Carabobo state

Carabobo is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, form the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Its capital is Valencia. It is located in the center-north of the country, in the Central region. It limits to the north with the Triste Gulf (Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean), to the east with Aragua, to the south with Guárico and Cojedes, and to the west with Yaracuy. With 4,650 km² (square kilometers), it is the third smallest state —before La Guaira State and Nueva Esparta, the least extensive—, with 2,743,161 inhabitants in 2016, the third most populous —behind Zulia and Miranda— and with 713 inhabitants/km² (inhabitants per square kilometer), the most densely populated.

It is the one that registers the largest and fastest economic, urban and real estate growth in the country. It has 14 autonomous municipalities and 38 civil parishes. Its main cities are: Naguanagua, Valencia, Puerto Cabello, Tocuyito, Guacara, Mariara, Bejuma, Morón, San Joaquín and Güigüe.

Toponymy

There are several versions of the name Carabobo. One of them refers to a voice from an Arawak language: karau means 'savannah', and bo means 'water'. The repeated bo acts as a superlative, that is, a lot of water or streams. Thus, Carabobo, would mean 'water savannah' or 'ravine savannah'.

History

Pre-Columbian Period

The most advanced indigenous cultural epicenter in the region that is now Venezuela was located around Lake Valencia. Various petroglyphs are preserved from this historical stage in various parts of the state, as well as numerous ceramic remains. The groups in the region were dedicated to hunting and gathering, but also to fishing and certain types of agriculture.

In the area that is currently Valencia there is evidence of the presence of humans since the 4th millennium BC. In other regions of the current Carabobo State (such as the surroundings of Bejuma) remains have been found that suggest an older human presence.

Archaeologists know of significant settlement of the area around the lake that occurred between the II century and the first millennium. Human groups already controlled agriculture.

At the end of the first millennium, migrations from the Orinoco, perhaps by way of El Pao, began to reach this area. From 800 AD. C., the groups that arrived from the Orinoco began to merge with the populations that were already there. The merger produced what is called the Valencian culture.

People built their houses on artificial mounds of earth located in the fertile floodplain valleys to the east and west of the lake. They produced numerous anthropomorphic ceramics.

Around the year 1200, the Valencioid culture had spread throughout the Lake Valencia basin, along the entire central coast and to various Caribbean islands. From the oceanic islands they exported marine products such as botuto (Lobatus gigas), salt, turtles and reef fish to the lake area through intermediaries in the coastal towns.

When the Europeans arrived in this region, they found populations of Guaiqueríes and Taramainas, among other ethnic groups. They used a language that was the same or at least understandable by the indigenous people of Margarita Island.

Thus, in the area of Lake Valencia, the indigenous people planted maize, in the Western tradition, but also cassava, more in the Eastern tradition. From this period, metates for grinding corn and budares for preparing cassava from cassava have been preserved.

In the area of Borburata, on the coast, there were Indians who worked in the extraction of salt. The Jirajaras Indians, from the Nirgua area, in what are currently the limits between Yaracuy and Carabobo, went to the lake and from there through the coastal mountain range to Borburata to obtain said salt.

European colonization

John Hawkins took the first slaves to the Carabobo area

Alonso de Ojeda was the first European to reconnoitre the coasts of the territory that is now Carabobo, when he passed in August 1499.

Villegas founded the town of Borburata in what would become the West Coast of Carabobo in 1548. The natives of the area were subdued and distributed by encomiendas from 1547. By 1551, the cabildo wrote to the Spanish king "that all the indigenous people of this governorate are distributed".

In 1555, Captain Alonso Díaz Moreno, who came from Borburata, decided to found Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación de Nueva Valencia del Rey in the central plains of the region, the exact date being still debated among historians in the region. However, March 25, 1555 is recognized as the date of the foundation of the aforementioned city, its commemoration taking place on that day. Among the reasons for the founding of Valencia, are the search for a more favorable territory for the development of livestock, while offering greater protection against the constant attacks by corsairs received in Borburata. That same year, on April 17, French pirates assaulted Borburata for 6 days, causing more and more of its inhabitants to decide to establish their residence in Valencia. During this period, livestock formed the livelihood of the Valencians, who had significant wealth thanks to the lucrative nature of this activity.

From 1558 to 1628, there would be a struggle between the settlers and the Nirguas and Jirajaras Indians, who lived in the west of what is now Carabobo.

On September 7, 1561, the Basque coquistador Lope de Aguirre and his cashews from Peru landed in Borburata from Margarita. After having subdued its inhabitants after a brief stay, he left for Valencia. The inhabitants of the city fled to the islands of Lake Valencia, so Aguirre decided to continue through Nirgua towards Barquisimeto, where he would be assassinated.

In 1564, British privateers led by John Hawkins sold the Borburata colonists their merchandise. The main part of his cargo was a contingent of 400 African slaves that he had captured off the coast of Guinea and Senegal. The authorities were under orders to make the sale more difficult through high taxes, but eventually relented when Hawkins threatened to destroy the town.

In 1566, the pirate Low attacked Borburata.

In 1567, French pirates commanded by Nicolas Vallier invaded Borburata and caused its depopulation.

In 1568, John Hawkins once again forced the inhabitants of Borburata to buy their merchandise from African slaves.

In May 1569, the conquistador Pedro Maraver de Silva arrived at the port of Borburata with about 400 colonists and their families in one of the last expeditions that sought to find El Dorado. They came above all from Extremadura. Most of these settlers abandoned it between Borburata and Valencia del Rey and decided to settle in the region. Malaver continued on his way with a hundred soldiers between the Llanos and the Andes.

In 1577 and 1583, the region of Valencia suffered incursions from Carib tribes coming from the banks of the Lower Orinoco. The Spanish army, commanded by García González, repulsed them and gave chase.

17th century

In 1624, indigenous populations from the northern part of Lake Valencia established the town of Guacara.

In this century, attacks by English and French pirates continued. Among the most important attacks suffered by the region were the following:

• In 1659, the English pirate Myngs looted Cumaná, Puerto Cabello and Coro.
• In 1677, Valencia was looted by French pirates, who burned its Town Hall, destroying countless important documents.

In early 1694, Governor Francisco Berroterán decided to declare Guacara, Los Guayos, and San Diego as "doctrines" or Indian towns.

18th century

Fortín Solano in painting of Ferdinand Bellermann View of Puerto Cabello (1843)

The Indian population of Los Guayos, Guacara and San Diego continued to grow and in 1710 they were elevated to the rank of "pueblos", thus showing the penetration of non-indigenous populations (mestizos and Spaniards)..

The coastal region was heavily smuggled with areas under Dutch and English control. The Spanish government decided to grant the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana the monopoly of the trade in Puerto Cabello in exchange for it carrying out infrastructure and administration tasks that the government could hardly do.

The Guipuzcoan Company began the construction of the port of what would become Puerto Cabello in 1730, as well as the castle of San Felipe and the Solano fort. In the following decades there were numerous uprisings over this monopoly.

Based in the coastal area (Morón) and Yaracuy, the slave Andrés López del Rosario (known as Andresote) led one of revolts between 1730 and 1733 to continue the traffic with the Netherlands Antilles.

In 1743, a British squadron under the command of Admiral Charles Knowles besieged La Guaira and Puerto Cabello, harassing their coasts with promises to free the Creoles from the monopoly company, which shows the prevailing animosity.

19th century

The German scientist Alexander von Humboldt explored the area on his trip through South America in 1800. He entered the territory to the north of Lake Valencia, visited Valencia and Puerto Cabello and made an exhaustive description of the flora, fauna, the geology and society of the region. At that time, Valencia had 6,000 to 7,000 inhabitants.

In 1804, the Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition led by Francisco Javier Balmis arrived in Puerto Cabello. Several prisoners from Francisco de Miranda's failed expedition, mostly Americans, were hanged in the main square of Puerto Cabello on July 21, 1806.

War of Independence

On April 19, 1810, the Independence of Venezuela was declared in the so-called Casa de La Estrella in the city of Valencia. On July 5, 1811, the Act of the Declaration of Independence was signed in the same place.

Carabobobo Battle painted by Tovar and Tovar.

Homeland Altar at Campo Carabobo.

From then on, the armed struggle for the Independence of Venezuela began, which would last for more than a decade. In 1812 Francisco de Miranda and Simón Bolívar fought several important battles in the area against the royalist troops. After the fall of Puerto Cabello at royalist hands, continuous desertions and key defeats against the royalist army of Domingo de Monteverde, Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda was forced to sign the Capitulation of San Mateo on July 25, 1812, ending to the First Republic of Venezuela.

On June 24, 1821, the momentous Battle of Carabobo took place between Spanish troops and the independence army.

The Spanish troops that remained in Castillo San Felipe, in Puerto Cabello, surrendered and evacuated Venezuela on November 10, 1823.

Carabobo Province

On June 24, 1824, the Province of Carabobo was created on a part of the Province of Caracas, both forming part of the Department of Venezuela of Greater Colombia. Said Province was constituted by the cantons of Valencia (Capital), Puerto Cabello, Ocumare, San Carlos, Nirgua, Pao, San Felipe, Tocuyo, Quíbor, Barquisimeto, Carora and Yaritagua.

In 1829, a popular Assembly was held in Valencia that decided the definitive separation of the Department of Venezuela from Greater Colombia, the ignorance of the authority of Simón Bolívar and the appointment of José Antonio Páez as "Superior Chief of Country"

On May 6, 1830, the Congress of Valencia took place, where the independence of Venezuela from Greater Colombia was declared and Valencia was proclaimed as the capital of the Republic.

The New Republic

Carabobo Province for 1848

On March 29, 1832, the government created the Province of Barquisimeto from a division of the Province of Carabobo, leaving the latter with the cantons of Valencia, Nirgua and Cojedes. In 1855, the territory was reduced again by separating the cantons of Nirgua and San Carlos to create the Provinces of Yaracuy and Cojedes, leaving it integrated only by the cantons of Valencia, Puerto Cabello, Montalbán and Ocumare.

In 1856, a Law for the Territorial Division of the Republic was passed, establishing that the Province of Carabobo was made up from that moment on of the cantons of Valencia, Puerto Cabello, Montalbán and Ocumare.

In 1864, the territory corresponding to the current State of Cojedes was annexed to the province until 1872.

On April 27, 1881, the National Government reformed the territorial political division of the country (previously divided into provinces) and created the "Federal States", thus conforming the Carabobo State along with the Nirgua section of present-day Yaracuy State.

20th century

Between the end of 1902 and the beginning of 1903, the navies of the British Empire, the German Empire and the Kingdom of Italy blockaded the coasts and ports of Venezuela demanding immediate payment of the debts contracted by Venezuela to the companies of their compatriots. The English battleship Charybdis and the German cruiser Vineta bombard the Puerto Cabello forts.

National naval production began in 1909 with the laying of the keel to the coast guard "29 de enero" in the Puerto Cabello shipyard and dock.

In 1917, the National Government made several adjustments to the boundaries between Aragua and Carabobo.

On December 13, 1933, the Government transferred to the state of Aragua several Turiamo lands that until then belonged to the Carabobo state.

At the time of the death of dictator Juan Vicente Gómez, the state, like all of Venezuela, was primarily agricultural. Numerous state lands were in the possession of friends of Gómez, such as Pimentel.

On March 31, 1941, the crews of several Italian and German ships sheltering in Puerto Cabello set their ships on fire to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Americans. Large fires broke out in the port. Hundreds of those responsible were arrested and interned in prison camps.

At the middle of the 20th century, and aided by oil revenues and the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce of the Carabobo State, the industrialization of Carabobo began. Especially the south and southeast area of Valencia, was chosen for the installation of numerous industries.

The political-territorial division of the Carabobo State in 1985, with 9 Districts and 36 Non-Autonomous Municipalities (Parishes), was the following:

• Bejuma District
• Carlos Arvelo District
• Diego Ibarra District
• Juan José Mora
• Guacara District
• Montalban District
• Puerto Cabello District
• San Joaquín District and
• Valencia

In 1994, the Regional Government executed the Political-Territorial Division Law (Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 494), dividing the Valencia Municipality (former Valencia District) into 5 different autonomous municipalities, increasing the number of municipalities in the Carabobo State to 14 municipalities that remain up to the present.

21st century

Carabobo State had had a high population growth from the thirties of the XX century, but from In 2000, growth accelerated for various reasons, including the arrival of victims from the State of Vargas and an increase in immigration from the countryside and from other South American countries.

After the approval of the National Constituent Assembly proposed by President Nicolás Maduro on July 30, 2017. In the early morning of August 6 of the same year, a group of soldiers stormed the Paramacay Fort in the Naguanagua Municipality. On October 15 of the same year, Rafael Lacava was elected as governor of the Carabobo State. On December 27, 2018, an earthquake of 4.9 on the magnitude scale occurred in the State, with slight damage to the structures.

Geography

Administrative divisions

The Venezuelan state of Carabobo is made up of 14 autonomous municipalities and 38 civil parishes.

Municipalities of Carabobo
Caribbean Sea Aragua Cojedes Falcon Guárico Yaracuy Bejuma Carlos Arvelo Diego Ibarra Guacara Juan José Mora Freedom The Guayos Miranda Montalban Naguanagua Puerto Cabello San Diego San Joaquín Valencia

Geology and relief

Most of Carabobo State —75%— is mountainous and forms part of the Coastal Range. The highest elevations are found throughout the northern part, in the western part of the State and in the southern part of Lake Valencia.

There is a central depression around Lake Valencia and to the south the plains begin.

Valencia Lake

View of the lake of Valencia.

Lake Valencia (also called Lake Tacarigua) is the second most important lake in Venezuela after Lake Maracaibo and is the largest body of fresh water without outlet to the sea (closed lake) in Venezuela and the second largest in South America. It is located in a tectonic pit known as Graben de Valencia, which is located between the Cordillera de la Costa and the Serranía del Interior. The basin is of the endorheic type, and covers 3,150 km² (square kilometers) (0.3% of the country).

This lake is the most important hydrographic phenomenon in the center of the country, it has a maximum length of 30 km (kilometres), a maximum width of 20 km, a maximum depth of 39 m (meters) and an average of 21 m. Currently the lake has an extension of 344 km². Two of the main cities of the country rise on its shores, such as: Valencia and Maracay and other important urban centers such as Mariara, San Joaquín, Güigüe, Guacara and Palo Negro.

Fauna and flora

The animal and plant species of this state are detailed below:

Typical Animal Species

• Birds: Bengali (Sporophila bouvronides), chirulí (Carduelis psaltria), hummingbird, guacharaca (Ortalis ruficauda), picoplata (Ramphocelus carbo)
• Reptiles: green iguanas, cascabel snakes (Crotalus), mapnares (Bothrops atrox), butterfly tigras (Bothrops venezuelensis), swallowed (Boa constrictor), hunter tiger snake (Spilotes pullatus) boa tornasol, boa steel or boa rainbow Colombian (Epicrates maurus), wolf pollero, mato de agua, peni o teyú colombiano (Tupinambis teguixin). There are also crocodiles of the coast (Crocodylus acutus), species today in danger of extinction, which was abundant in times of Alexander von Humboldt.
• Mammals: pecaris or baquires, picures (Dasyprocta punctata), venados, rabipelados (Didelphis marsupialis), pumas (Puma concolor).

Typical plant species

The Carabobo State presents a predominantly tropical vegetation. Among the most typical species are carob trees, apamates, camorucos, mahogany, cedars, guamos, carabobo palm, samanes, among others. On the coast you can find mangroves such as the red Rhizophora mangle, as well as beach grape (Coccoloba uvifera) and coconut palms (Cocos nucifera).

Alexander von Humboldt reported that in 1800 there were still large numbers of howlers in the forests south of Valencia. He also mentioned the presence of alligators ( Caiman crocodilus ) in Lake Valencia, non-existent there today. Already by that time Alexander von Humboldt mentions that the shores of the lake, which had been covered with forests at the time of the beginning of European colonization, were treeless.

Atmosphere

The lake of Valencia, as well as several of the main rivers currently present high levels of contamination. Much of the state's wastewater is discharged unprocessed into these rivers, the lake, and the Caribbean Sea. There are also numerous garbage dumps that do not meet international recycling standards. One of the main dumps is Guásima, in the Tocuyito area, in the Libertador Municipality. The contamination produced by poorly treated garbage in garbage dumps affects the neighboring populations of these sites and the usefulness of the hydrographic resources into which the poisonous waste leaks.

The strong urbanization of the Carabobo State has caused a great loss of ecological resources.

Demographic evolution

Demographic evolution of Carabobo

The State of Carabobo is one of the states of Venezuela with the highest demographic growth. After World War II, there was a strong migration, above all from Europe to Venezuela, and Carabobo became one of the main destinations. On September 2, 1947, the "A" of immigrants to Puerto Cabello. Most came from Germany and Eastern European countries. Subsequently, Italian and Spanish immigrants began to arrive, and not so Portuguese. Starting in the 1970s, most of the immigrants came from other South American countries. The migration of Venezuelans and foreigners to Carabobo and, especially, to the city of Valencia, has been particularly high in recent decades.

Politics and government

The State of Carabobo, as one of the 23 States of Venezuela and on the basis of what is established in the National Constitution of Venezuela of 1999, has its own public powers, which include a governor, advised by a cabinet of secretaries, a general secretary and a prosecutor, a comptroller, its own state police, flag, shield, anthem and a regional parliament called the Legislative Council of 15 members. The basic law at the state level is the Carabobo State Constitution of January 7, 1991. Together with the Carabobo State Public Administration Organization Law of 2005, the Constitution and other national and state laws constitute the basis of the Carabobo legal system..

Executive Branch

It is made up of the Governor of Carabobo State and a group of State Secretaries. The Governor is elected by the people by direct and secret vote for a period of four years and with the possibility of immediate re-election without restriction of periods, being in charge of the state administration.

Legislative Branch

The state legislature falls on the Carabobo State Legislative Council. It is unicameral. Its members are elected by the people by direct and secret vote every four years, and may be re-elected without restriction of periods, in accordance with the provisions of the constitutional amendment of February 14, 2009, under a system of proportional representation of the population. of the State and its municipalities. The Legislative Council's functions are to produce amendments or reforms to the Carabobo State Constitution, sanction laws related to it, approve its budget, appoint or dismiss its comptroller, evaluate the governor's annual report and control the administration bodies and authorize credits. additions, among others.

Currently two groups are represented: Proyecto Venezuela and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The State has 15 deputies, of which 6 belong to PROVE and 9 to the PSUV. The current president of the Legislative Council is Augusto Martínez (PSUV), and the vice president is Blas González (PSUV).

State Police

Carabobo as one of the 23 States of Venezuela and based on what is established in article 164 of the Constitution of Venezuela of 1999 and in the police law issued by the Legislative Council of the state, has its own Autonomous Police Corps and with regional jurisdiction called Carabobo State Police attached to the Secretary of Citizen Security of the Regional Government.

Economy

The Carabobo State is one of the most thriving in Venezuela. Its industry and agricultural production are among the most significant in Venezuela.

Industry

Among the most important industries in the region are food, textiles, galvanizing plants, chemical and petrochemical products, metal-mechanic industry, motor vehicles, fuel, petroleum refining, asphalt, liquefied gas, ceramics, construction, paper, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks.

The main industrial centers of the region are located in the south of the city of Valencia, in Guacara, Los Guayos, Morón and Puerto Cabello.

Venezuelan petrochemicals

Petrochemical Complex Moron

The main petrochemical industry in Venezuela is located in the Carabobo State, specifically on the western coast of the state, (Morón), in the Morón Petrochemical Complex (the largest in the country). The company Petroquímica de Venezuela (Pequiven) is located in this complex, a subsidiary of PDVSA, which is dedicated to the production and marketing of petrochemical products with export capacity, but giving priority to the national market.

The three main products of the business lines in which the corporation is supported, which offers more than 40 petrochemical products to the national and international markets are: Fertilizers, industrial chemical products and olefins and plastic resins.

Its links with important partners in the formation of the joint ventures in which it participates, have facilitated its consolidation and presence in markets in the region, as well as in other parts of the planet.

El Palito Refinery

Side view of the El Palito Refinery from the Morón Autopista - Puerto Cabello.

The El Palito Refinery is one of the largest oil refining complexes in Venezuela. It is located in the Puerto Cabello Municipality, close to the town of El Palito, on the coast of Carabobo State, in Venezuela. It currently has a maximum processing capacity of 140,000 barrels of crude oil per day. This complex, controlled by the company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), supplies fuel and derivatives to the center-west of the country through a multi-pipeline system that supplies the distribution plants El Palito, Yagua and Barquisimeto.

The El Palito Refinery Complex was the first refining complex in Venezuela with electrical self-management and synchronous interconnection with the national electrical system. It is also where the production of unleaded and oxygenated gasoline began for the first time and where catalytic reforming was incorporated for the first time and both the benzene, toluene and ortho-xylene (BTX) plant and the electrostatic precipitator were installed.

Education

The central body dedicated to the management of initial, primary, secondary and university education in the State of Carabobo is the Secretary of Education and Sports of Carabobo. This institute is in charge of some two hundred and sixty-two official schools at different levels and modalities of education.

University of Carabobo

1) FACES Building. 2) FaCyT Computing Building.

It is the main university of the Carabobo State and of the entire Central Region of the country. The University of Carabobo (UC) is one of the most prestigious and important public and autonomous universities in Venezuela, recognized for the quality of the education provided and the excellent performance of its graduates. The Chancellor's Office of the University of Carabobo is located at Av. Bolívar-Norte-Sector Camoruco Viejo; The Auditorium in the Center of Valencia (Parroquia Urbana El Socorro) and some administrative centers are in the Valencia Municipality proper; while the Bárbula University City (the faculties, the general directorates, postgraduate areas, the Bárbula Sports Complex and recreation areas) are located in the Naguanagua Municipality, within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia.

Science and technology

Among the main scientific research centers are FUNDACITE (Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology of the State of Carabobo) and the University of Carabobo, especially the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Culture

Gastronomy

Also in the state, mainly in its capital city (Valencia), there is a lot of foreign influence, for which the daily food of the Carabobeño is not one in specific. As for breakfast, the most common are: arepas, empanadas, cupcakes, croissants, ham bread, little pieces, sandwiches, tequeños, among many more. As for lunch and dinner, they are very varied due to their foreign influences, mostly Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, among other familiar cuisines in the city and the rest of the state.

Similarly, the constant influence of immigrants who have integrated into Valencian society has led to foods originating from other geographical areas sharing the table with local foods, including choripán, hot dogs, s, the shawarma, and churros. The drinks also had their origin in other latitudes, leading to the local consumption of chicha, cocada and cold tea, among many other drinks that are consumed in the city.

Sports

Among the most followed sports in the Carabobo State are baseball, soccer and basketball, having the first sport as the one with the most local fans and the second with the largest number of practitioners of All ages.

In terms of competition, the city is also one of the locations with the greatest representation of athletes in national level competitions, thus leaving the Carabobo State as 10 times champion of the national games of Venezuela, of which 9 have been consecutively.

The local professional baseball team, Los Navegantes del Magallanes. Originally the team was founded under the name of "Magallanes de Catia" in the city of Caracas, later becoming the flagship team of the town. It is consecrated as the oldest sports institution in Venezuela.

In soccer, the state capital has four (4) teams registered in the different tournaments organized by the Venezuelan Soccer Federation, among which are the Carabobo Fútbol Club and the Puerto Cabello Academy, both from the Venezuelan First Division, the CIV Valencia and the Valencia Sport Club of the Second Division "B".

In basketball, it has the team of the Professional Basketball League of Venezuela, representatives of the Carabobo State, the Trotamundos de Carabobo

Services

The city of Valencia is home to numerous banks, shopping centers and other services. San Diego Municipality also attracts numerous service businesses. Carabobo in general also has a certain tourism industry, although tourism is, up to now, mainly of a national nature.

Tourism

North view of the municipalities Valencia, San Diego and Naguanagua of the city

One of the main economic contributions of the Carabobo State is tourism, since it is the owner of various natural beauties, ranging from beaches, mountains, historical sites, among others.

Roads of communication and transportation

The Carabobo State is connected to the rest of the country through a network of highways and highways maintained by the National Government and INVIAL. Due to calculation problems regarding the speed of population growth and the lack of a project for the development of the city of Valencia in the long term, both the streets and the highways and main avenues throughout the state are constantly congested. The Carabobeños, to find out the state of traffic on the Autopista Regional del Centro (ARC) that connects Valencia with other cities, listen to the radio station Victoria FM 103.9 and read the reports of the passers-by themselves on social networks, such as Twitter. The city has various cameras at different points on its road sections, especially on the main avenues and highways of the town, and these videos can be seen through the website of El Carabobeño, one of the main newspapers in the city.

National Railway System

Currently, the railway section that will link the city of Valencia with Maracay and Caracas is under construction. The central section Ezequiel Zamora II (Puerto Cabello - La Encrucijada) of the National Railway System is the fundamental axis of the system, designed for passengers and cargo. This provides an interconnection between the state capital (Valencia) and the East Industrial Axis, and in turn with Puerto Cabello. In this way, the Metropolitan Area of Valencia is consolidated and extended towards the most populated urban axes of the State; and the cohesion on a larger scale of all the urban areas of the Central Region. In Carabobo, the section has 6 stations: Puerto Cabello, Naguanagua, San Diego, Guacara, San Joaquín, Mariara and an interport in San Diego.

There is currently a freight train line with little traffic from the West (starting from Barquisimeto) to Puerto Cabello. This railway and its stations are being rehabilitated as part of the Simón Bolívar Central Western Section (Passenger and Cargo), from Puerto Cabello to San Felipe (Yaracuy), Barquisimeto (Lara), Acarigua and Turén (Portuguesa).

Superficial public transport

Public transportation is mostly made up of small buses and buses belonging to cooperatives or institutes attached to municipalities. Said public transport system is quite criticized due to the constant violations of traffic regulations and for not respecting the areas designated for the entry or discharge of passengers. The TransCarabobo Mass Transportation System is currently available with several routes throughout the city.

In order to find a solution to this problem, in conjunction with the completion of the second section of line 1 of the Valencia Metro (Av. Bolívar Norte stage) it is planned to introduce a Metrobús system to complement the transport network Superficial connecting various areas of the city with the Valencia metro stations. It is also an automotive industrial zone, where the American assemblers Ford and Chevrolet are located, among other brands. There is also the encava bus factory.

TransCarabobo

The Carabobo Mass Transportation System or simply TransCarabobo, is a mass transportation system of the Carabobo State in Venezuela, especially in the cities of Valencia, Guacara, Puerto Cabello and Naguanagua. It is BRT type. It was inaugurated on July 11, 2014 in the hands of the Government of President Nicolás Maduro as part of the Transportation Mission, it began operating the same day with two routes only in the city of Valencia. Later, new routes were added in the cities of Guacara, Puerto Cabello and Naguanagua.

TransCarabobo has a central station located adjacent to the Parque Recreacional del Sur, where the units and workshops yard is located and from where the two trunk lines depart. By April 2015, new routes will be activated in the municipalities of Carlos Arvelo, Los Guayos, Diego Ibarra and Libertador.

Interstate Public Transportation

Bus services to other cities are carried out from the Big Low Center Bus Terminal, located in the Municipality of San Diego to the east of the city of Valencia. All the buses to the main cities of the country depart from this terminal, such as Caracas, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Puerto Cabello, Maracay, Ciudad Bolívar, Maturín, Puerto La Cruz, Barcelona, Puerto Ordaz, Coro, Mérida, San Cristóbal, Punto Fijo, Tucacas, Chichiriviche, San Carlos, Los Teques, Barinas, San Juan de los Morros, Guanare, among others

Currently, a new and modern passenger land terminal is being built, the Valencia Metropolitan Terminal, or also called the San Diego Tourist Terminal, located in the Castillito Industrial Zone right in front of the current Big Low Center Terminal. This will be one of the largest and most modern land passenger terminals in Venezuela, it will have hotel services, food fairs, a shopping center, among other things, and it is estimated that it will be completed by 2016.

Water transportation

The State of Carabobo has the largest and most important port in Venezuela, Puerto Cabello. Historically, it has been one of the most important since the colonial era, due to its location and natural characteristics, since the beginning of the 21st century, driven by the growing industrial development of the Carabobo State.

Currently, Lake Valencia only has terminals and boats for private use.

Cardinal points

Northwest: Yaracuy State / Falcon State	North: Caribbean Sea	Northeast: Caribbean Sea / Aragua State
West: Yaracuy State		This: Aragua State
Southwest: Cojedes State	South: Cojedes State / Government	Sureste: Government