Monagas State

Monagas is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, make up the territory of Venezuela. Its capital is Maturín and also its most populated city.

It is located in the northeastern region of the country, bordered to the north by Sucre, to the northeast by the Gulf of Paria (Atlantic Ocean), to the east by the state of Delta Amacuro, to the south by the state of Bolívar, and to the west by the state Anzoátegui. With 28,900 km² it is the ninth largest state and with 1,216,159 inhabitants in 2022, the ninth most populous.

It has 13 autonomous municipalities and 43 civil parishes. Its main cities are Maturín, Punta de Mata, Caripe, Caripito and Temblador. The state owes its name to Judas Tadeo, José Gregorio and José Ruperto Monagas, the three presidents of Venezuela during the XIX century.

Aboriginals of the Warao ethnic group in the Rio Morichal Largo.

History

Pre-colonial period

It dates back to the settlement of the territory by aborigines of different ethnic groups hundreds of years ago, among which we can mention the Waraos and Kariña ethnic groups, where they were accentuated mainly in the Orinoco Delta and the Chaima Indians in the north of the State. The first aborigines to make a presence in the northern part of the region were the Chaima Indians, belonging to the Capaya tribe. The Capuchin missionary Fray Gerónimo de Muro, with the help of Carib, Cuaca and Chaima Indians, founded the town of San Antonio de Maturín on August 7, 1713, which is currently San Antonio de Capayacuar.

Although the settlement of the territory was slow, archaeological excavations and comments by chroniclers of the Indies point to the existence of a well-developed village in Barrancas in the year 1530, when the Conquistador Diego de Ordaz passed through the area in search of El Dorado. Also in the 16th century missionaries reached the highlands and slowly Christianization and re-education of the Indians spread south; they thus adapted to a more sedentary life.

In the place where Barrancas is located today, archaeological objects and utensils have been found that belonged to the so-called Barrancoide culture and Saladoide culture, of which the oldest have been dated 1000 years before the Christian era. The archaeological evidence that has been found (and is still being found) has allowed us to establish that Barrancas has been continuously inhabited at least since the XI of our era, which makes it the oldest town in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the American continent.

Spanish Colonization

Diego de Ordaz, a Spanish explorer obsessed with finding the legendary site of El Dorado, arrived in the village in August 1531 after going up the Orinoco River through the Caño Manamo. Impressed by its number of inhabitants —which he estimated at "more than 400 bohíos"— he decided to descend and meet personally with the cacique "Naricagua", lord of his territories, whose name is from the river "Uyapari" 3. 4; was associated with the town. The chronicler Juan de Castellanos, in his famous Elegías de hombres illustrious de Indias, describes it as a "powerful town with a large crowd that was placed on the ravines by the Cacique of Uyapari lordship"

San Antonio de Capayacuar was founded on August 7, 1713 by the Capuchin missionary Fray Gerónimo de Muro with the help of Carib, Cuaca and Chaima Indians.

On April 20, 1731, the Aragonese fray Antonio de Blesa founded Santo Domingo de Guzmán de Caycuar. The area was inhabited by chaimas and outcasts when the Capuchin missionaries arrived. This settlement would later be called Caicara de Maturín.

A Catholic mission of Chaima Indians with the Capuchin missionary Pedro de Gelsa, founded the town of San Miguel Arcángel de Caripe on October 12, 1734, which would later become Caripe.

Maturín was founded on December 7, 1760 by the Capuchin friar Lucas de Zaragoza.

The territory where Aguasay is currently located was founded in 1769 by Friar Manuel de La Mata.

Uracoa was founded in 1784 by Friar José de Manzanera. In 1799 the German geographer Alejandro de Humboldt and the French Aimeé Bonpland visited Caripe as part of their trip through Venezuela. Other famous explorers who toured the area were the Italian Agustín Codazzi (1835) and the German Ferdinand Bellermann (1843).

19th and 20th centuries

In 1856 the province of Maturín was created, separated from that of Cumaná. By 1864 the Maturín State was ratified. But in 1879, Monagas was annexed to the State of Oriente and, from 1891 to 1898, it belonged to the State of Bermúdez.

In 1904, Maturín became the capital of the Monagas district of Bermúdez State, whose capital was Cumaná. For a long time, Monagas was an extremely poor state. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the plains and swamps to the north of the Orinoco, under the rule of the Caribs, made alliances with the French and Dutch as a policy of tenacious resistance against Spanish domination. In ancient maps these lands are called Caribana, kingdom of the Caribs.

In 1909 the State of Monagas was created with its current limits. In honor of General José Tadeo Monagas. In 1924, the Standard Oil Company began oil exploration activities in the Caripito area, which experienced a slight repopulation. With the blowout of the Moneb No. 1 well, in the Quiriquire field in 1928, oil exploitation began and the area achieved an important boost in its urban development due to the arrival of migrant labor, particularly from the Caribbean islands.

In 1929, the Standard Oil Company began to build the storage yard and the deep-water dock on the San Juan River and on October 15, 1930, the tanker Creole Bueno left the port of Caripito with 20,000 barrels of oil with destination to Trinidad.

In 1935, the Caripito aquatic terminal located on the San Juan River was inaugurated, where S-42 seaplanes from the Pan American Airways company arrived, which included it on the Central American and Caribbean route.

In 1936, the international airport of Caripito was selected by the famous aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan as the second stopover on their trip around the world, staying overnight at the facilities of the Standard Oil Company. The event was widely publicized in the world press and the company provided logistical support to continue the flight through South America.

On November 15, 1940, the city of Punta de Mata was founded. On December 28 of that same year, the first oil well was drilled in that area, in addition, the Monagas Legislative Assembly considered the convenience of creating the Bolívar District and integrated the Punceres and Colón municipalities into its territory, designating Caripito as the capital., according to the decree of January 19, 1940, signed by Governor José María Isava on January 30 of the same year.

Under the direction of the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana, several hectares of Caribbean pine were planted between Barrancas and the nearby town of Uverito, an activity that notably promoted the development of the area; towards the 1970s it was the most important population and port in the Monagas state, mainly due to the lack of land road connection to the main nearby cities, such as Tucupita (Delta Amacuro) and Puerto Ordaz (Bolívar State), although today it continues being an important center for the collection of merchandise and passengers to those cities.

In 1976 Creole's assets are nationalized and are managed by Lagoven, later by Corpoven and now by PDVSA in association with Repsol. By closing the refinery in 1976 and the oil terminal in 2002, an attempt was made to promote agricultural activity to take advantage of the fertile areas by growing cocoa, pepper, Chinese ocumo, white ocumo and cassava.

The newspaper El Oriental was founded in 1982 in the city of Maturín. On August 20, 1983, the State Legislative Assembly declared the creation of the Municipal Council of the Libertador Municipality, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of Territorial Political Division of the Monagas State, allowing the creation of the Libertador municipality. Since 1989, with the administrative reforms that were approved for the entire country, the state of Monagas directly and secretly elected its own governor and Legislative Assembly (called the Legislative Council since 2000) for the first time.

As a result of the coronavirus disease pandemic in the world, in the State of Monagas the first case was confirmed on March 21, 2020 in the city of Maturín. As a preventive measure, a social quarantine was forced throughout the state and the reduction of working hours in the most populated localities.

Nicola Maduro announced Yelitza Santaella as Minister of Education and Cosme Arzolay was assigned as Governor of Monagas State, on August 24, 2021. In September, Arzolay made changes in his cabinet, intervening the Secretaries of Public Management, Planning and development, Gasmaca, Regional Health Directorate, Aguas de Monagas and Communications Directorate. In December, Ernesto Luna was elected as governor of the Monagas State for the period 2021-2025.

Geography

The Monagas state has an area of 28,900 square kilometers, which represents 3.15% of the total area of Venezuela, in size it is equivalent to countries like Armenia or Albania. The Delta de Monagas is where the waters of the Orinoco River converge with access to the Atlantic Ocean, the intricate jungle is swampy, home to fauna and more than 450 species of birds.

About the Caripito River, Monagas

Political-territorial division

Monagas State is divided into 13 municipalities and 37 parishes.

Municipality Acosta

Municipalities of Monagas
Atlantic Ocean Anzoátegui DeltaAmacuro Sucre Caripe Acosta Cedeño Piar Punceres Bolívar Maturlin Aguasay E. Z. Barbara Freedom Uracoa Sotillo

Hydrography

Guamo reservoir in Monagas

It has an extensive hydrographic network with a fairly uniform geographical distribution, highlighting the Guarapiche River in the area of the tables. The rivers are numerous and shallow, marking the end of the foothills in which three fluvial basins running north-south are located: the Amana-Areo, Guarapiche, Púnceres-Aragua rivers. From west to east the Tácata, Tonoro, Caris, Guanipa and El Tigre rivers cross the state. Monagas State has a large number of moderate rivers and streams, among the main ones are;

• Guarapiche.
• Mapirito.
• Tigre River.
• Morichal Largo.
• St. John.

Relief

The terrestrial relief in Monagas is very diverse, guarded by the Serrania del Turimiquire up to the southern plains. One of the highest points is Cerro Negro, located in Sabana de Piedra, Caripe Municipality. The mountain landscape presents a geological material of Cretaceous age, made up exclusively of sedimentary rocks, predominantly sandstone, shales and limestone, the main geological formations being: El Cantil, Barranquín, Guayuta and Querecual; It has elevations between 400 and 2,300 meters above sea level, with important valleys and depressions.

Rio Morichal Largo, Monagas State

Climate

Dominated by a rainy tropical climate with some local variations that respond to various factors such as altitude, wind and proximity to the sea. Most of the state, in the southern strip, has a savannah climate with dry seasons that can last up to six months, which produces severe water shortages. The average annual temperature of Monagas is approximately 33 °C. In Maturín, Temblador and Uverito, average temperatures between 32° and 34 °C are recorded.

Wildlife

Among the diversity of fauna that the Monagas State has, the Guacharo, an endemic bird from the cave with the same name in the Caripe municipality, stands out. Other animals include those mentioned in the Red Book of Venezuelan Fauna:

Mammals

• Older Suction Cup (Thyroptera lavali), it is located south of the state and by the river Morichal Largo.
• CunaguaroLeopardus pardalis).
• Water dog (Pteronura brasiliensis).
• Danta (Tapirus terrestris).

Birds

• Anguilla arpía (Anguilla arpía)Harpia harpyja), is located near the river Guarapiche.
• Colibrí coludo de Caripe (Aglaiocercus berlepschi), endemic bird of Venezuela.
• Fafao gargantiblancoPremnoplex tatei).
• Chiví cabecigris (Basileuterus griseiceps).
• Caripe catches (Phyllomyias urichi).

Reptiles

• Tortuga arrau (Podocnemis expanse).

Invertebrates

• Blind Cave of the Guácharo (Blind Cave of the Guácharo)Neotropospeonella decui).

Flora and vegetation

Monagas State has a very wide biodiversity compared to other states of Venezuela. More than 2,000 species of vascular flora have been cataloged within the Monaguense territory. The most symbolic tree of the state is the Moriche, which is located mainly along the Morichal Largo river, despite being a species that abounds in the Morichal river Largo, the Red Book of the Venezuelan Flora of 2003, has cataloged the moriche palm as vulnerable. The dominant vegetation in the north of the Monagas state is the humid forest, like the one found in the mountainous area of the San Juan River valley and the Acosta and Caripe municipalities. In these cold areas, it is possible to grow temperate plants such as strawberries and roses. However, in the flat regions, towards the south-east of the state, an intertropical savannah vegetation dominates, such as thorny scrub, grasslands, cujíes or cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and other varieties that have adapted to the conditions of the state, such as the Ceiba, jobo, Caribbean pine, jabillo and carob. Another variation of the vegetation present in the Monagas state can be found along the banks of the main rivers, where extensive forests of mangroves, palms and morichales have formed.

Beach in a river of Monagas

Protected areas

The Cueva del Guácharo National Park was created in May 1975 by the Venezuelan government to protect the ecosystem that surrounds the Cueva del Guacharo. The park has an area of 155 square kilometers and covers the mountainous areas of the municipalities of Acosta and Caripe in the state of Monagas and the municipality of Ribero in the state of Sucre.

The Alejandro de Humboldt National Monument can be located inside El Guácharo Park. This national monument was created in 1949 to protect the Cueva del Guácharo. This national monument is named after the German explorer Alejandro de Humboldt, who visited the Guácharo cave in 1799.

Another protected area is the Guarapiche Forest Reserve, which protects the forests located on the banks of the Guarapiche and San Juan rivers.

Demographics

According to the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, in the National Population Census carried out in 2011, the Monagas State has a population of 905,443 people and the distribution by sex of this population is 51.5% men and 48.5% women.

The Municipality of Maturín has more than half of the population. Since the decade of the 1920s, the state has experienced a great demographic increase, as a consequence of the oil activity.

The most populated cities are: Maturín (514,046 inhabitants), Punta de Mata (69,000 inhabitants), Caripe (37,350 inhabitants), Caripito (52,000 inhabitants) and Temblador (36,000 inhabitants).

Within Monagas State, four ethnic groups of aboriginal peoples can be found, such as the Warao, Kariñas, Chaimas and Eñepas.

Foreigners also live in Monagas, mainly Lebanese, Syrians, Colombians, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and Italians.

Economy

I would win in the Monagas State.

Monagas has oil deposits (Maturín, Ezequiel Zamora and Libertador municipalities). Part of the Orinoco Belt lies to the south. As a result of oil activity; Construction, financial activity and the service sector have rebounded notably, especially in Maturín.

Coffee (Caripe and Acosta municipalities), sugar cane, cocoa (Bolívar municipality), sweet potatoes, tobacco, cassava, yams, corn, sorghum, among other cereals, are grown in Monagas. 2023, it is estimated 15 billion kilos of yellow corn for the processing of precooked cornmeal and concentrated feed for animals. Bovine farming registers significant figures, as well as logging and has invested in pig farming. In the state there are plantations of African palm. Limestone deposits are found in the El Cantil formation.

On the other hand, the economic activity of Aquaculture in the sectors of Los Pozos de Guanipa and Las Puerticas is presented with minimal relevance.

It has liquor industries such as Alcoholes y Añejos Monagas and Industrias Bravo & cia. Also in the dairy area such as La Bufalita.

Forestry industry

Monagas State has the largest artificial forest in the world, located in Uverito, Libertador Municipality. It has at least 500,000 hectares of planted trees, with mostly Caribbean pine species, also acacia mangium and eucalyptus. The companies present in this forestry sector are Madera Orinoco and Madera Venezuela and Turkey (Mavetur), with the capacity to extract reduced wood in chips, particles and wood flakes, to generate products such as cellulose, particle board and fibers, bioenergy.

Notable companies

The main company in Monagas State is PDVSA and its different associates such as PDVSA-Gas.

Infrastructure

Health

The main health center of the Monagas State is the Manuel Nuñez Tovar Hospital, which is located in the city of Maturín.

Security

In a large part of Monagas State, there is a military presence, state police and criminal investigation entities. The police are often known as polimonagas.

Jails

The main prison in Monagas State is located in the Maturín municipality, in the La Pica parish, which is also called La Pica prison.

Transportation

Air transportation

The main airport for the entire Monagas State is the José Tadeo Monagas International Airport, flights are made mainly to Caracas and Margarita Island. Internationally, flights were made to Trinidad and Tobago.

Education

Universities

Monagas has several public and private universities and higher education institutes that offer careers in different sectors and types.

Aguasay

• UNEFA

Caripe

• Open National University (UNA, Caripe Support Unit).

Church of the Holy Angel Custodian in Caripe.

Caripito

• Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Caripito.
• Universidad Politécnica Territorial del Norte de Monagas "Ludovico Silva".
• Universidad Nacional Abierta (Unidad de apoyo Caripito).
• Universidad Simón Rodríguez (Unidad de apoyo Caripito).
• Bolivarian University of Venezuela (Unidad de Apoyo Caripito).
• Escuela de Chocolatería y Negocios Agueda de Méndez.

Maturin

• Universidad Nacional Experimental Rómulo Gallegos (UNERG) — Nucleo de Monagas, aimed at health science. It is located in the parish of Las Cocuizas of the city of Maturín. Since 2020 it offers professorships of Medicine, Physiotherapy and Nursing. In 2022, he incorporated Psychology, Radiodiagnosis, Nutrition and Dietetics, Cytotechnology and Dentistry.
• Instituto Universitario Politécnico Santiago Mariño (IUPSM) — Maturín Extension.
• University of the East (UDO) — Nucleus of Monagas.
• Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho (UGMA) — Nucleo Maturín.
• Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Industrial Rodolfo Loero Arismendi (IUTIRLA) — Headquarters Maturín.
• Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (UNESR) — Maturín Extension.
• Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UBV) — Nucleus de Monagas.
• Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (UPEL) — Maturin Extension // Pedagogical Institute of Maturin - (IPM).
• University Institute of Technology Venezuela (IUTV) — Maturín Headquarters.
• Open National University (UNA).
• Universidad Católica Cecilio Acosta (UNICA) (distance studies).
• University of Margarita (UNIMAR) (postgraduate courses are studied there).
• Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Seguridad (UNES - Centro de Formación Monagas).

Punta de Mata

• Universidad Nacional Abierta (Unidad de apoyo Punta de Mata).
• Universidad Politécnica Territorial del Norte de Monagas "Ludovico Silva" — Punta de Mata Headquarters.
• Instituto Militar Universitario de Tecnología de la Guardia Nacional.
• Sucre Mission - UBV

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• UNEFA

San Antonio

• Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (Núcleo Rural del Instituto Pedagógico de Maturín). The Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador was created on 28 July 1983, by Decree No. 2176 of President Campins. The public pedagogical institutes in Venezuela (Barquisimeto, Caracas, Maracay and Maturín), which operated autonomously, were integrated into UPEL as its cores by Resolution No. 22 of January 28, 1988.

Trembling

• Universidad Nacional Abierta (Unidad de Apoyo Temblador).
• Universidad Territorial Deltaica Francisco Tamayo (Núcleo Temblador).

Sotillo

• Universidad Territorial Deltaica Francisco Tamayo (Núcleo Barrancas).

Uracoa

• Universidad Territorial Deltaica Francisco Tamayo (Núcleo Uracoa).

Culture

Carnival is a celebration that takes place in most of the municipalities of the Monagas State, Maturín being one of the most prominent. It usually begins with the act for the election of the carnival queen. Subsequently, a parade is held through the center of the city with individual costumes, troupes and floats made by the communities, educational institutions, public organizations and private companies. The floats have the tradition of throwing candies to the public present. In Maturin, after the parade there are musical shows at the local sports complex.

House of Culture Prof. Inicita Aceituno

The Festival of the Virgen del Valle is celebrated in the month of September. Processions with the image of the Virgen del Valle are held in various areas of the city.

The San Simón Fair is held to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the city. It takes place in the first week of December. There are shows such as dances, a food expo, an exhibition of riding horses, tailing, presentations of musical groups, agricultural and craft exhibitions. It takes place at the Chucho Palacios Fair Complex. It bears the name of San Simón in honor of Simón el Zelote, patron saint of Maturín.

The burning of Judas, this event takes place on resurrection Sundays, where a doll is set on fire. In recent years these dolls have been personalized by contemporary politicians.

The snake of ipure is a typical dance of San Antonio de Capayacuar and spread in the Monagas State, where girls or women dressed generally in yellow and black, dance in the form of the movement of a snake.

The town of Aguasay is famous for its fabric that is made from a plant that is grown in that town called Curagua. On December 2, 2015, the fiber and fabric of the Curagua of Venezuela was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO at its annual meeting, held in Windhoek.

The Baile del Toro de Genarito consists of a party made up of several pairs of dancers, a bull, a veterinarian, a nurse, a bullfighter and musicians. The song of the Bull of Genarito is interpreted by Juliocesar Aguilera Simoza, a native of the town of Aguasay.

The Monkey Dance is a dance of indigenous origin, in which people hold each other by the waist, one behind the other, and form lines. Guided by someone dressed as a monkey, the participants travel through the streets in the manner of a human train to the Plaza del Mono. Previously, most of the dancers darken their faces with indigo and soot and dye their clothes in colors. It is also played with water, paint, flour, blue and soot as a carnival. Then "El Mono" He invites those present to join the ritual, if they do not do so, he will give light lashes to whoever refuses. It is celebrated annually every December 28.

The Dance of the shaker, was performed for the first time on November 15, 1989. It consists of dancing with a shaker (fish found in the rivers closest to the municipality) made of cardboard and cloth, inside it are three people and around him three couples. The instruments used for this dance are bandolin, cuatro, drum and maracas.

Festivities

• The Monkey Dance.
• Carnival of Maturín.
• Saint Simon International Fair.
• Fiestas Patronales de Barrancas del Orinoco.
• Feast of the Virgin of the Valley.
• Fiestas de San Antonio de Capayacuar.
• Monumental Living Holy Week of Caripito
• Sport Fishing Tournament Gold Basle in Caripito
• Fiestas de San Miguel Arcángel (guanaguana)
• typical dances
• Feast of Saint Augustine

Crafts

Moriche Chinchorro

This art consists of carefully weaving the fiber of the moriche palm, once salcochada and spun, this fiber is tied to special sticks and woven together, giving it the shape of a sheet, which when placing the cabulleras at its ends, takes hammock shape.

Sangrito

This name is due to the fact that the raw material used to make this craft is extracted from the roots of a tree that bears his name because when its root is cut it tends to bleed; It is easy to mold as it is a very soft and light wood. This material is used by the Warao Indians to mold figures of animals that inhabit the jungles and rivers that they frequent.

Warao crafts

Elaborated by the Warao indigenous people, depending on the use that is given to the object, without detaching itself from the work element. The raw material is vegetable fibers, mostly moriche and sangrito wood, with which they carve figures, animals, they also make necklaces with peonies, zamuro seed and tears of San Pedro, among other materials. In addition, they are manufacturers of harpoons, buoys, shields, arrows, sails, roofs, ropes, posts and bridges. Warao crafts reflect their organizational idiosyncrasies, as well as their magical world: nature, spirit, man.

Ravine crafts

Its main material is clayey mud, which after its molding is baked and painted, making figures such as: dolls, vases, house facades, among others. Finally it is sold, finding it in different areas of the State.

Gastronomy

The gastronomy of the Monagas State is based on tubers and vegetables grown in the land and river fish,,,,. Much of the autochthonous cuisine of the state arose in the colonial era. It has also been influenced by presenting typical Venezuelan dishes. The most representative dishes are:

• Casabe: Its origin arises in the pre-Hispanic period made by indigenous people, it is served as a companion, it has a very thin bread shape made from yuca or mandioca.
• Sancocho de cangrejo de río.
• Guaraguara Sancocho: Soup made from guaraguara (a type of river fish, also called "corroncho"), vegetables and sweet pepper.
• Sancocho de busco: Soup made with river fish, vegetables and sweet pepper.
• Burrera Cachapa: cake made from tender corn, sugar and a salt point.
• Mango face: drink prepared from green mango sancochado. It is extracted from the pulp and is used with water and sugar.
• Candy: sold in the population of El Corozo.
• Jojoto Torta: it is made from corn.
• Mazamorra: dessert made from tender corn.
• Banana balls: spherical accompaniment made from green plantain previously boiled and crushed.

The empanadas, the scraped or pilada arepa, the hand cheese, the cachapa, the mondongo, the Creole pabellón, the salted fish (accompanied with sweet potato or Chinese ocumo) and the guava jelly are also typical dishes of Monagas.

Status symbols

Flag of the Monagas State.

Monagas State Flag

It was created by Julio César Adrián, on July 10, 2002.

The Meaning of the shapes and colors included in the Flag is the following:

• Sky Blue: Represents the sky.
• Stars: 13 rounding the image of Juana la Avanzadora represent the 13 municipalities and the big star in the center identifies the Municipality Capital.
• Green: It represents soils, crops, mountains, forests and plains.
• Black: Represents oil.
• The sun: It represents the aura, life and strength of the people and its seven tips symbolize the 7 original districts that gave way to the 13 current municipality. The black arch within the sun represents the weapons of our indigenous people. The Sun is born in the middle of the central strip (green) and its maximum height reaches the top edge of the first strip.
• Marine Blue: Represéntale Delta, Ríos, Lagos and Embalses.
• Image: The image of Juana Ramírez La Avanzadora which represents the heroism of the Monaguense woman.

Daggers: The daggers that intersect at the bottom of the image of Juana La Avanzadora represent the brothers José Tadeo Monagas and José Gregorio Monagas, both heroes of the Republic. The stripes occupy the bottom 30% of the separation between them is half the diameter of each stripe.

Shield of the Monagas State.

Shield

The coat of arms of the Monagas State is divided into two quarters: in the upper one, in a green field, you can see a plow, a rake and a sickle, which are intertwined with a bundle of ears, attributes of agriculture; and in the lower quarter, on the green field that represents the plain, and a blue background cut by the horizon, appears, in the shadow of a corpulent tree, a bull symbolizing the calf, and in the distance a galley of hills. A silver bar diagonally crosses both barracks, and it reads: "He resisted with courage." The extremities of four rifles placed in a flag, appear holding the Shield, and between the bayonets of these a horse's head turned to the right of the Shield. Below and between the lower part of the rifles, there is a red and black ribbon, representative of the war to the death, and in it a broken key symbolizing that their capital was forced, but never surrendered. As an ornament they appear on the flanks of the Shield, between crossed by their feet, a llanera palm and a sugar cane stem.

Religion

The predominant religion of this state is Christianity. Catholicism is the Christian branch that has the largest number of followers. It is the consequence of the evangelization carried out by Catholic missionaries, such as the Franciscans, in the 17th and 18th centuries. The capital, Maturín, has been the seat of a Catholic diocese since 1958.

On the other hand, the mixture of Catholic rites with the rites of other religions such as indigenous and Yoruba is common in part of the population.

Some Protestant churches have been established in different towns of the state. They include Pentecostals, Lutherans, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The Anglicans have a church in the Caripe area.

Islam is practiced by some immigrants from Arab countries, it is also possible to find followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, metaphysics and other beliefs in Maturín.

Tourism

Cerro Negro, Estado Monagas

Natural heritage

• The most important natural heritage of the Monagas State is the Cueva del Guacharo National Park in the municipality of Caripe, visited by nations and foreigners.
• Puertas de Miraflores: also called Puertas del Guarapiche, is a gorge or canyon where the river Guarapiche is born. It consists of two rocky walls of 100 meters high.
• El Guamo dam: contains the waters of the Guarapiche, Colorado, Cocollar and others. It is built on the ruins of the towns of San Francisco, Cachimbo and Colorado. He's got a park.
• Balneario de Miraflores: its waters come from the river Guarapiche and have temperatures ranging from 18 °C to 26 °C. It has a road that leads the traveler to the Doors of Miraflores.
• Balneario La Bomba de Caripito en el sector La Tubería.
• Balneario Río Selva, spectacular natural space of crystal clear waters assorted by the waters of the rivers Tabasca and Uracoa. Located in the town of Tabasca, it has accommodation facilities, bathrooms, air conditioning, restaurant, swimming pool with natural water of murichales, kiosks with parrillas and dressing rooms.
• Poza de Azufre: Located in the Los Morros Sector. This busy space suitable for the tourism of Health for the healing properties contained in the poza, formed by the outbreak of groundwater with a high content of copper and sulfur. It has a temperature of approximately 69 degrees Celsius.
• Cascada el Nazareno: In the middle of a lush tropical forest, a spectacular waterfall of more than 50 meters high is hidden on a huge rock, it is a beautiful landscape not known for its access to extreme adventure, this natural paradise is located in the sector Las Parcelas. He is also known as the Nazarene Pot.
• Rio Morichal Largo, consists of deltaic plains and forests of galleries that border their margins. The predominant plant species in this wet forest is the moriche tree, whose roots penetrate deep into the groundwater reserves, giving origin to the springs that feed the flow of the rivers of the region. Throughout the tributary, animals such as parrots, guacamayas, bakers, manatees, laps, dants, river dolphins, toninas and babas can be seen. It was decreed in 2011 as Reserve of Fauna and covers an area of 129,700 hectares.
• Yagrumito volcano: it is a mud volcano located 6 km southeast of the city of Maturín, it is about 2 or 3 m of relative height and occupies about 2000 m2 (including mud ponds and barrizals without vegetation) although the cone should not pass only about 400 m2. The crater opening has about 50 cm in diameter.
• Playa El Santo: On the shores of the Gulf of Paria there is a practically unspoilt beach of difficult access (it is reached only by river from Caripito through the river San Juan).
• The El Chorrerón Cascade is a 120-metre-high waterfall.
• Cerro Negro, mountain of 2,280 meters.

Built heritage

Cathedral of Maturín

• Cathedral of Our Lady of Carmen: Romanesque Catholic temple. It is between Bolivar Avenue and Monagas Street. Inaugurated in 1981, Our Lady of Carmen Cathedral is considered one of the most modern cathedrals in Latin America. It has nice windows that adorn its interior.
• Church Saint Simon of Maturin: it is the oldest Catholic temple in Maturin. It was built between 1884 and 1887. It is neo-gothic style, with ojiva-shaped arches. It has a central tower on the facade. He's on Red Street, in front of Bolivar Square.
• Church of San Francisco de Guayareguar: located near the El Guamo Dam.
• Williams H. Phelps Public Library: opened on September 5, 1948. It was built and donated by William H. Phelps Sr.6
• Mural of the San Antonio de Capayacuar Foundation: erected in 1987. It is located at the entrance of San Antonio.
• Church of San Antonio de Padua de San Antonio de Maturín.
• The Playon - Community "Culantrillar" Parish San Antonio (Acosta)
• Sacred Heart Church of Jesus of Caripito: it is the main Catholic temple of the place was built in 1936.
• Casa de la Cultura Juvenal Ravelo de Caripito: is a house of culture inaugurated in 1974. It has an auditorium, exhibition room, dressing room, conference room, library, multiple-use rooms and an internal recreational plaza. It is in the sector El Bajo, Avenue Boyacá. This is called in honor of Juvenal Ravelo, native plastic artist of Caripito.
• Monument to the Nazarene: built in 2.05 with cement, gangs, galvanized steel meshes, by sculptor Jesús David Martínez. It consists of an image of the Nazarene, 20 meters high, which carries its cross to the slope and dressed in a golden tunic.
• Caripito religious museum: it houses images of natural size and other religious objects.
• Hacienda Sarrapial: typical case of the time of the agrarian Venezuela. It is the seat of the Monaguense Corporation of Tourism. Located at Alirio Ugarte Pelayo Avenue, Boquerón High.
• Uyapari Museum: Anthropological Museum founded in 1984, on the former headquarters of the Uriapara National School, opposite Bolivar Square. It is the most important center of diffusion of the barncoid culture, the oldest in Venezuela, highlighting the scientific works for the rescue of the archaeological heritage, such as the production of replicas of original pieces barrancoides.
• Church of San Rafael Arcángel de (Barrancas del Orinoco): Catholic temple originally held in bahareque in 1790 by Fray Joaquín de Morata. It was rebuilt in 1931 with cement structure and in 1984 is the subject of an expansion process that culminated in 1987. The original facade was maintained, although reinforced to accommodate a capacity of 3000 people.

Beaches

Monagas state has a small coastal strip with the sea, which has beaches. The drawback is the access to the beaches, since only river life is allowed to be transported along the San Juan River from Caripito.

Sports

Monumental Stadium of Maturin.

Club	League	Stadium	Founded	Titles
Monagas Sport Club	FUTVE League	Monumental Stadium of Maturin	1987	2
Atletico La Cruz	AC2 FUTVE	Monumental Stadium of Maturin	2020	0
Sulmona FC	AC3 FUTVE	Alexander Bottini Stadium.	2006	0
Monagas Crabs	Basketball Superlight (SLB)	Gymnasium Gilberto Roque Morales	2013	0
Elite Rugby Club Monagas	Venezuelan Rugby Club Championship	Alexander Bottini Stadium.	2011	0

Sports facilities

• Monagas has several teams participating in National Leagues of Venezuela, since 2007 In addition it has the largest stadium in the country the Monumental Stadium of Maturín built on the occasion of the Copa América 2007.
• Polydeportive Complex of Maturín: was built for the realization of the 1982 National Games. It has various facilities for sports such as basketball, soccer, lower baseball, Lounge Football, tennis, swimming, cycling and athleticism. It's located on Raul Leoni Avenue.
• Viboral Kartodrome: place of motocross competition, karting and national tuning car displays.
• San Miguel Country Club Golf Course: located north of the city.

Media

Written press

Currently, the state of Monagas has two newspapers with statewide distribution, these are El Periódico de Monagas and La Verdad de Monagas. El Oriental, La Prensa de Monagas and El Extra de Monagas stopped circulating in print.

Politics and Government

Government Palace in Maturín.

Monagas has the five branches of Public Power, and is autonomous and equal to the rest of the states of the Federation that make up Venezuela:

Executive Branch

It is made up of the Governor of Monagas, and a cabinet of State Secretaries of his trust who assist him in the management of government and are freely appointed and removed officials, a solicitor, autonomous institutes and state foundations.

Legislative Branch

It is made up of a unicameral parliament called the Monagas State Legislative Council, in charge of approving the regional budget, approving laws at the state level and supervising the management of the state governor.

Judicial Branch

It depends on the judiciary at the national level organized through the Judicial District of the state of Monagas.

Citizen Power

Formed by the State Moral Council and the State Comptroller General, the latter in charge of supervising the proper use of the resources available to the regional government

Electoral Power

It depends on the National Electoral Council at the national level that organizes the region through the so-called Principal Electoral Board of the Monagas state

Monagas is organized on the basis of the Monagas State Constitution, approved by the Legislative Council on March 21, 2002.

Crime

According to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, the most frequent crimes during 2021 in the state are; robbery, homicide and attempted homicide, also assault (serious and minor injuries). Concentrating mostly in the Maturín, Ezequiel Zamora and Piar municipalities. Most crimes are committed by gangs and criminal gangs. In November 2019, 39 homicides were committed in Monagas State.