Caroní Municipality

Venezuelan Municipality
name= Caroní


skyline_photo= CiudadGuayanaVenezuelaVistaParcial.jpg
skyline_caption= Ciudad Guayana skyline
country= Venezuela
state= Bolívar
shiretown= Ciudad Guayana
area= 1,612 km² (1,001.6 sq mi)
population= 777,283
year_estimate= 2007
population_density= 482.19/km² (776/sq mi)
mayor= Clemente Scotto D. (kkk)
time_zone= VST ()
area_code(s)= 0286
website= http://caroni-bolivar.gob.ve/
website_name= caroni-bolivar.gob.ve

The Caroní Municipality is one of the 11 municipalities (municipios) that makes up the Venezuelan state of Bolívar and, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 777,283. [http://www.ine.gob.ve/sintesisestadistica/estados/bolivar/cuadros/Poblacion6.xls] The city of Ciudad Guayana is the shire town of the Caroní Municipality.http://www.ine.gob.ve/secciones/division/Bolivar.zip]

History

Ciudad Guayana was founded in 1961 as a project by the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana, merging two towns on both of the riversides of the Caroní, San Félix, and Puerto Ordaz, as a single city. Since then, many industries have settled in it, since its geographical position gives it many advantages; it's a centerpiece between cities such as Upata and Ciudad Bolívar, two of Bolívar's most important cities.

Since its foundation it has grown from two fledgling towns into the Guayana region's most important industrial center, and a hub of growth in an otherwise typically underpopulated region of Venezuela.

Much critique has been made about its design, which was created by a number of planners from MIT and Harvard in the early 1960s. Lisa Peattie's "A View From the Barrio" is a good discussion of the adverse social effects that occur when a modernist city is placed without regard for context (social, economic, cultural, or climatological) in the middle of nowhere.

ites of Interest

In Puerto Ordaz the principal recreation centers are:
*Natural: Llovizna Park/Llovizna Falls, Cachamay park, Loefling park.
*Shopping centers: Orinokia mall, Altavista Mall, Atlántico Mall.
*Family: Macagua Eco museum, Christmas Park and the Italian-Venezuelan Club.

Economy

The city of Puerto Ordaz is the headquarters of basic industries such as Alcasa, Venalum, Bauxilum, Carbonorca (producers of primary aluminum, coils anodes for the aluminum industry, respectively), Ferrominera (extracts, processes and trades of iron), and Ternium Sidor (iron industry of Orinoco). There are also located in this area of the city the main electricity producer of Venezuela, Edelca and the organization to promote economic activity in the area, the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana, CVG (Corporación Venezolana de Guayana).

Port

The main port is operated for the Ternium Sidor industry and it's used for iron exportation. The largest amount of the river traffic over the Orinoco has this port as its destination, which is located at the mouth of the Caroní on the Orinoco. There are other 13 ports in the city. The rest of the river traffic is destined for the iron company, commercial delivery for aluminium companiesm and others companies located near the river.

Hydroelectric Centrals

The "Electricity Industry of Caroní" (Edelca), which manage several of the hydroelectric centrals over the Caroní River, is located in Puerto Ordaz; Macagua I and II and Caruachi are located on the urban side of Ciudad Guayana. Edelca also built and administers Guri (this one is for now, the second world biggest dam, in terms of the capacity of hydroelectric generation) and gave origin to the Guri reservoir, the second largets lake in Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is also the only city in the world with a hydroelectric dam in the middle of the city.

Tourism

Inside the city is located the Llovizna and Cachamay Parks, with their waterfalls. Other local attractions are the Caroní Ecomuseum and the Macagua Dam. In the city, from the Angosturita bridge and the San Félix port, the union of the Caroní and Orinoco rivers can be observed; the different colors of the water on both rivers presents a natural show. Using Puerto Ordaz as a starting point, the Orinoco Delta, the Canaima's National Park, Guri's reservoirs, the colonial castles at the Orinoco riverside, and many other interesting places can be visited. The Castles of Guayana are located at the right side of the Orinoco, at about 35 kilometers from San Félix.

Hotels

* "Intercontinental Guayana" Hotel
* "Rasil" Hotel
* "Mara Inn Best Western" Hotel
* "Embajador" Hotel
* "Dos Ríos" Hotel

Demographics

The Caroní Municipality, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, has a population of 777,283 (up from 678,179 in 2000). This amounts to 50.6% of the state's population. [http://www.ine.gob.ve/sintesisestadistica/estados/bolivar/cuadros/Poblacion5.xls] The municipality's population density is 776 people per square mile (482.19/km²). [http://www.ine.gob.ve/sintesisestadistica/estados/bolivar/cuadros/Poblacion4.xls]

Government

The mayor of the Caroní Municipality is Clemente Scotto D., elected on October 31, 2004 with 49% of the vote. [http://www.cne.gob.ve/regionales2004/6/alcaldedis=0&edo=6&mun=1&par=0&cen=0&mesa=0&cua=0.html] He replaced Antonio Briceño shortly after the elections. [http://www.cne.gob.ve/estadisticas/e016.pdf] The municipality is divided into 10 parishes; Cachamay, Chirica, Dalla Costa, Once de Abril, Simón Bolívar, Unare, Universidad, Vista al Sol, Pozo Verde, and Yocoima.

Education

Puerto Ordaz is also well known for having one of the best engineering schools in Latin America, the main universities are:

Regional hubs:
*Andrés Bello UCAB (Catholic University)
*UDO (East University)
*Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho (UGMA) University
*Bicentenaria de Aragua (UBA) University

Puerto Ordaz is headquarter of colleges like:

*UNEXPO (Polytechnic Experimental National University)
*UNEG (Experimental National University of Guayana)

Technical Institutes
*"Fe y Alegría" Puerto ordaz
*U.E.E.T.I. Fundación "La Salle"
*I.U.T. Antonio José de Sucre
*I.U.T. Pedro Emilio Coll
*I.U.P. Santiago Mariño

Transportation

Puerto Ordaz is criss-crossed from north to south and east to west by numerous avenues. Some of them are:
*"Guayana Avenue": Is the main traffic avenue of the city, since it crosses the city from point to point. It starts at the toll on the "Ciudad Bolivar-Ciudad Guayana" Highway, and goes all the way through Puerto Ordaz (industrial zone, airport, commercial zone, residential zone, even the touristic zone since it side passes the Cachamay Park).
*"Atlantico Avenue": Goes through Puerto Ordaz from west to east on the south side of the city. It intersects with the Las Americas avenue and the Leopoldo Sucre Figarella avenue.
*"Las Americas Avenue": Connects the Altavista sector (north of the city) with the centre.
*"Paseo Caroní Avenue": Stars on the west side of the city and ends at the Atlantic avenue, it's also an important avenue.

ee also

*Ciudad Guayana
*Bolívar
*Municipalities of Venezuela

References

External links

* [http://caroni-bolivar.gob.ve/ caroni-bolivar.gob.ve] es icon