Ciudad Ojeda

Ciudad Ojeda

Panorama view of downtown San Matias area and Lake Maracaibo

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Nickname(s): "La Ciudad Petrolera ", "'Ojeda'"
Ciudad Ojeda
Coordinates: 10°12′0″N 71°18′0″W / 10.20000°N 71.30000°W / 10.20000; -71.30000Coordinates: 10°12′0″N 71°18′0″W / 10.20000°N 71.30000°W / 10.20000; -71.30000
Country Venezuela
State Zulia
Counties Lagunillas Municipality
Demonym Citojense
Government
  Mayor Mervin Mendez (2013–2017)
Area
  Total 975 km2 (376 sq mi)
Elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2005)
  Total 128,941
  Density 130/km2 (300/sq mi)
Postal code 4019
Area code 265
Website Página web de la Alcaldía

Ciudad Ojeda is a city located in the northeastern shore of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia State in northwestern Venezuela. Its population as of the 2005 census was listed as 128,941.

History

Ojeda Alonso Square (Plaza Alonso de Ojeda)

Ciudad Ojeda was founded on January 19, 1937 by former president Eleazar López Contreras as a settlement for the inhabitants of Lagunillas de Aguas[1] Today, it is a major center for the oil and gas industry in the Lake Maracaibo region.

The November 13, 1939 a terrible fire destroyed Lagunillas de Agua which left over 200 person fatalities. There are several hypotheses about the cause of the fire that prompted the final and decisive transfer of population to the mainland. The truth is that the oil industry was an oily layer on the lake, which had the potential to ignite the wooden houses built on stilts in the lake. One hypothesis is the accidental fall of a kerosene lamp to the lake from the Bar Caracas. Another is a fire caused by an oil company when he was going to beat his concession, that company helped reconstruction and retained the award after all, there is no evidence of this fact.[2]

Origin of the name

Ciudad Ojeda was named in honor of Alonso de Ojeda, the Spaniard who was the first European to discover Lake Maracaibo.

Population

Ciudad Ojeda is a medium-sized city in relation with the biggest ones in Venezuela, with a population of approximately 130,000 inhabitants. The majority of Citojenses are of Venezuelan origin. It is also home to numerous foreign communities of Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabs who have the biggest commercial businesses in the city.

Places of interest

Colleges and universities

Notable natives

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.