Delta Amacuro
Encyclopedia
Delta Amacuro State is one of the 23 states
of Venezuela
, and is the location of the Orinoco Delta. The Paria Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean
are found to the north, Bolívar State is found to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and Guyana
are found to the east, and Monagas State is found to the west. The state capital city is Tucupita
.
Delta Amacuro State covers a total surface area of 40,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 152,700.
Child malnutrition
has reached a level of 30 percent of the population under age five, according to United Nations
statistics; this is the fraction of the child population
classified as stunted or wasted.
colonizers.
Columbus arrived at the coast off the Delta on 1 August 1498 during his third voyage to America. He wrote about the macareo, the noise that occurs when a large river flow (the Orinoco river) meets the ocean currents.
As the Delta connects to the Orinoco, it became the point of entry from the Ocean to Guayana.
Diego de Ordaz
explored the territory from June 1531, when he sailed upstream the Orinoco River with several ships. Antonio Berrío traveled through the region in the eighties of the XVI century. Fernando de Berrío, Antonio Berrío's son, initiated expeditions going through the area in search for El Dorado. Walter Raleigh
crossed the Delta in 1594, 1595 and finally on his last expedition, in 1616.
The Delta was part of New Andalusia
.
Alexander von Humboldt
wrote in his Voyages to the Equinoccial Regions that the Waraos were the only native Americans still free from control from the Spanish authorities in the province. He said people calculated the Warao population in the Delta at around 6.000-7.000 individuals, although he thought there were less.
The territory became part of the Province of Guayana when Venezuela became independent.
On 27 February 1884 the Delta became Federal Territory and was composed of the districts Manoa and Guzmán Blanco. The territory was attached soon afterwards to the Bolivar state. It became a Federal Territory again on 26 April 1901. The catholic missionary Barral arrived in the area in the thirties of the XX century and established a couple of religious missions and schools. He carried out some of the first studies on the Warao language
.
The Delta became state on 3 August 1991.
In the last decade, Delta Amacuro has seen an important migration of criollo Venezuelans looking for jobs in the oil sector.
drilling and refinement. Mineral resources include petroleum and peat. Agricultural resources include corn, rice, cattle, pigs, birds, yucca, pineapple, and pine nuts.
There is some limited tourism in the area.
indians live mostly here. According to the population count for First Nations, there were in 2001 some 2680 native Americans in the Delta, most of which were Waraos. The Waraos have their own language, but they are mostly bilingual.
The population in the main cities is composed mostly of other Venezuelans.
Main products:
is ruled by an independent mayor.
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
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...
, and is the location of the Orinoco Delta. The Paria Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
are found to the north, Bolívar State is found to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
are found to the east, and Monagas State is found to the west. The state capital city is Tucupita
Tucupita
Tucupita is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro.-Geography:Delta Amacuro consists almost entirely of the swampy Orinoco River delta. The hot and humid Tucupita lies well into the delta on the Caño Manamo river...
.
Delta Amacuro State covers a total surface area of 40,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 152,700.
Child malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
has reached a level of 30 percent of the population under age five, according to United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
statistics; this is the fraction of the child population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
classified as stunted or wasted.
History
The Warao people have lived in this region since well before the Europeans arrived in America. Thanks to the remoteness of the Delta, the Warao managed to keep a certain independence from the European and later criolloCriollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
colonizers.
Columbus arrived at the coast off the Delta on 1 August 1498 during his third voyage to America. He wrote about the macareo, the noise that occurs when a large river flow (the Orinoco river) meets the ocean currents.
As the Delta connects to the Orinoco, it became the point of entry from the Ocean to Guayana.
Diego de Ordaz
Diego de Ordaz
Diego de Ordaz , born in Castroverde de Campos, Zamora province, Spain, in 1480, died in Venezuela in 1532, was a Spanish explorer and soldier.-Early career:Diego de Ordaz arrived in Cuba at a young age...
explored the territory from June 1531, when he sailed upstream the Orinoco River with several ships. Antonio Berrío traveled through the region in the eighties of the XVI century. Fernando de Berrío, Antonio Berrío's son, initiated expeditions going through the area in search for El Dorado. Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
crossed the Delta in 1594, 1595 and finally on his last expedition, in 1616.
The Delta was part of New Andalusia
New Andalusia
The name New Andalusia refers to two separate regions of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.* New Andalusia Governorate - created as one of Charles V's grants of 1534...
.
Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
wrote in his Voyages to the Equinoccial Regions that the Waraos were the only native Americans still free from control from the Spanish authorities in the province. He said people calculated the Warao population in the Delta at around 6.000-7.000 individuals, although he thought there were less.
The territory became part of the Province of Guayana when Venezuela became independent.
On 27 February 1884 the Delta became Federal Territory and was composed of the districts Manoa and Guzmán Blanco. The territory was attached soon afterwards to the Bolivar state. It became a Federal Territory again on 26 April 1901. The catholic missionary Barral arrived in the area in the thirties of the XX century and established a couple of religious missions and schools. He carried out some of the first studies on the Warao language
Warao language
Warao is a language isolate of the indigenous Warao people. It is the native language spoken by approximately 18,000 people inhabiting the Orinoco River delta in northeastern Venezuela as well as small populations of speakers in western Guyana and Suriname.A connection to the extinct Timucua...
.
The Delta became state on 3 August 1991.
In the last decade, Delta Amacuro has seen an important migration of criollo Venezuelans looking for jobs in the oil sector.
Economy
The main economic activities are fishing, ranching and petroleumPetroleum
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...
drilling and refinement. Mineral resources include petroleum and peat. Agricultural resources include corn, rice, cattle, pigs, birds, yucca, pineapple, and pine nuts.
There is some limited tourism in the area.
Population
The native Americans WaraoWarao
The Warao are an indigenous people inhabiting northeastern Venezuela and western Guyana. Alternate common spellings of Warao are Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau. The term Warao translates as "the boat people," after the Warao's lifelong and intimate connection to the water...
indians live mostly here. According to the population count for First Nations, there were in 2001 some 2680 native Americans in the Delta, most of which were Waraos. The Waraos have their own language, but they are mostly bilingual.
The population in the main cities is composed mostly of other Venezuelans.
Economy
The Delta Amacuro is one of the poorest regions of Venezuela. The main economic activities are fishing, cattle raising and the oil industry.Main products:
- Agriculture: rice, maize, cattle, chickens, coconuts, bananas, maniok, pineapples, palmito plant.
- Industry: oil products.
- Forest: cuajo, mangrove, moriche, seje, yagrumo.
- Minerals: oil, gold, peatPeatPeat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
.
Politics
Delta Amacuro is one of the 23 Venezuelan states and as such it has a government elected every 4 years. There is a governor and a legislative council.Legislative council
The Consejo Legislativo del Estado Delta Amacuro is a unicameral chamber elected by direct vote every for years. The council is made up of 7 members. At the current moment they belong to the PSUV party.Municipalities
3 of the 4 municipalities are managed by PSUV mayors. PedernalesPedernales
Pedernales may refer to:*Salar de Pedernales, Chile*Pedernales Province, Dominican Republic*Pedernales, Dominican Republic, a municipality of the Dominican Republic*Pedernales Canton, Manabí Province, Ecuador*Pedernales, Ecuador...
is ruled by an independent mayor.
Municipalities and municipal seats
Delta Amacuro is divided into four municipalities (with a total of 22 parishes):| Municipality | Capital | Surface km² | Population 2001 | Localition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Díaz Antonio Díaz Municipality The Antonio Díaz Municipality is one of the four municipalities that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 27,693... |
Curiapo Curiapo Curiapo is a village in the Delta Amacuro, capital of the Antonio Díaz Municipality in Venezuela.... |
22.746,49 | 19.308 | |
| Casacoima Casacoima Municipality The Casacoima Municipality is one of the four municipalities that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro. According to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 27,792... |
Sierra Imataca Sierra Imataca (town) Sierra Imataca is the shire town of the Casacoima Municipality, in the Delta Amacuro State, Venezuela.It comprises two communities: Mantecales and Cuya.The town is called after the Imataca Mountains that run to the South in the Bolívar State.... |
2.920,69 | 29.200 | |
| Pedernales Pedernales Municipality The Pedernales Municipality is one of the four municipalities that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 6,535... |
Pedernales Pedernales, Delta Amacuro Pedernales is a city in the Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro, with a seaport on the Gulf of Paria.It is home to the country's only Ford factory. Ford chose to build a factory there because it good access to the coast for shipping. It is one of several factories that assembles the Ford Focus... |
3.537 | 6.990 | |
| Tucupita Tucupita Municipality The Tucupita Municipality is one of the four municipalities that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 93,368... |
Tucupita Tucupita Tucupita is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro.-Geography:Delta Amacuro consists almost entirely of the swampy Orinoco River delta. The hot and humid Tucupita lies well into the delta on the Caño Manamo river... |
10.996 | 72.856 |