Caracas: Venezuela

Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of a narrow mountain valley. The valley’s temperatures are springlike, and the urbanizable terrain of the Caracas Valley lies between 2,500 and 3,000 ft (760 and 910 m) above sea level. The Valley is close to the Caribbean Sea , separated from the coast by a steep mountain range (Cerro Ã?vila) that rises above 8,000 ft (2600 m).

The historic center of Caracas, known as the Libertador Department, had a population of 1.9 million in 2004. In that same year, the metropolitan area boasted a population of 5.1 million. Distrito Federal is the name of Caracas’ primary seat. The metropolitan area also covers part of Miranda State.

History

The city was founded in 1567 as Santiago de Leon de Caracas by Spanish explorer Diego de Losada.

The city of Caracas was the birthplace of two of Latin America’s most important figures: Francisco de Miranda and “El Libertador” Simon Bolivar.

An earthquake destroyed Caracas on March 26, 1812 and was portrayed by authorities as a divine punishment to people rebelling against the Spanish Crown.

As the economy of oil-rich Venezuela grew steadily during the first part of the 20th century, Caracas became one of Latin America’s economic centers, and was also known as the preferred hub between Europe and South America. On October 17, 2004, one of the Parque Central Torre towers caught fire.

Flag

The flag of Caracas consists of a burgundy red field with the version of the Coat of Arms of the City effective since the decade of 1980. The red field, remembrance of the predominant color in the royal pennants of Colonial Caracas, symbolizes the blood spilled by Caraquenian people in favor to the Independence and the highest Ideals of the Venezuelan Nation.

The original design of the Caracas Flag appeared in the decade of 1980 and consisted of a burgundy red cloth with the version of the then adopted and still effective Coat of Arms located to the canton. Later 1994, approximately and presumably as a result of the change of municipal authorities, it was decided to place the Caracas CoA slightly increased of size on the center of the field, configuration that maintains at the present time.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of the City of Caracas was adopted by the Libertador Municipality to identify itself and later the Metropolitan Mayor Office assumed the lion, the scallop and the St. James Cross for the same aim. Symbollogically speaking, this raised a conflict then that Caracas identifies the Coat of Arms of the Capital of the Republic.

Places of interest

Capitolio Nacional

The National Capitol occupies an entire city block, and, with its golden domes and neoclassical pediments, can seem even bigger. The building was commissioned by Guzman Blanco in the 1870s, and is most famous for its Salon Eliptico, an oval hall with a mural-covered dome and walls lined with portraits of the country’s great and good.

Visit on Independence Day and you’ll catch a glimpse of the original Act of Independence of 1811, installed inside a pedestal topped by a bust of Bolivar and displayed only on this most auspicious of public days. The halls surrounding the salon are daubed with battle scenes commemorating Venezuela’s fight for independence.