühle Papier- und Zellstoffwerke Aktiengesellschaft
- Isaías Medina Angarita (1897–1953), politician and officer, President of Venezuela from 1941 to 1945
- Rafael de Nogales Méndez (1897–1936), soldier and writer
- Manuel Felipe Rugeles (1903–1959), poet and essayist
- Marlon Escalante (* 1974), Venezuelan FIFA referee
- Andreé González (* 1975), football player
- Édgar Ramírez (* 1977), actor
- Tomás Rincón (* 1988), football player
Footnotes
- ^ San Cristóbal , in: Encyclopædia Britannica online
- ↑ a b Venezuela Tuya (Spanish)
- ↑ Venezuela Virtual ( Memento of November 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
- ↑ Corpoandes ( Memento of August 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
Web links
- Official Website (Spanish)