Ciudad Guayana
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Ciudad Guayana | |
---|---|
VET) | |
Area code | 0286 |
Climate | Aw |
Ciudad Guayana (Spanish pronunciation:
Ciudad Guayana was officially founded in 1961 by the unification of two former settlements, but the modern history of San Félix can be traced back to the eighteenth century. Located within the city limits are Cachamay Falls (part of Parque Cachamay) and
Due to its planned nature, the city has a drastically different feel from many other South American cities. The towers of the Alta Vista district recall
Ciudad Guayana is located in a very strategic spot for the country of Venezuela. Many international visitors have traveled there throughout its young history, from Pope
Ciudad Guayana is served by Manuel Carlos Piar International Airport in Puerto Ordaz.
History
The first explorations of Diego de Ordaz were organized in 1531. An expedition led by Juan González Sosa discovered previously unknown jungles and plains on the banks of the
The city was founded multiple times in different places, due to the continuous attacks of pirates and conquerors which destroyed it as they went down the Orinoco River in search of El Dorado.
In 1618, when he was near the old Guiana, an English expedition sent by
For the design and city planning Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana requested the participation of the then Harvard–MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies (USA). The large and extensive program of building highways and avenues, residential areas, schools, hospitals and recreational facilities, continues with the same intensity since its inception, ready to house 2.5 million people in 2020. Since 1961, the city has been known as one of the fastest growing in the world.
Ciudad Guayana and the surrounding site have special interest to visitors. Within the city, the Caroni park consisting of parks Drizzle, Cachamay and Loefling, which are a representative sample of the majesty and beauty of the Rio Caroni. Other amusement park attractions include the Foundation and Paseo Malecon San Felix. For those interested in the basic industries of Venezuela some of these have a visitation schedule that could be found through their respective managements of Public Relations. Nearby, less than 100 kilometers away it is Ciudad Bolívar, the historic site of Bolivar state. On the other side of the river is the Mission of Caroni (Caroni ruins), the Castillos de Guayana and forest plantations.
The Puerto Ordaz area was built and planned by the Companies Orinoco Mining Company and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana in the mid-twentieth century.
The November 13, 2006 the Orinoco bridge, the second largest in the country, which facilitates communications Ciudad Guayana with the opposite bank of the Orinoco River in Anzoategui and Monagas states opened.
Geography
The city is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco River on a high plain situated approximately 200-300 feet above sea level.
Ciudad Guayana is hot and humid most of the year, it is located in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw)
Climate data for Ciudad Guayana | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 95.9 (35.5) |
97.7 (36.5) |
102.7 (39.3) |
104.7 (40.4) |
101.7 (38.7) |
101.8 (38.8) |
99.7 (37.6) |
99.0 (37.2) |
103.1 (39.5) |
105.8 (41.0) |
103.1 (39.5) |
101.1 (38.4) |
105.8 (41.0) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 89.2 (31.8) |
91.6 (33.1) |
93.7 (34.3) |
94.8 (34.9) |
92.5 (33.6) |
89.1 (31.7) |
87.8 (31.0) |
89.2 (31.8) |
91.2 (32.9) |
93.6 (34.2) |
95.7 (35.4) |
92.8 (33.8) |
91.8 (33.2) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 72.0 (22.2) |
72.1 (22.3) |
73.2 (22.9) |
74.7 (23.7) |
77.4 (25.2) |
77.9 (25.5) |
79.0 (26.1) |
78.1 (25.6) |
78.6 (25.9) |
77.5 (25.3) |
74.8 (23.8) |
72.7 (22.6) |
75.7 (24.3) |
Record low °F (°C) | 62.6 (17.0) |
59.4 (15.2) |
60.6 (15.9) |
59.7 (15.4) |
61.3 (16.3) |
62.8 (17.1) |
67.3 (19.6) |
64.6 (18.1) |
63.5 (17.5) |
62.1 (16.7) |
61.2 (16.2) |
60.3 (15.7) |
59.4 (15.2) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.10 (27.9) |
0.70 (17.8) |
0.50 (12.7) |
3.30 (83.8) |
9.60 (243.84) |
12.04 (305.8) |
8.28 (210.2) |
6.40 (162.6) |
5.20 (132.1) |
2.90 (73.6) |
3.10 (78.7) |
2.10 (53.3) |
55.22 (1,402.34) |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
77.4 | 74.6 | 72.8 | 74.5 | 78.8 | 81.2 | 80.4 | 78.1 | 76.0 | 75.9 | 74.6 | 75.7 | 76.7 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH) |
Economic activity
Many of Venezuela's prime industries are based in Puerto Ordaz. These include Alcasa, Venalum, Bauxilum, Carbonorca (primary aluminium manufacturers and anode suppliers for the aluminium industry), Ferrominera (iron ore processing), and
Port
The port of Puerto Ordaz is a combination of piers (muelles), all under the control of CVG, of which only one is allocated for public use. The others are directly related to the CVG production companies; primarily all for aluminum-related endeavors, nine in-total. Two of the most frequently-used piers are Ferrominera (at the mouth of the Caroní river) and Ternium Sidor (recently nationalised into a CVG company, and the only steel works) at mile 197.
Hydroelectricity
The city hosts the headquarters of CVG Electrificación del Caroní (CVG Edelca), Venezuela's main electricity producer, which manage several hydroelectric power plants along the Caroní river basin. Two of them, Macagua and Caruachi, are located within city limits. The easy of access to Macagua from the city center makes it a tourist and educational destination, and a public park and museum were added to the complex.
Edelca also builds and administers two more dams upstream from the city: Tocoma and Guri. The latter is currently (as of 2018) the fourth-biggest hydroelectric power station in the world in terms of generation capacity, and gave origin to the Guri reservoir, the second biggest lake in Venezuela.
Transportation
Puerto Ordaz is criss-crossed from north to south and east to west by numerous avenues. Some of them are:
- Guayana Avenue — the main thoroughfare of the city, it crosses the city from start to end. It begins at the toll on the Ciudad Bolívar-Ciudad Guayana Highway and goes all the way through Puerto Ordaz, including the industrial zones, airport, commercial zones, residential areas, and Parque Cachamay.
- Atlántico Avenue runs through Puerto Ordaz from west to east on the south side of the city. It intersects with Las Americas Avenue and Leopoldo Sucre Figarella Ave. This gives a high importance to this thoroughfare.
- Las Américas Avenue connects the Altavista sector (north of the city) with the city centre.
- Paseo Caroní Avenue starts on the west side of the city and ends at Atlántico Avenue.
On December 3, 2006, the Orinoquia Bridge, which crosses the Orinoco river, was inaugurated.
The area is served by Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport.
Recreation
In Puerto Ordaz the principal recreation centers are:
- Natural: Llovizna park, Cachamay park, Loefling park.
- Shopping centers: Orinokia Mall, Altavista Mall, Atlántico Mall.
- Family: Macagua Eco Museum, Christmas Park and the Italian-Venezuelan Club.
Ciudad Guayana is home to two football clubs that play in the
Notable people
- Kervin Andrade (born 2005), Venezuelan footballer
- Eugenio Suárez (born 1991), Major League Baseball player
Education
Puerto Ordaz is also well known for having one of the best engineering schools in Latin America. The main universities are:
Regional hubs:
- Andrés Bello UCAB(Catholic University)
- UDO (East University)
- Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho (UGMA) University
- Bicentenaria de Aragua (UBA) University
Puerto Ordaz is headquarters of colleges like:
- UNEXPO (National Experimental Polytechnic University)
- UNEG (National Experimental University of Guayana)
Technical Institutes
- U.E.E.T.I. Fundación "La Salle" (San Félix)
- I.U.T. Antonio José de Sucre
- I.U.T. Pedro Emilio Coll
- I.U.P. Santiago Mariño
Tourism
Inside the city both the Llovizna and Cachamay Parks are located displaying their picturesque waterfalls. Other local attractions are the Caroní Ecomuseum located at the Macagua Dam. Near the city from the Angosturita bridge to the San Félix port the union of the Caroní and Orinoco rivers can be seen; the different colors of the water of both rivers make a very distinct demarcation line. Taking Puerto Ordaz as a starting point, the Orinoco Delta can be visited as well as Canaima's National Park and Guri's reservoirs. Other points of interest are the colonial castles at the Orinoco riverside and the "Cerro del Elefante" (Elephant's hill) which can be reached in a 4x4 vehicle. The Castles of Guayana are located at the right side of the Orinoco River, about 35 kilometers from San Félix.
Hotels
- Intercontinental Guayana Hotel
- Rasil Hotel
- Mara Inn Best Western Hotel
- Embajador Hotel
- Dos Ríos Hotel
- Eurobuilding
- Posada Turistica Residencias Tore
Gallery
-
Guayana City from space
-
La Llovizna Falls
-
Football stadium Polideportivo Cachamay
See also
- Venezuela
- Bolívar State
- List of cities in Venezuela
- Railway stations in Venezuela
References
- ^ Dydyński, Krzysztof, & Beech, Charlotte (2004). Venezuela, p. 293. Lonely Planet.
- ^ "Guyana City, Venezuela / Guyana". GuyanaPNC.org. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
Guyana City is consistently one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is said that the population should reach 2.5 million people by the year 2020.
- ^ "General Interest".
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 aluminium plant