 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ciudad Guayana" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | This article'slead sectionmay be too long. Please read thelength guidelines and helpmove details into the article's body.(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ciudad Guayana | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Ciudad Guayana | |
 Seal | |
.svg)  Ciudad Guayana Location in Venezuela | |
| Coordinates:8°22′N62°39′W / 8.367°N 62.650°W /8.367; -62.650 | |
| Country |  Venezuela |
| State |  Bolívar |
| Municipality |  Caroní |
| Founded | July 2, 1961 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tito Oviedo |
| Area | |
• Total | 378.59 km2 (146.17 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 978,202 |
| • Rank | 6th |
| • Density | 2,583.8/km2 (6,692.0/sq mi) |
| • Demonym | guayanés |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (VET) |
| Area code | 0286 |
| Climate | Aw |
Ciudad Guayana (Spanish pronunciation:[sjuˈðaðɣwaˈʝana]) (English: Guayana City) is acity inBolívar State,Venezuela. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of theOrinoco river, at the point where it is joined by its main tributary, theCaroní river. The Caroní flows through the city from south to north, dividing it into its predominant halves — the old town ofSan Félix, to the east, and the newer area ofPuerto Ordaz (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈpweɾtooɾˈðas]), to the west.
Ciudad Guayana was officially founded in 1961 by the unification of two former settlements, but the modern history of San Félix can be traced back to the eighteenth century. Located within the city limits are Cachamay Falls (part of Parque Cachamay) andLlovizna Falls.[2] There are three bridges across the Caroní, and another crossing over the Orinoco, theOrinoquia Bridge, which was inaugurated in 2006. With approximately one million people in the greatermetro area, Ciudad Guayana is Venezuela's fastest-growing city[3] with its importantiron,steel,aluminum andhydroelectric industries. Additionally, Ciudad Guayana is one of Venezuela's top-five most vital shipping locations (especially for most of the goods produced in Bolívar state), as ships and barges can easily access the port from the Atlantic Ocean via the Orinoco River.
Due to its planned nature, the city has a drastically different feel from many other South American cities. The towers of the Alta Vista district recallBarranquilla, and many of the residential neighborhoods have architecture and landscaping that are similar to suburbs in the United States from the 1950s through 1980s, such assubdivisions and 'cookie-cutter' homes, neatly-paved sidewalks, and manicured, patterned lawns. This is partly due to the presence, in the 1960s and early 1970s, ofUS Steel, an American company with ironworks operations in the region.[4] US Steel built housing for hundreds of its Americanimmigrant workers and their families, who lived in Puerto Ordaz (and other communities) until the nationalization of the Venezuelan steel industry forced the company and its workers to cease operations.
Ciudad Guayana is located in a very strategic spot for the country of Venezuela. Many international visitors have traveled there throughout its young history, from PopeJohn Paul II to many former American presidents, such asG.W. Bush; various musicians, artists, and even filmmakers, likeSteven Spielberg, have visited, utilizing the scenic landscaping and city parks for movies.
Ciudad Guayana is served byManuel Carlos Piar International Airport in Puerto Ordaz.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The first explorations ofDiego de Ordaz were organized in 1531. An expedition led by Juan González Sosa discovered previously unknown jungles and plains on the banks of theOrinoco River. In 1535, another expedition into the region was led by LieutenantAlfonso Herrera. It was after the movements of conquest and colonization, when in 1591Antonio de Berrio foundedSanto Tome de Guayana at the confluence of the Caroni and Orinoco, in the country of Carapana near the Indian village of Cachamay.
The city was founded multiple times in different places, due to the continuous attacks of pirates and conquerors which destroyed it as they went down the Orinoco River in search of El Dorado.
In 1618, when he was near the old Guiana, an English expedition sent byWalter Raleigh sacked and destroyed the city entirely. In 1764, the residents were relocated to Angostura, nowCiudad Bolivar, due to the continuous attacks of English and Dutch pirates. The last foundation took place at its original site on July 2, 1961 and was called Ciudad Guayana. West of the city is the Matanzas Industrial Zone, the urban area of Puerto Ordaz in the middle east and San Felix.
For the design and city planning Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana requested the participation of the then Harvard–MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies (USA). The large and extensive program of building highways and avenues, residential areas, schools, hospitals and recreational facilities, continues with the same intensity since its inception, ready to house 2.5 million people in 2020. Since 1961, the city has been known as one of the fastest growing in the world.
Ciudad Guayana and the surrounding site have special interest to visitors. Within the city, the Caroni park consists of Drizzle, Cachamay and Loefling, which are a representative sample of the majesty and beauty of the Rio Caroni. Other amusement park attractions include the Foundation and Paseo Malecon San Felix. For those interested in the basic industries of Venezuela some of these have a visitation schedule that could be found through their respective managements of Public Relations. Nearby, less than 100 kilometers away it is Ciudad Bolívar, the historic site of Bolivar state. On the other side of the river is the Mission of Caroni (Caroni ruins), the Castillos de Guayana and forest plantations.
The Puerto Ordaz area was built and planned by the CompaniesOrinoco Mining Company and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana in the mid-twentieth century.
On November 13, 2006 theOrinoquia Bridge, the second largest in the country, opened. This facilitates communication between Ciudad Guayana and the opposite bank of the Orinoco inAnzoátegui andMonagas states.
The city is located at the confluence of theCaroní andOrinoco River on a high plain situated approximately 200-300 feet above sea level.
Ciudad Guayana is hot and humid most of the year, having atropical savanna climate (Köppen:Aw) with a dry season from January to March.
| Climate data for Ciudad Guayana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.5 (95.9) | 36.5 (97.7) | 39.3 (102.7) | 40.4 (104.7) | 38.7 (101.7) | 38.8 (101.8) | 37.6 (99.7) | 37.2 (99.0) | 39.5 (103.1) | 41.0 (105.8) | 39.5 (103.1) | 38.4 (101.1) | 41.0 (105.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.8 (89.2) | 33.1 (91.6) | 34.3 (93.7) | 34.9 (94.8) | 33.6 (92.5) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.9 (91.2) | 34.2 (93.6) | 35.4 (95.7) | 33.8 (92.8) | 33.2 (91.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.3 (77.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.3 (75.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.9 (60.6) | 15.4 (59.7) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 16.7 (62.1) | 16.2 (61.2) | 15.7 (60.3) | 15.2 (59.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 27.9 (1.10) | 17.8 (0.70) | 12.7 (0.50) | 83.8 (3.30) | 243.84 (9.60) | 305.8 (12.04) | 210.2 (8.28) | 162.6 (6.40) | 132.1 (5.20) | 73.6 (2.90) | 78.7 (3.10) | 53.3 (2.10) | 1,402.34 (55.22) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 77.4 | 74.6 | 72.8 | 74.5 | 78.8 | 81.2 | 80.4 | 78.1 | 76.0 | 75.9 | 74.6 | 75.7 | 76.7 |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH) | |||||||||||||
Many of Venezuela's prime industries are based in Puerto Ordaz. These include Alcasa, Venalum, Bauxilum, Carbonorca (primary aluminium manufacturers and anode suppliers for the aluminium industry), Ferrominera (iron ore processing), andSidor (Orinoco Steelmaking). The country's main electricity producer, Corpoelec, and the regional development office, CVG (Corporación Venezolana de Guayana), are also located in Puerto Ordaz.
The port of Puerto Ordaz is a combination of piers (muelles), all under the control of CVG, of which only one is allocated for public use. The others are directly related to the CVG production companies; primarily all for aluminum-related endeavors, nine in-total. Two of the most frequently-used piers are Ferrominera (at the mouth of the Caroní river) and Ternium Sidor (recently nationalised into a CVG company, and the only steel works) at mile 197.
The city hosts the headquarters ofCVG Electrificación del Caroní (CVG Edelca), Venezuela's main electricity producer, which manage several hydroelectric power plants along the Caroní river basin. Two of them,Macagua andCaruachi, are located within city limits. The easy of access to Macagua from the city center makes it a tourist and educational destination, and a public park and museum were added to the complex.
Edelca also builds and administers two more dams upstream from the city:Tocoma andGuri. The latter is currently (as of 2018) thefourth-biggest hydroelectric power station in the world in terms of generation capacity, and gave origin to the Guri reservoir, the second biggest lake in Venezuela.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Puerto Ordaz is criss-crossed from north to south and east to west by numerous avenues. Some of them are:
On December 3, 2006, the Orinoquia Bridge, which crosses the Orinoco river, was inaugurated.
The area is served byManuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In Puerto Ordaz the principal recreation centers are:
Ciudad Guayana is home to two football clubs that play in theVenezuelan Primera División, namelyLALA FC andMineros de Guayana. Both clubs play their home games in theCTE Cachamay stadium, which also hosts games of thenational team and numerous concerts.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Puerto Ordaz is also well known for having one of the bestengineering schools in Latin America. The main universities are:
Regional hubs:
Puerto Ordaz is headquarters of colleges like:
Technical Institutes
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Inside the city both the Llovizna and Cachamay Parks are located displaying their picturesquewaterfalls. Other local attractions are the Caroní Ecomuseum located at the Macagua Dam. Near the city from the Angosturita bridge to the San Félix port the union of the Caroní and Orinoco rivers can be seen; the different colors of the water of both rivers make a very distinct demarcation line. Taking Puerto Ordaz as a starting point, the Orinoco Delta can be visited as well as Canaima's National Park and Guri's reservoirs. Other points of interest are the colonial castles at the Orinoco riverside and the "Cerro del Elefante" (Elephant's hill) which can be reached in a 4x4 vehicle. The Castles of Guayana are located at the right side of the Orinoco River, about 35 kilometers from San Félix.
Guyana City is consistently one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is said that the population should reach 2.5 million people by the year 2020.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
