Ciudad Guayana
Encyclopedia
Ciudad Guayana is a city
in Bolívar State, Venezuela
. It lies south of the Orinoco
, where the river is joined by the Caroní River. The city, officially founded in 1961, is actually composed of the old town of San Félix at the east and the new town of Puerto Ordaz
at the west, which lie either banks of the Caroní and are connected by three bridges. The city stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco. With approximately one million people, it is a large city by Venezuelan standards. It is also the country's fastest-growing city, due to its important iron industry.
It is one of Venezuela's five most important ports, since most goods produced in Bolívar are shipped through it into the Atlantic Ocean, via the Orinoco river. Ciudad Guayana is also the location of the Second Orinoco crossing
.
It is served by Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport
.
.
Much critique has been made about its design, which was created by a number of planners from MIT and Harvard in the early 1960s. Lisa Peattie's "A View From the Barrio" is a good discussion of the adverse social effects that occur when a modernist city is placed without regard for context (social, economic, cultural, or climatological) in the middle of nowhere.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Bolívar State, 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...
. It lies south of the Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
, where the river is joined by the Caroní River. The city, officially founded in 1961, is actually composed of the old town of San Félix at the east and the new town of Puerto Ordaz
Puerto Ordaz
Puerto Ordaz is a planned city which, together with the older settlement of San Felix, forms Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco Rivers and is the site of the Llovizna Falls. There are bridges across the Caroni and...
at the west, which lie either banks of the Caroní and are connected by three bridges. The city stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco. With approximately one million people, it is a large city by Venezuelan standards. It is also the country's fastest-growing city, due to its important iron industry.
It is one of Venezuela's five most important ports, since most goods produced in Bolívar are shipped through it into the Atlantic Ocean, via the Orinoco river. Ciudad Guayana is also the location of the Second Orinoco crossing
Second Orinoco crossing
The Second Orinoco crossing or Orinoquia Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Orinoco River near Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela. It was inaugurated on November 13, 2006 and named Orinoquia Bridge...
.
It is served by Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport
Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport
Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport , is an airport serving the cities of Ciudad Guayana and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela.-Airlines and destinations:*Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela *Aserca Airlines...
.
History
Since its foundation it has grown from two fledgling towns into the Guayana region's most important industrial center, and a hub of growth in an otherwise typically underpopulated region of VenezuelaVenezuela
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...
.
Much critique has been made about its design, which was created by a number of planners from MIT and Harvard in the early 1960s. Lisa Peattie's "A View From the Barrio" is a good discussion of the adverse social effects that occur when a modernist city is placed without regard for context (social, economic, cultural, or climatological) in the middle of nowhere.
External links
- "Guayana City, (Puerto Ordaz & San Felix)" VenezuelaTuya, photographs of the city
- "La Guayana de Antaño", History in Pictures
- BBC article in a Puerto Ordaz aluminiumAluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
plant