Valencia Municipality
Encyclopedia
The Valencia Municipality is one of the 14 municipalities
(municipio
s) that makes up the Venezuela
n state of Carabobo
and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 830,420. The city of Valencia is the shire town
of the Valencia Municipality.
. It was the first Spanish settlement in central Venezuela and its official name was Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Nueva Valencia del Rey. The infamous conquistador
Lope de Aguirre
besieged the city in 1561. In 1677 it was raided by French pirates, who burnt down its City Hall, thus destroying many very important documents about the early settlement of Venezuela. The German
scientist Alexander von Humboldt
visited the city on his trip through the Americas. He reported that at the time of his visit the city had around 6000 to 7000 inhabitants. On June 24, 1821, the Battle of Carabobo
was fought on the outskirts of the city, sealing the Independence of Venezuela
from imperial Spanish rule.
(RCTV). RCTV has been at odds with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
.
es:
A modern metro
system is being constructed that will connect the city's remote suburbs with the downtown area.
with:
Naples
, Italy
Valencia, Spain
Sibiu
, Romania
Naguanagua
, Venezuela
Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
Municipalities of Venezuela
Municipalities of Venezuela are divisions of the states.-Amazonas:#Alto Orinoco #Atabapo #Atures #Autana #Manapiare #Maroa...
(municipio
Municipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
s) that makes up the 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...
n state of Carabobo
Carabobo
Carabobo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of...
and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 830,420. The city of Valencia is the shire town
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the Valencia Municipality.
History
The city of Valencia has been an active participant of Venezuela's history. Valencia was founded by Captain Alonso Díaz Moreno on March 25, 1555 — as the locals are proud of reminding visitors, eight years before CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. It was the first Spanish settlement in central Venezuela and its official name was Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Nueva Valencia del Rey. The infamous conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Lope de Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre was a Basque Spanish conquistador in South America. Nicknamed El Loco, 'the Madman', Aguirre is best known for his final expedition, down the Amazon river, in search of the mythical El Dorado...
besieged the city in 1561. In 1677 it was raided by French pirates, who burnt down its City Hall, thus destroying many very important documents about the early settlement of Venezuela. The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scientist 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...
visited the city on his trip through the Americas. He reported that at the time of his visit the city had around 6000 to 7000 inhabitants. On June 24, 1821, the Battle of Carabobo
Battle of Carabobo
The Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela....
was fought on the outskirts of the city, sealing the Independence of Venezuela
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
from imperial Spanish rule.
Media
The main newspaper servicing Valencia is "The Carabobian" or "Diario El Carabobeño" http://www.el-carabobeno.com/index.aspx. In May 2007, many universities in Venezuela, including within Valencia, held demonstrations protesting the non-renewal of the broadcast license of Venezuelan Television station, Radio Caracas TelevisiónRCTV
Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional is a Venezuelan cable television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión on 15 November...
(RCTV). RCTV has been at odds with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
.
Museums
- Casa Páez
- Casa de los Celis, settlement of the Museum of Art and History and the Lisandro Alvarado Foundation.
- Museum of History and Anthropology
- Iturriza Palace, or Quinta Isabela, Museum of the city (Museo de la Ciudad).
Parks and points of interest
- Negra Hipólita Park or Fernand Peñalver Park
- Metropolitan Park (Parque Metropolitano)
- Valencia's AquariumValencia's AquariumValencia's Aquarium is a recreational park located in Valencia, Venezuela. It is the largest aquarium in Latin America and it also has a small zoo with species from Venezuela. It is operated by the J.V. Seijas Foundation.This aquarium has the only trained tamed river dolphins in the world...
(Acuario de Valencia) (ranks as largest aquarium in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
) - Plaza Monumental de ValenciaPlaza de toros Monumental de ValenciaPlaza de toros Monumental de Valencia is a bull ring in Valencia, Venezuela. It is currently used for bull fighting and other events like concerts and fairs. It is currently the second largest bullring in the world, the first being the Plaza de toros México. The stadium holds 25,000 people and was...
, second largest bullringBullringA bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
in the world.
Demographics
The Valencia Municipality, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, has a population of 830,420 (up from 756,605 in 2000). This amounts to 37.3% of the state's population. The municipality's population density is 1332.94 PD/sqkm.Government
The mayor of the Valencia Municipality is Edgardo Parra, elected on November 23, 2008 with 38% of the vote. He replaced Francisco Cabrera Santos shortly after the elections. The municipality is divided into nine parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es:
- Candelaria
- Catedral
- El Socorro
- Miguel PeñaMiguel PeñaMiguel Peña is by far the largest civil parish in the municipality of Valencia, Carabobo, and one of the most populous in Venezuela.It is located in the Southern part of the city and it has most of Valencia's poorest slums...
- Rafael Urdaneta
- San Blas
- San José
- Santa Rosa
- Negro Primero
Transportation
The city is well connected with the rest of the country by a network of highways and roads well maintained by INVIAL.Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system is being constructed that will connect the city's remote suburbs with the downtown area.
- Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are two bus systems: the traditional system and the VALBUS. The traditional system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several companies on normal streets and avenues:
- bus; large buses.
- buseta; medium size buses.
- microbus or colectivo; vans or minivans.
- The airport, Arturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International Airport serves the fast-growing industrial city of Valencia in Venezuela two hours from Caracas . It is an active airport but with few facilities, located at 10° 9' 29.46 North latitude, 67° 55' 36.31 W longitude....
(SVVA), is the nation's third busiest. It is served by all major Venezuelan airlines.
Sister cities
Valencia is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Valencia, SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
SibiuSibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
NaguanaguaNaguanagua
Naguanagua is a city in Carabobo State that forms part of the greater Valencia Metropolitan Area in Venezuela. It is in the valley of the Cabriales River at the base of Cerro El Café and the El Trigal Mountain. Valencia and Naguanagua form a continuous urban area...
, 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...
PlovdivPlovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...