Rubio is a town in the

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 ...

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

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Táchira Táchira State ( es, Estado Táchira, ) is one of the 24 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal. Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,908. At the end of the 19t ...

. Founded in 1794 by Gervasio Rubio, this town is the

shire town A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of the Junín Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, the municipality has a population of 68,869.http://www.tachira.gov.ve/paginaweb/tachira/estadisticas/Estadisticas_Municipios/junin.pdf Rubio is one of the largest towns in the state of Táchira. Its importance derives from its coffee production and the nearby commerce that exists with Colombia. Venezuela's former president, Carlos Andrés Pérez, was also born in Rubio. Rubio has beautiful natural tunnels called La Cueva de los Miagros. There are some rivers and waterfalls on the outskirts of town. The town has many bridges especially in Old Rubio. For this reason it is called "Ciudad Pontalida" or "City of Bridges." Rubio is located in the west of Estado Táchira and is a 40-minute drive from San Cristóbal, the capital of Táchira.

History

Rubio was founded by Gervasio Rubio in 1794. It was then the capital of the Táchira State, before the capital was moved to San Cristóbal. Rubio is sometimes called "La Ciudad Pontalida" ("The City of Bridges") and housed Christiansen Academy, an international school.

Demographics

The Junín Municipality, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, has a population of 68,869 (up from 53,981 in 1990). This amounts to 6.9% of Táchira's population. The municipality's population density is 566.2 people per square mile (218.63/km²).

Government

Rubio is the

of the Junín Municipality in Táchira. The mayor of the Junín Municipality is Angel Marquez Elected in 2017 after winning the elections against Jobel Sandoval at the end of 2017 The economy of the city is based on coffee production. The first exploitation of oil in Venezuela (1883) was in La Petrolia by the company "Compañia Nacional Minera Petrolía del Táchira" and the first well was called "Salvador" ("Savior").

Sites of interest

Religious buildings

*Catedral de Santa Bárbara de Rubio

Squares and parks

*Plaza Simón Bolívar *Parque la Petrolia *Plaza Urdaneta *Plaza Gervasio Rubio

Notable people

* Carlos Andrés Pérez, President of Venezuela (1974-1979) and (1989-1993). * Carlos Zapata, Architect. * Konrad Bernheimer, Art Dealer and Collector * Roberto Giusti, Journalist and Author

References

External links

junin-tachira.gob.ve

More information on the Junín Municipality

desderubio.com
{{Authority control Cities in Táchira Populated places established in 1794 1794 establishments in the Spanish Empire