Puerto Cabello

Coordinates: 10°28′00″N 68°01′00″W / 10.4666667°N 68.0166667°W / 10.4666667; -68.0166667

Puerto Cabello
View of Puerto Cabello
Flag Seal
Puerto Cabello
Coordinates: 10°28′00″N 68°01′00″W / 10.4666667°N 68.0166667°W / 10.4666667; -68.0166667
Country	Venezuela
State	Carabobo
Counties	Puerto Cabello
Government
- Mayor	Osmel Vicente Ramos Dolande (2004 – 2008)
Area
- Total	729 km2 (281.5 sq mi)
Population (2001)
- Total	154,000
Website	Alcaldía de Puerto Cabello

Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in the state of Carabobo about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil industry. It literally means Port Hair.

History

Due to Puerto Cabello's location it was attacked by buccaneers and was a popular market for Dutch smugglers during the 17th century. Most of the contraband trade consisted of dealing in cacao with neighboring island Curaçao, colonized by the Dutch. Also Puerto Cabello was at that time under Dutch control.

It was until 1730 that the Spanish took over the port, after the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana had moved in. This company built warehouses, wharves and an array of forts to protect the harbor. By the 1770s Puerto Cabello came to be the most fortified town on the Venezuela’s coast. Two forts remain from that period. It was the last Spanish royalist stronghold during Venezuela’s war for independence, it was captured by José Antonio Páez in 1823.

Law and government

Puerto Cabello has one municipality: Puerto Cabello Municipality, Venezuelan law specifies that municipal governments have four main functions: executive, legislative, comptroller, and planning. The executive function is managed by the mayor, who is in charge of representing the municipality's administration. The legislative branch is represented by the Municipal Council, composed of seven councillors, charged with the deliberation of new decrees and local laws. The comptroller tasks are managed by the municipal comptroller's office, which oversees accountancy. Finally, planning is represented by the Local Public Planning Council, which manages development projects for the municipality

Tourism

A beach in Puerto Cabello.

Puerto Cabello has exhibited strong tourist potential and has been shown to have a local, growing tourist industry, this is mainly because of its position as the main trading area in the country, its communications, its rich historic heritage and its location in front of the Caribbean Sea.

The streets of the Colonial ages preserve their rustic and picturesque appearance, with their beautiful households and mansions and the cobblestone paving on the streets, all these features make the city a nice and growing tourist destination.

In the jetty, one can see the Caribbean Sea, as well as the massive Fortín de San Felipe, also known as the Castillo del Libertador, this powerful fort worked as a refuge for citizens during the Colonial times, because pirates invaded the city constantly.

View of Puerto Cabello from Solano Fortress.

Attractions

• Protestants Graveyard.
• Solano Fortress or Castle.
• San Felipe Castle.
• Long Island.
• Puente de Los Españoles (San Esteban Pueblo).

Natives

• Carlos Zambrano, professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, was born here.
• Pablo Sandoval, professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, was born here.
• Fernando Nieve, professional baseball player for the New York Mets, was born here.

Transport

It is served by a station on the Venezuelan Railway network.

See also

• Venezuela
• Carabobo state
• List of cities in Venezuela
• Railway stations in Venezuela

References

External links

• FallingRain Map - elevation = 76m (Red dots are railways)

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