Capital District (Venezuela)

The Capital District (formerly called the Federal District) is one of the 25 federal entities of Venezuela. It is located in the Cordillera de la Costa zone (central-north of the country), in the Capital Region. It is part of the city of Caracas, which is also the capital of the Republic. The National Public Powers have their seat in the Capital District. This entity has federal rank and the power to organize said territory; has a particular political organization. It has an area of 433 km² and contains the western part of the Metropolitan District of Caracas.

It has a single autonomous municipality (Libertador) and 22 civil parishes. It has an estimated population for the year 2017 of 4,023,959 inhabitants according to the National Institute of Statistics, which makes it the 4th most populous entity in Venezuela after Zulia State, Miranda State and Carabobo State, which represents a demographic density of 4,817.20 inhabitants per km². The Libertador Municipality of the Capital District together with the Baruta, El Hatillo, Sucre and Chacao municipalities of Miranda State, make up the so-called Metropolitan District of Caracas, the largest urban agglomeration in the country.

History

The city of Caracas was founded in 1567 and in 1576 the first governor of the province of Venezuela, also called the province of Caracas, settled there. The area of the province expanded progressively as a result of the expansion of the towns of Caracas in 1872.

In 1777 the Captaincy General of Venezuela was created with jurisdiction over the provinces of Cumaná, Guayana, Maracaibo, Margarita and Trinidad. In 1821, the province of Caracas, along with that of Barinas, made up the Department of Venezuela, one of the three into which the Venezuelan territory was divided while it was part of Greater Colombia.

Caracas was the capital of the Department of Venezuela until 1830 and after the separation of Gran Colombia it became the capital of the Republic of Venezuela. In 1848 the National Congress created the Provinces of Aragua and Guárico with part of the territory of the Province of Caracas. In 1863, with the federal triumph, the province became the State of Caracas and very shortly after, in 1864, the Federal District was provisionally created with the territory of the cantons of Caracas, La Guaira and Maiquetía.

The rest of the territory was converted into the Bolívar State with Petare as the capital. Four years later, the Federal District was dissolved and its territory became part of the Bolívar State, but in 1872 it was reestablished, although it maintained its provisional character. In 1901 the Federal District was made up of the city of Caracas and the foreign parishes of El Valle, El Recreo, Antímano, Macarao, La Guaira, Maiquetía and Macuto and ceased to be provisional.

It was part of the former province of Caracas. On February 29, 1864, the Constituent Assembly of the Federation provisionally erected the Federal District. Its territory was between Caracas, Maiquetía and La Guaira of the old Caracas state (1863).

The first Organic Law for the Federal District was promulgated on May 29, 1894. The 1901 Constitution established that the states had to cede the city of Caracas and the foreign parishes of El Valle, El Recreo, to the Nation Antímano, Macarao, La Guaira, Maiquetía and Macuto to organize the Federal District. In 1909, it was established that the Federal District would be made up of the Departmento Libertador and the Departmento Vargas. In 1986, the Organic Law of the Capital District was promulgated, in which it was established that the Federal District included two municipalities: Libertador and Vargas. In 1998, the State of Vargas (currently La Guaira) was created with the territory that corresponded to the Vargas municipality, leaving the territory of the Federal District reduced to the Libertador municipality.

Since the year 2000, the city of Caracas is part of the Metropolitan District, which includes not only the territory of the Capital District but also the municipalities of Baruta, El Hatillo, Sucre and Chacao of the state of Miranda.

Population

Due to various factors, the city of Caracas has become the dominant center of political, administrative, economic, financial, welfare and educational services in the country. This condition has favored the migratory process towards the entity, to the point of reaching a population of 3,030,564 inhabitants for the year 2011. The city of Caracas forms the largest urban concentration in the country.

Politics and government

Capital District Government Building

The Capital District: As the seat of the Nation's Powers, it has a different status from the States, Dependencies and Federal Territories of Venezuela, it is governed by the Special Law on the Organization and Regime of the Capital District approved on April 7, 2009 by the National Assembly, promulgated by the president on April 13, 2009 was published in the Official Gazette 6,663 of the following day, this legal text gives the District the same system of government of the old Federal District.

Your organization is the responsibility of the National Power as established in article 156 numeral 10 of the Constitution of Venezuela of 1999:

Article 156. It is from the competence of the National Public Power:

...

10. The organization and regime of the Capital District and the federal units.

It is considered a territory that does not belong to any State in particular, but to the Republic as such, since, being considered the seat of all the powers of the national public power, it is not funny that a State possesses the privilege above the other States to house the capital of the Republic. Therefore, to respect equality between federal entities, the nation's capital is outside the domain of the other States of the country, resembling the tradition of the federal regime.

For these reasons, its administration is different from that of other federal entities in the national territory. For example, in its executive functions it does not have a Governor, but is exercised by the National Executive (President of the Republic) as it is the head of State, however, it designates a head of Government that represents it in the administration of the district government, fulfilling legal and civil functions. Nor does it have its own legislature, but depends on the resolutions emanating from the National Assembly.

In theory, the Capital District can be made up of several municipalities depending on local needs, however, currently it is made up entirely of a single municipality: the Libertador de Caracas Municipality, being considered the only one that really houses the city of caracas as such, without counting its metropolitan area.

Despite this, the Libertador de Caracas municipality, together with the neighboring municipalities of Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo and Sucre of Miranda State, formed part of the municipal association called the Metropolitan District of Caracas, which was the institution that coordinated the metropolitan area of the capital until 2017; however, it never depended on the Capital District.

The Capital District manages the constitutional status and a capital subsidy, has its own legal personality and its own assets.

Executive Function

According to Article 3 of the new law of the Capital District, approved in 2008, the executive function is exercised by the Head of Government on behalf of the National Executive, being designated by free appointment and removal by the President of the Republic, as an intermediary of the National Executive Power with the Government of the Capital District

Legislative Function

According to Article 3 of the law of the Capital District, the legislative function is exercised directly by the Republic through the National Assembly of Venezuela.

Map of the Capital District, a federal entity that occupies the same area of the Libertador Municipality of Caracas.

Article 3. The special regime of the Capital District is a system of government constituted by an executive body exercised by a Head or Head of Government and the legislative function will be carried out by the National Assembly

With regard to representation in the National Assembly, the Capital District is represented on equal terms with any other State. In 2020, the Capital District elected 13 deputies, being 8 deputies by nominal election and 5 deputies by electoral list. The deputies to the National Assembly are direct representatives of a federal Entity by popular vote of its electors, contemplated in Article 203 of the National Constitution.

Deputies to the National Assembly for the Capital District:

Period 2021-2026

Deputies to the National Assembly:

Geography

The Capital District occupies the entire extension of its only administrative division: the Libertador Bolivarian Municipality. This identity is divided into 22 parishes, making it one of the most urbanized municipalities. It occupies the western and central areas of Caracas.

Limits

The former Federal District of Venezuela was the precursor of what we currently know as the Capital District (according to article 4 of the Special Law on the Organization and Regime of the Capital District). Because it was only a name change for this jurisdiction, its boundaries remain unchanged. This entity is made up of the Libertador de Caracas Municipality, which is made up of 22 parishes. The following should be noted:

Article 4 Limits: The limits of the Capital District are those corresponding to the former Federal District to the date of entry into force of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and includes the territory of the current Bolivarian Municipality Libertador.

Economy

The city of Caracas, being the constitutional capital of Venezuela, concentrates a large number of economic activities, concentrating in its central historic center the basic functions of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial powers of the Nation, to which are added important educational activities, banking, commercial, industrial and all kinds of services.

A high percentage of its active population works in public sector activities, as it is the permanent seat of the Presidency of the Republic, of all the Ministries and state entities, of the National Assembly, of the Supreme Court of Justice, as well as as well as the Office of the Comptroller General, the Attorney General's Office, the Attorney General's Office, also the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the National Armed Forces and various institutions of the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Guard.

Other types of activities are generated because Caracas is the national financial metropolis with the headquarters of the Central Bank of Venezuela, the Stock Exchange, headquarters of most of the headquarters of national banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and savings banks. savings and loan from Venezuela. A large number of cultural industry workers are in Caracas because it is the seat of the institutions with the greatest national cultural influence, such as the Central University of Venezuela, Simón Bolívar University, Andrés Bello Catholic University, Simón Rodríguez National Experimental University, Bolivarian University of Venezuela, Libertador Experimental Pedagogical University and several other private universities, national academies, professional associations, television channels, radio stations, national circulation newspapers and publishers. Likewise, industrial manufacturing maintains great significance due to its high volume of production, as well as wholesale, retail and informal commercial activities.

• Economic resources:

1. Agricultural: celery, coffee, cambur, ocumo yuca.
2. Cage: Poultry, bovine, pork.

• Forestry resources: Aceituno, araguaney, caoba, ceiba, cují, jobo, mahomo.
• Mineral resources: limestone and marble.

Culture

the Craft

The typical crafts are based on weaving (rugs, napkins, tablecloths, embroidery), leather work (belts and purses), metal work (lamps, bracelets, necklaces, medallions and chokers).

In addition, in Caracas there are couturiers, goldsmiths and all kinds of artists who present collections of their work at all times.

Folklore

Caracas, as a cosmopolitan city, has undergone a transformation of its folkloric customs. The most features are:

• The carnival.
• The Burriquita.
• Holy Week
• The Day of Resurrection.
• The Burn of Judas.
• At Christmas the sprains, breezes and skates after the aguinaldo masses.

In addition, all the national folklore finds groups and movements in the capital city that day by day make it remember and be reborn.

Typical Meals

In the Capital District, due to the influence of migratory currents, it is common to find culinary specialties from various Venezuelan regions, together with those from other countries.

• Cryollo Pavilion: To prepare it is used the black caraota, white rice, mechada meat and slices of mature fried banana.

• Escabeche: Fried fish to the vinegar.

• Fresh fish herb: Variation of this consome, characterized by wearing yellow celery.

• The stumble: It consists of white caraotes with chunks of pussy.

• Meat and cheese empanadas: White corn or fried yellow flour cake filled with ground meat or mechada or cheese.

• Polenta: Hot salty cake species of corn flour and chicken stew or cochino.

• Hallaca: Corn flour cake that is wrapped in banana leaves. It is a national dish that suffers some changes according to the region. In the capital the stew is made from hen and cochino, and it is added with paper, mustard, capers and almonds. It can also include slices of ham and/or bacon.

• Asado negro criollo: Reef that is cooked until it browns by taking an almost black color. It is seasoned with onion, garlic, paprika and tomato well chopped with which a sauce is made; it also carries other species such as salt, pepper. It is served with white rice and meat is cut in wheels.

• Chicken salad: Made with potatoes, carrots, peas, babolin, apple and hen or crumpled chicken. It is the typical accompaniment of the lake.

• Majarete: It's a pudding of corn, coconut and paper.

• Rice with milk: Dessert made with rice, milk, sugar, nail and lemon shells.

• Width sweet: Green milk, sugar and orange shells.

• Cocada: Sweet coconut drink, coconut water and milk, liquefied all with sugar.

• Sirial heel: Sweet bread and honey

• Juan tasty: Farmwork made with sweet potatoes and pineapple.

• Bienmesabe: Bizcocho in pieces that is soaked in sweet wine and then mixed with a syrup made with coconut milk, eggs and sugar.

• Bejara Torta: Butterfly cakes dessert, grated baked bread, plain white cheese, cinnamon, sweet wine, butter, nails and pail. A romantic legend says that this cake was invented by two slaves of the colony who obtained their freedom when the King of Spain described his recipe as exquisite.

• Quesillo: Pudding made with eggs, milk, sugar and salt, bathed with candy to taste.

• Mamey Buddy: It is made from this delicious fruit, sugar, water, rum, eggs, butter, vanilla and homemade biscuit. It is served with whipped cream.

Tourism

Caracas, as the capital, is a very diverse city, since it has a large number of parks, squares, modern and colonial architecture, churches, promenades, boulevards, shopping centers, etc.

Heritage

Natural

• Zoological Garden El Pinar
• Parque El Calvario
• Parque Los Caobos
• Warairarepano National Park
• Vinicio Adames Park
• Caricuao Zoo Park
• Botanic Garden of the Central University of Venezuela

Built Up

• Temple of Caracas
• Cathedral of Caracas
• Plaza Bolívar
• Municipal Palace
• Federal Legislative Palace
• Municipal Theatre of Caracas
• San Francisco Church
• Casa Parroquial Iglesia San Francisco
• Torreta de San Jacinto
• Plaza El Venezolano
• Palacio de las Academias
• Centro Simón Bolívar
• Palace of Miraflores
• Former Supreme Court of Justice
• Cuartel San Carlos
• University City of Caracas (declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000)
• Casa Natal del Libertador
• Mail of Carmelitas
• Plaza La Pastora
• Masonic Temple
• National Library
• National Pantheon
• Warairarepano National Park and Humboldt Hotel