Punto Fijo

Punto Fijo is the capital city of Carirubana Autonomy County of Falcón State, Venezuela. This city are formed for the Urban Parishes of Carirubana and Norte (North). Is the largest city in the Paraguaná Peninsula. Punto Fijo is located on the north-western shores of the Venezuelan state of Falcón. With a population well over 300,000. One of the world's largest oil refinery complexes, the Paraguana Refinery Complex, is located there.

History

Catedral of Punto Fijo

Punto Fijo was founded in the early 1940s, on the outskirts of two refinery operations established by Standard Oil and Shell during the 1940s. It has an estimated population of 270,000 (est. 2002 census) mostly in the urban center.

Its name is commonly attributed to the late Rafael González Estaba, former city historian, who said that the place where the city now stands was a common stop (the "fixed point") for passers-by and fishermen.

Economy

Paraguaná Refinery Complex

Punto Fijo has the world's largest oil refinery complex, The Paraguaná Refinery Complex (CRP is its Spanish acronym), it consists of the Amuay and Cardón Refineries (both part of the CRP), it refines around 1MM barrels per day; all this oil group are the motor for the local and regional economy. Also the city has the second most important fishing fleet in the country, and has an industrial zone where are located electronics and light machinery complexes).

Las Virtudes Mall

Nowadays Punto Fijo is experiencing growth in its commercial activity because of the implementation of a Free Zone for Turistic Investment, that allows to import goods (electronics, alcoholic drinks, linen, and so on) free of nationalization taxes. Now the city has settlements of important investments groups. And it has been necessary to improve the roads, hotels, electric energy and general services infrastructure.

Mall Sambil Paraguaná, under construction until 2010

The progressive development that Punto Fijo is facing currently, has incentivated the local, municipal and national authorities to carry out public building works that the city needed years ago such the main bus station, fixing of public roads, settlement of a new thermoelectricity energy plant "Josefa Camejo", and the private sector has done investments as well, like the Sambil Mall Paraguaná, and Paraguná Mall, these new complexes join now the most important mall in the city: Centro Comercial y Recreacional Las Virtudes.

Transportation

Punto Fijo is crisscrossed from north to south and east to west by numerous avenues. A new bus terminal is under construction and expected to be ready by beginning 2010. The city is linked to Coro with a modern two-laned highway passing through the whole isthmus offering great views of the National Park Médanos de Coro National Park as well as the whole arid flora found in the region. The city is served by Josefa Camejo International Airport.

See also

• Geography of Venezuela
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Punto Fijo

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Punto Fijo

• (Spanish)"Paraguaná: la península de la amistad" by Rafael Aranguren, Venezuela Analítica, retrieved November 3, 2005.
• FallingRain Map - elevation = 3m

Coordinates: 11°43′N 70°11′W / 11.717°N 70.183°W / 11.717; -70.183