Zulia

For other uses, see Zulia (disambiguation).

Zulia State Estado Zulia
State
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Zulia State Anthem
Location within Venezuela
Coordinates: 9.84°N 72.25°W / 9.84; -72.25
Country	Venezuela
Created	1864
Capital	Maracaibo
Government
• Governor	Francisco Arias Cárdenas (2012–present)
Area
• Total	63,100 km2 (24,400 sq mi)
Area rank	5th
	6.92% of Venezuela
Population (2011)
• Total	3,704,404
• Rank	1st
• Density	59/km2 (150/sq mi)
	13.25% of Venezuela
Time zone	UTC-04:30
ISO 3166 code	VE-V
Emblematic tree	Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Website	www.gobernaciondelzulia.gov.ve

View of the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge.

Catatumbo lightning.

Zulia (Spanish: Estado Zulia, IPA: [esˈtaðo ˈsulja]) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of June 30, 2010, it had an estimated population of 3,821,068, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of the few states (if not the only one) in Venezuela where voseo is widely used.

Zulia State is located in the northwest of Venezuela, around Maracaibo Lake. This lake is the largest body of water of its kind in Latin America and its basin covers one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere.

Zulia is economically important to the country due to its oil and mineral exploitation, but it is also one of the major agricultural areas of Venezuela, highlighting the region's contribution in areas such as livestock, bananas, fruits, meat and milk, among others.

Geography

Lake Maracaibo, the largest lake in South America, lies within Zulia. The Lake Maracaibo Basin covers the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere. A long and mostly uninhabited border separates Venezuela from Colombia to the north and west, from the Guajira Peninsula to the Perijá Mountains. Venezuela's Andean states of Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo border Zulia State at the southern end of Lake Maracaibo and finally the states of Lara and Falcón complete the boundaries of Zulia.

The name Venezuela comes from the lake. When Spanish conquistadors sailed into the area, they found the indigenous peoples living in communities of huts supported by stilts along the shores of the lake. They were reminded of Venice, and named the place "Little Venice" or Venezuela. The lake has a number of islands, some of which are populated.

Near the mouth of the Catatumbo River, where it empties into Lake Maracaibo, is the famous Catatumbo lightning (Relámpago del Catatumbo) which is represented on the state's flag and coat of arms by lightning bolts.

Toponymy

There are several competing theories about the origin of the state's name. One is that Guaimaral, son of the cacique Mara, was on pilgrimage in the Pamplona region, where he fell in love with the beautiful Zulia, but she was killed in a battle against the conquerors. Gaimaral sadly returned to his father's domains, naming rivers, towns and regions for his lost love. Although there is little historical proof, this is the most popular theory.

Alternatively, it had been said that the state was named after the Zulia River, known in Colombia as Batatas, which leads into the Catatumbo River. Another story says that both names, river and state, came from the princess Zulia, daughter of a famous cacique Cinera. He was an important leader of a tribal federation located in what is now Colombia's Norte de Santander Department, and the princess Zulia was well known for her physical and moral qualities, formidable temper, and bravery.

History

Zulia was first seen by Europeans in 1499 during an expedition commanded by Alonso de Ojeda. During the Spanish colonial period, its lands were part of the Venezuela Province until 1676, when its lands were added to the Province of Mérida del Espiritu Santo de la Grita, becoming the province Espiritu Santo de Maracaibo, or Maracaibo Province. In 1789, this province covered the territory of the current Venezuelan states of Zulia, Apure, Barinas, Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo. In 1810, Mérida and Trujillo were separated as new provinces. The Zulia Province declared independence from Spain on January 28, 1821. During the Gran Colombia period in 1824, it received the name of "Zulia Department", honoring the Zulia River. With the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830, it was named Maracaibo Province, and was one of the 11 provinces of Venezuela during this period.

Venezuela's federal constitution, April 22, 1864, changed the denomination of "province" to "state", creating the State of Maracaibo on the same territory as the province. At the end of the same year, the state's legislation determined to change the name to the Sovereign State of Zulia but this lasted only a few months. In 1874, its name again became Zulia State. Federal government orders in 1881 created the combined Falcón Zulia state. Its autonomous state status continued until April 1, 1890, when congress legislated the separation of the Falcon-Zulia State. It suffered further territorial changes towards the end of the 19th century, until the current delimitation in 1899 was finally drawn. Since that time the name has remained Estado Zulia.

Climate

In the northern sector a semi-arid climate prevails, with an irregular pluviometric regime. The annual medial precipitation registered in Maracaibo city is between 358 and 666 mm (14.1 and 26.2 in), with a median temperature of 28 °C (82 °F). The precipitation rates increase in the western and eastern regions of Lake Maracaibo, forming a tropical rain forest savanna climate, with annual average temperatures from 27°C to 28°C, and rainfall exceeding 1,000 mm (39 in) registered in Mene Grande. In the southern lake region, increased rainfall conforms to a tropical rain forest climate with an annual average precipitation of 2,556 mm, and surpassing 3,500 mm per year in the heights of Serrania de Perija.

Municipalities and municipal seats

Municipalities of Zulia

Zulia is divided into 21 municipalities (municipios):

	Municipality	Area in km2	Population 2011 Census (preliminary)	Seat
1.	Almirante Padilla	151	11,929	El Toro
2.	Baralt	2,211	89,847	San Timoteo
3.	Cabimas	655	263,056	Cabimas
4.	Catatumbo	5,225	40,702	Encontrados
5.	Colón	3,368	128,729	San Carlos del Zulia
6.	Francisco Javier Pulgar	800	33,942	Pueblo Nuevo El Chivo
7.	Guajira	2,370	65,545	Sinamaica
8.	Jesús Enrique Lossada	3,533	118,756	La Concepción
9.	Jesús María Semprún	6,003	30,484	Casigua el Cubo
10.	La Cañada de Urdaneta	2,073	82,210	Concepción
11.	Lagunillas	1,024	203,435	Ciudad Ojeda
12.	Machiques de Perijá	9,493	122,734	Machiques
13.	Mara	3,588	207,221	San Rafael del Moján
14.	Maracaibo	419	1,459,448	Maracaibo
15.	Miranda	2,255	97,463	Los Puertos de Altagracia
16.	Rosario de Perijá	3,914	85,006	La Villa del Rosario
17.	San Francisco	185	446,757	San Francisco
18.	Santa Rita	578	59,866	Santa Rita
19.	Simón Bolívar	219	43,831	Tía Juana
20.	Sucre	874	60,819	Bobures
21.	Valmore Rodríguez	1,292	52,624	Bachaquero