Ciudad Guayana () (in English Guayana City) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
BolÃvar State,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the
Orinoco river
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
, at the point where it is joined by its main tributary, the
Caronà river
The Caronà River is the second most important river of Venezuela, the second in flow, and one of the longest, from the Kukenan tepui through to its confluence with the Orinoco River. The name "CaronÃ" is applied starting from the confluence ...
. The Caroni crosses the city south-north and divides it on its two main halves: the old town of San Félix in the east, and the new town of Puerto Ordaz () in the west. The city was officially founded in 1961 by the unification of this two former settlements, but the history of San Félix goes back to its foundation in 1724. Within the city limits are located the site of Cachamay Falls and
Llovizna Falls.
[Dydyński, Krzysztof, & Beech, Charlotte (2004). ''Venezuela'', p. 293. Lonely Planet.] There are three bridges across the Caroni and the second crossing over the Orinoco, the
Orinoquia Bridge, was inaugurated in the city in 2006. With approximately one million people, it is Venezuela's fastest-growing city due to its important
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
,
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
,
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
and
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
industries. Ciudad Guayana is one of Venezuela's five most important ports, since most goods produced in the industry-rich BolÃvar state are shipped through it, as ocean-going vessels can sail to it from the Atlantic Ocean up 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 recall
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
, and many of the residential neighborhoods have architecture and landscaping that are similar to suburbs in the United States in the 1950s, 70 and 80, including 'cookie cutter' homes, sidewalks, and patterned lawns. This is an artifact due to the presence in the 1960s and early 1970s of US Steel, an American company with iron mining operations in the region.
US Steel built housing for hundreds of its American immigrant workers and families, who lived in Puerto Ordaz and other communities until the nationalization of the Venezuelan steel industry forced the company and its workers to leave.
Puerto Ordaz is one of the 2 best planned cities in all of South America, from Mexico to Cabo de Hornos, Argentina. It was designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Its internal forest parks look like a fully developed country. And its avenues are extraordinarily planned. The city has strong descendants of Europeans who helped create it, make it grow and give it an air very different from any city in South America, since W.W.2
The city is very strategic for Venezuela. Many personalities have visited it during its young history, from Pope
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
until many former presidents, such as G.W. Bush, artists, filmmakers like Spielberg who used the city parks to make shots for movies, and others.
Guayana City is served by
Manuel Carlos Piar International Airport in Puerto Ordaz.
History
The first explorations of
Diego de Ordaz
Diego de Ordaz also Diego de Ordás (; 1480 in Castroverde de Campos, Zamora province, Spain – 1532 on the Atlantic) was a Spanish explorer and soldier.
Early career
Diego de Ordaz arrived in Cuba at a young age. Serving under the orders ...
were organized in 1531. An expedition
led by Juan González Sosa discovered previously unknown jungles and plains on
the banks of the
Orinoco River
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
. In 1535, another expedition into the region was led by Lieutenant
Alfonso Herrera
Alfonso Herrera RodrÃguez (, born 28 August 1983) is a Mexican actor and former singer.
Born in Mexico City, Herrera made his television debut in ''Clase 406'' in 2002. In the same year, his made film debut in '' Amar te duele'' and won a MT ...
. It
was after the movements of conquest and colonization, when in 1591
Antonio de Berrio founded
Santo 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 by
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
sacked and destroyed the city entirely. In 1764, the residents were relocated to Angostura, now
Ciudad Bolivar
Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City
Ciudad may also refer to:
*La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona
*La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico
*''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970
*La Ciudad ''The City'' ...
, 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 consisting of parks 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 BolÃvar, 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 Companies
Orinoco Mining Company
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wo ...
and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana in the mid-twentieth century.
The November 13, 2006 the
Orinoco bridge, the second largest in the country, which facilitates communications Ciudad Guayana with the opposite bank of the Orinoco River in Anzoategui and Monagas states opened.
Economic activity
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), and
Sidor (Orinoco Steelmaking). The country's main electricity producer, Corpoelec, and the regional development office, CVG (
Corporación Venezolana de Guayana
The Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) is a decentralized state-owned Venezuelan conglomerate, located in the Guayana Region
The Guayana Region is an administrative region of eastern Venezuela.
History
In the 1970s, after the proce ...
), are also located in Puerto Ordaz..
Port
The port of Puerto Ordaz in 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, in principal all aluminium-related, approximately nine piers in total. One of the most frequently used piers is Ferrominera at the mouth of the Caroni river. Another is Ternium Sidor (recently nationalised into a CVG company, and the only steel works) at mile 197.
Hydroelectricity
The city hosts the headquarters of CVG Electrificación del Caronà (CVG Edelca), Venezuela's main electricity producer, which manage several hydroelectric power plants along the Caronà river basin. Two of them,
Macagua and
Caruachi, 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 and
Guri
Guri (, lit. Nine Villages Town(Town of Nine Villages) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is located immediately to the east of Seoul, in the heart of the Capital Metropolitan Area.
The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty are locat ...
. The latter is currently (as of 2018) the
fourth-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.
Transportation
Puerto Ordaz is crisscrossed 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 crisscrosses the city from its start to its end. It begins at the toll on the "Ciudad BolÃvar-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).
*Atlántico Avenue runs 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. This gives a high importance to this avenue.
*Las Américas Avenue connects the Altavista sector (north of the city) with the centre.
*Paseo Caronà Avenue starts on the west side of the city and ends at the Atlantic avenue.
On December 3, 2006, the
Orinokia bridge, which crosses the Orinoco river, was inaugurated.
The area is served by
Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport
Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Guayana "Manuel Carlos Piar"), is an airport in the city of Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela. Ciudad Guayana is divided into two main population centres, San Félix ...
.
Recreation
In Puerto Ordaz the principal recreation centers are:
*Natural:
Llovizna park, Cachamay park, Loefling park.
*Shopping centers: Orinokia Mall, Altavista Mall, Atlántico Mall.
*Family: Macagua Eco Museum, Christmas Park and the Italian-Venezuelan Club.
Ciudad Guayana is home to two football clubs that play in the
Venezuelan Primera División
The Primera División (; en, First Division), or Liga Venezolana (; en, Venezuelan League) is the top-flight professional football league of Venezuela. It was created in 1921 and turned professional in 1957. It is organized by the Federación V ...
, namely
LALA FC
Asociación Civil LALA Fútbol Club is a Venezuelan football club based in Ciudad Guayana, which played in the Venezuelan Primera División between the 2019 and 2021 seasons. It was founded in 2011 and plays its home matches at the Polideportivo ...
and
Mineros de Guayana
Asociación Civil Club Deportivo Mineros de Guayana, known as Mineros de Guayana or simply Mineros, is a professional football club based in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela.
History
The Colegio Loyola Gumilla's field, located in Puerto Ordaz, was us ...
. Both clubs play their home games in the
CTE Cachamay stadium, which also hosts games of the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
and numerous concerts.
Notable people
*
Kervin Andrade (born 2005), Venezuelan footballer
*
Eugenio Suárez
Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Suárez was an All-Star in 2 ...
(born 1991),
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player
Education
Puerto Ordaz is also well known for having one of the best
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
schools in Latin America. The main universities are:
Regional hubs:
*
Andrés Bello UCAB (Catholic University)
*
UDO
Udo is a masculine given name. It may refer to:
People Medieval era
*Udo of Neustria, 9th century nobleman
* Udo (Obotrite prince) (died 1028)
* Udo (archbishop of Trier) (c. 1030 – 1078)
* Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark (c. 1025 †...
(East University)
* Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho (UGMA) University
* Bicentenaria de Aragua (UBA) University
Puerto Ordaz is headquarters of colleges like:
* UNEXPO (National Experimental Polytechnic University)
* UNEG (National Experimental University of Guayana)
Technical Institutes
* U.E.E.T.I. Fundación "La Salle" (San Félix)
* I.U.T. Antonio José de Sucre
* I.U.T. Pedro Emilio Coll
* I.U.P. Santiago Mariño
Tourism
![Pano Chutes Cachamay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Pano_Chutes_Cachamay.jpg)
Inside the city both the Llovizna and Cachamay Parks are located displaying their picturesque
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
s. Other local attractions are the Caronà Ecomuseum located at the Macagua Dam. Near the city from the Angosturita bridge to the San Félix port the union of the Caronà 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.
Hotels
* ''Intercontinental Guayana'' Hotel
* ''Rasil'' Hotel
* ''Mara Inn Best Western'' Hotel
* ''Embajador'' Hotel
* ''Dos RÃos'' Hotel
* ''Eurobuilding''
* ''Posada Turistica Residencias Tore''
Gallery
Image:ciudad guyana.jpg, Guayana City from space
File:Parque La Llovizma 2003 030.jpg, La Llovizna Falls
Image:Cte cachamay aereo.jpg, Football stadium Polideportivo Cachamay
The Estadio Cachamay is part of the Centro Total de Entretenimiento Cachamay (English: The Total Entertainment Center of Cachamay). It is a multipurpose stadium located on Avenida Guayana in Puerto Ordaz (Part of Ciudad Guayana) Bolivar State, Ven ...
See also
*
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
*
BolÃvar State
*
List of cities in Venezuela
This is a list of cities, towns and communities in Venezuela. The state capitals are marked with a *.
List
See also
* List of cities in Venezuela by population, a list that only includes cities with no less than 100,000 residents i ...
*
Railway stations in Venezuela
Railway stations in Venezuela include:
Cities with Rapid Transit
City with underground railway system:
* Caracas (El Metro de Caracas, operated bC.A. Metro de Caracas
* Los Teques Metro - opened in 2006.
Stations Closed
* Camoruco
* El Enc ...
References
External links
"Guayana City, (Puerto Ordaz & San Felix)" VenezuelaTuya photographs of the city
"La Guayana de Antaño" History in Pictures
BBC articlein a Puerto Ordaz
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
plant
{{Authority control
Populated places in BolÃvar (state)
Populated places established in 1961
Planned cities
1961 establishments in Venezuela
Urban planning in Venezuela
Port cities in Venezuela