Anzoategui State

Anzoátegui is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, make up Venezuela. Its capital and most populated city is Barcelona. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean), to the northeast by Sucre, to the east by Monagas, to the south by the Orinoco River that separates it from Bolívar, to the west by Guárico and to the northwest with Miranda. With 43,300 km² it is the sixth largest state (behind Bolívar, Amazonas, Apure, Guárico and Zulia) and with 2,116,867 inhabitants, being (according to the INE of Venezuela) the seventh most populous, behind Zulia, Miranda, Carabobo, Capital District, Lara and Aragua.

It has 21 autonomous municipalities and 57 civil parishes. Its main cities are Barcelona, Puerto La Cruz, Puerto Píritu, Pariaguán, Lechería, Guanta, El Tigre, Anaco and Cantaura.

History

Named in honor of the hero of Venezuelan independence, José Antonio Anzoátegui, this state was originally called the Province of Barcelona, receiving that name from the province of Barcelona in present-day Spain and kept that name from the beginning of the 18th century until 1821 and then between 1830 and 1864, when its name is replaced by “Barcelona State” a name it kept until 1909. The city of Barcelona, which is the state capital, was founded by Spanish colonists in 1677 as "New Barcelona of Cerro Santo" later shortened simply to Barcelona.

The current State of Anzoátegui was also included in the Province of Cumaná, which in turn was part of the General Captaincy of Venezuela, along with other provinces (Guayana, Maracaibo, Caracas, Margarita and Trinidad). In 1810 it separated from the province. It was in 1909 when it acquired the current political distribution.

Geography

The State of Anzoátegui has a surface area: 43,300 km². It is the sixth largest state in the country.

Anzoátegui is located between the coordinates 10°08'40" north and 64°40'38" west, in the northeastern region of the country. It is bordered by Monagas and Sucre State to the east, Bolívar to the south, Guárico and Miranda State to the west, and to the north by the Caribbean Sea that provides water to the territory, such as the Unare and Neverí rivers (on the second slope) and the Zuata and Cabrutica (on the first slope). A large part of these currents have their sources in the central tables. In the flat zone of the coast, there are the lagoons of Píritu and Unare, both closed by coastal cords generated by the sediments carried by the Unare river.

The main rivers are Amana, Aragüita, Caris, Guanipa, Güere, Guario, Morichal Largo, Neverí, Pao, Tigre, Unare, Zuata and a sector of the lower Orinoco.

Vegetation

The vegetation of the Anzoátegui State is typical temperate. It is determined, to a large extent, by altitude, climate and season of the year, where areas of snowy scrub, cujíes and small southern species alternate. It also presents a tree called caderoms, this includes resistant varieties or adapted to the environment.

Flora

Regarding the flora, the species of timber trees that are most abundant are oil, pilon, carob, oak, quebrahacho, puy, araguaney, apamate, etc. The fruits present in the State are cashew, mango, guácimo, sarrapia, merecure, querebero, corn, among others.

The characteristic Flora of the Anzoátegui State can be observed in its streets and patios of many houses, and even its squares are adorned with the characteristic trees of the region. It is important to mention the Cayenne, which is found throughout the region: it is a tall and sometimes arborescent shrub 8-10 m high that presents the following characteristics. The flowers are showy and large at their best, growing up to 6 inches. in diameter and occur in many colors such as orange, red, pink, white, yellow, and salmon, and remain for most of the year. Most have bright flashes and are bell-shaped.

A tree that abounds in its squares and main roads: EL Colorado or Apamate, It is one of the most beautiful, useful and most cultivated trees of the Venezuelan flora. In some regions of the country it is also known by the names of Roble colorado (Zulia), Orumo (Falcón). This tree can measure up to 30 m. and its habitat is the deciduous forest. Its flowers of purple, pink, lilac, white in different shades, give the Apamate a presence of particular beauty, and fill the main streets of Barcelona with their flowers.

There is a tree in particular that is found in most of the towns of Anzoàtegui State, and particularly in the arid areas of the state. eL Cuji: Prosopis Juliflora (scientific name) is a tree up to 10-15 m tall, typical of arid and semi-arid regions, green-brown in color, with flexible branches with long, strong thorns. It is also characterized by dull yellow flowers. Its stem is fleshy, rich in sucrose (20-25%) and 10-20% reduced sugars. The Cují or Prosopis Juliflora is native to Peru, Chile and Argentina.

Mineral Resources

Anzoátegui is distinguished by its diversity of natural resources within which we can mention: Siliceous sands, limestone, coal, oil, petroleum and natural gas.

Natural resources

Hot springs

• Hot water
• Urica
• Bergantín a Aguas de Minas
• Paragüey

Bays

• De Unare
• From Puerto Píritu
• From Barcelona
• Pozuelos
• De Guanta
• The Chaure
• Bergantín
• Get lost
• The Paseo de La Cruz and El Mar
• Paradise

Islands

• From the Monkey
• Tiqui-Tiqui
• Cachicamo
• Prenita
• The Querica nothing
• Chimana
• Border Islands
• Silver
• Las Isletas de Puerto Píritu
• The Lighthouse
• The Saco
• Puinare

Lakes

• De Unare: It is the largest salt lagoon in Venezuela and one of the most important in Latin America. It is located between the municipalities San Juan de Capistrano, Bruzual and Peñalver, in the western part of the State and it extends over an area of 4000 hectares. It receives the waters of the Río Unare and the Caribbean. It is shelter for hundreds of birds and marine species like Lebranche and the shrimp.
• De Píritu: Sister of Unare, her correct name is a lagoon of Píritu and is located in the city of Puerto Píritu. It has a wide variety of mangrove vegetation and is one of the most important bird reserves in the country. Given population growth, it is at risk of contamination.
• Paradise: Also known as the Magüey lagoon. It is the only lagoon that remained within the conurbation of the Great Barcelona and is part of the tourist complex El Morro. In its facilities, there was a company dedicated to the extraction of salts (Salinas El Paraíso). It is currently contaminated as it serves as drainage for some neighborhoods of Puerto La Cruz.

Main elevations

Main elevations
	Name	Height (m. n. m.)
	Cerro Tristeza	2 660
	Cerro Las Cabeceras	2 462
	Cerro El Bocado	2 489
	Cerro La Pizarra	2 480
	Cerro Santa Cruz	2 485
	Cerro La Fila	2 431
	Cerro La Laguna	2 424
	Cerro Peonía	2 415
	Cerro Dura Poco	1 677

Political-territorial division

The state of Anzoátegui is divided into 21 municipalities and 57 parishes. For the 2011 census, the population was 1,440,875 inhabitants.

Municipalities of Anzoátegui
Caribbean Sea Monagas Guárico Bolívar Miranda Sucre Aragua Anaco Peñalver Franciscode Miranda Carvajal Cool. Independence José Gregorio Monagas Juan Manuel Cajigal Freedom Bruzual PedroMaríaFreites Píritu SantaAna Guanipa Capistrano SimonRodríguez Simón Bolívar McGregor Sotillo Urbaneja

Economy

Entrance to the Anzoátegui State.

The economy of the Anzoátegui state is characterized by the predominance of oil and agricultural activities, however, there are favorable expectations of development in the secondary and tertiary sectors, with the installation of important industries such as: automotive, construction materials, oil derivatives, agribusiness, and on the other hand tourist, commercial and financial activities.

The production of hydrocarbons represents an important part within the national context, occupying a considerable physical space. Aspects related to the extractive phase are found in the Anaco-Aragua de Barcelona and El Tigre sectors, while industrial refining activities are carried out in Puerto La Cruz and San Roque. Similarly, in the state is the José Antonio Anzoátegui Petrochemical Complex (CJAA), located between the towns of Píritu and Barcelona, which was inaugurated on August 14, 1990, in order to promote the development of petrochemicals in the eastern part of the country and act as an industrial condominium for the joint ventures that operate in the area, by providing the basic services necessary for their operation. On the other hand, the largest proportion of the so-called "Orinoco Belt" is located in the south of the state, constituting the largest oil reserve on the planet.

Location of the Anzoátegui state in Venezuelan territory

Agricultural activity has been experiencing growth based, fundamentally, on the increase in occupied area after having gone through a prolonged period of stagnation, as a consequence of the development of oil activity. According to the MAC 89/91 Agricultural Statistical Yearbook, the main crops cultivated in the entity are: soybeans, peanuts, corn, cotton, cane, sorghum, coffee, cocoa, banana, roots and tubers. Another relevant agricultural activity is the use of forest resources: according to the statistics of the Venezuelan Autonomous Forest Service (SEFORVEN), for the year 1990 the entity had a production of rolled wood of 1,033,100 m³ (0.18% of the national total).

In the livestock activity, the following stand out: bovine cattle with 614,097 existing heads; swine with 100,097 heads and birds with 4,019,816 units. The development of the state has focused on the coastal strip, where 50% of the population is located, generating conflicts of use due to the occupation of space between tourist, oil, mining, residential, and commercial activities.

Tourism currently occupies a relevant factor in the development of Puerto La Cruz and other coastal towns.

Industrial: Crude and refined oil, natural gas and its derivatives, coal, cement, food products and beverages.

Forest: olive, araguaney, ceiba, cereiba, cereipo, cují, jobo and vera.

Minerals: silica sand, limestone, coal, oil, etc.

Politics and government

The State organizes its administration and its public powers through the Anzoátegui State Constitution, which establishes two fundamental powers: executive and legislative. The 2002 constitution remains in force and is the one that governs the State.

Palacio de los Jardines, State Government Headquarters, located in Barcelona City

Bicentennial Palace, Headquarters of the Legislative Council of the Anzoátegui State, located in Barcelona

Executive Branch

The Governor of the State of Anzoátegui is the chief executive of that eastern state of Venezuela. He is in charge of directing government action and is responsible to the State Legislative Council, to which he must report. annually. He must enforce the National Constitution and that of the Anzoátegui State, and national and state laws.

The Executive Branch of the state made up of the Governor of Anzoátegui and a group of state secretaries, appointed by him. The governor is elected by the people by direct and secret vote for a period of four years and with the possibility of his immediate re-election for new equal periods, being he in charge of the state administration.

The headquarters of the Government are located in the Palacio de los Jardines in the city of Barcelona, which is the capital of said entity. The current governor is Luis José Marcano Salazar, who is a member of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

Legislative Branch

The regional parliament of the Anzoátegui State is unicameral and is made up of fifteen (15) deputies or regional legislators who are elected every 4 years, under a mixed system of representation, on the one hand a group of deputies are elected by list under the D'Hont method at the state level and on the other hand nominal candidates are elected by direct vote by defined constituency, being able to be re-elected for new consecutive terms, and with the possibility of being revoked halfway through their constitutional term.

Currently, the parliament is made up of 11 legislators from the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, 2 from the Democratic Unity Roundtable, 2 from Alianza Democrática and 1 indigenous legislator from the CONIVE party

Languages

The language most used at an official level both in education, commerce and by the population in general is Spanish, there are several minority indigenous tribes located in some parts of the state that speak other languages besides this one. According to article 8 of the Anzoátegui state Constitution of May 30, 2002, the official language of the state is Spanish. In addition, the Kariña language (which is one of the aboriginal tribes of the state) is official for indigenous peoples.) and the other indigenous languages spoken in the state.

Gastronomy

Hervido de res

Typical dishes

• Hervido de res
• Empanadas
• Hallaca
• Arepa stuffed
• Cachapa
• Mondongo carupanero and marine.
• Eastern and Margaritian Pavilion.
• Palo a pique
• Fish meat
• Fosforera
• Fried fish
• Cuajado (cazón, morrocoy or chigüire)
• Chucho pie

Majarte

Drinks

• Coconut water
• Pineapple glove
• Paperwork
• Ron de ponsigué
• Ron with pirit
• Green mango juice.

Sweets

• Majarte
• Coconut rice
• Buñuelo
• Jalea
• Merey sweet
• Milk sweet

Tourist attractions

Mochima National Park

Located northeast of the state

Mochima National Park

Mochima was the second marine park decreed in the country, it is shared with the Sucre state, It brings together several islands and islets such as the Chimanas, Mono, Picuda Grande, Caracas, Venado, borracha islands. In the part of the coast it occupies a mountain area with a set of beaches, gulfs and inlets. The mountainous part is made up of sedimentary rocks of steep relief with slopes that fall abruptly towards the sea. They are giant cliffs devoid of vegetation, which form strange figures in the stone. The coastal vegetation is essentially thorny, where cacti and shrubs such as the cují, the dividive, the yacure, the guamacho, the espinito and the broom predominate. Towards the insular sector there are three species of button mangrove. Ascending there is an area where you can see species such as the vera palo santo, the guatacaro, the bald jobo, the cardón and the araguaney. From 900 m above the premontane humid forest appears.

Cathedrals in Anzoátegui

Temple Saint John the Baptist

Church La Santa Cruz, located in the Central Casco of Puerto La Cruz.

Seabirds such as seagulls, gannets, and seawigs abound in this area. Toward the heights are the paraulata, the maraquera pigeon, the guacharaca and the conoto. Among the few mammals that inhabit cloudy areas are the cachicamo, the limpet, the jaguar, the fox and the capuchin monkey. On the islands of the park, the fauna is scarce and consists of lizards and iguanas. Marine species are abundant such as: sardines, king mackerel, horse mackerel, cataco, lamparosa, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, lebranche, mullet, mojarra and sea bass; while in the depths species such as corocoro, snapper, grouper, curvina, grunt, dogfish, blue shark and widow abound. The inlets are rich in crustaceans and mollusks.

The following islands of the state of Anzoátegui are part of the Mochima National Park:

• Chinese Islands: Chimana del Oeste, Chimana Grande, Chimana Sur, Chimana Segunda, Chimana Chica, El Burro, Morro Pelotas.
• Border Islands: La Borracha, El Borracho, Los Borrachitos.
• Picudas Islands: Picuda Grande, Picuda Chica, Quirica, Cachicamo, Isla de Plata, Isla de Monos, Tiguitigue.

American Capital of Culture 2018

On December 20, 2017, the state of Anzoátegui was chosen to be the American Capital of Culture for the year 2018 and it is the first time that a Venezuelan entity has been chosen for it. The Anzoátegui state was chosen for its Caribbean architecture, for its wide gastronomy, landscapes, festivities and geography, also chosen for buildings with a truly amazing architecture such as the El Morro Tourist Complex that extends for more than 10 000 hectares and with around 45,000 inhabitants, the residences of El Árbol Para Vivir in Lechería, Isla Paraíso in Lechería and Pueblo Viejo in Puerto La Cruz shopping centers such as: Plaza Mayor in Lechería and the Caribbean Mall in Puerto La Cruz. There are also the Dimitrius Demu Museum in Lechería la Cruz on Paseo Colón in Puerto La Cruz The Basilica of the Christ of José in Barcelona, the Casa Fuerte in Barcelona, the José Antonio Anzoátegui Olympic Stadium in Puerto La Cruz Francisco de Miranda park "The Flag" in El Tigre and the sculpture of the Redoma de los Pájaros in Barcelona

Predecessor: Merida

American Capital of Culture 2018

Successor: San Miguel de Allende

Major cities and towns

The largest cities in the state, taking into account their metropolitan area are: Greater Barcelona (Barcelona, Puerto La Cruz, Lechería and Guanta), El Tigre-Guanipa metropolitan area (El Tigre, San Jose de Guanipa and San Tomé) and Gran Piritu (Puerto Piritu, Piritu, Pueblo Viejo, El Tejar).

N.o	Cities	Municipality	Place	Photos	Population
1.o	Barcelona	Simón Bolívar	North	Barcelona	560 120
2.	Puerto La Cruz	Sotillo	North	Puerto La Cruz	424 855
3.o	Milk	Urbaneja	North	Milk	78 784
4.o	The Tiger	Simón Rodríguez	South	The Tiger	236 566
5.o	Anaco	Anaco	Centre	Anaco	150 704
6.o	Cantaura	Freites	Centre	Cantaura	89 552
7.	Puerto Píritu	Peñalver and Piritu	Northwest	Puerto Píritu	71 271

Sports

View of the José Antonio Anzoátegui Stadium.

The Anzoátegui State has Teams in various sports disciplines, in Baseball we find Caribes de Anzoátegui, with headquarters in the Alfonso Chico Carrasquel Stadium, with capacity for 18,000 spectators and the Enzo Hernández Stadium, in basketball it has Marinos de Anzoátegui, based in the Luis Ramos Gymnasium (the devil's boiler) with a capacity for 5,500 spectators and in football there is Deportivo Anzoátegui whose headquarters are the José Antonio Anzoátegui stadium, with a capacity for 40,000 spectators.