Cabimas

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Nickname(s): "La Cenicienta"
English: "Cinderella"

Motto: "Los pueblos no mueren, decaen
("Towns don't die, they decay")

Cabimas

Coordinates: 10°24′N 71°27′W / 10.400°N 71.450°WCoordinates: 10°24′N 71°27′W / 10.400°N 71.450°W

Founded

1758

Area

• Total

862 km² (785 sq mi)

Elevation

3 m (9 ft)

Population (2011)

• Total

288,595

• Density

477.81/km² (1,237.5/sq mi)

Postal code

4013

Area code(s)

(+58) 264

Website

Official website

Cabimas is a city on the shore of Maracaibo Lake in Zulia State in northwestern Venezuela. Its current population is around 200,859 (2005).

Before 1900, Venezuela was known to possess commercial quantities of petroleum. One major find was the 'Zumaque 1' well in 1914, in the area of Mene Grande, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Cabimas. It was the blowout of the Barroso No. 2 well in Cabimas in 1922 that marked the beginning of Venezuela's modern history as a major producer.

Cabimas still plays an important role in production from the nation's largest oil fields, which are located around and beneath Lake Maracaibo. Other fields are increasing in importance, mainly in eastern Venezuela. Most refining in Venezuela takes place in refineries outside the Cabimas area.

The city has an area of 604 km², a population of 256,993 inhabitants and a population density of 425.5 hab/km².

Its limits are: Lake Maracaibo to the west, the municipalities of Santa Rita and Miranda to the north, the state of Lara Estado Lara to the east and the municipalities of Simón Bolívar and Lagunillas to the south. Its geographical location is 10°28’ lat. N 70°52’ long. W to 10°19’ lat. N 71°27’ long. W.

Cabimas has grown erratically. Each year new neighbourhoods are added. The following list begins with the oldest ones.

Some neighbourhoods of Cabimas are:

"Cabima" is an aboriginal word of Carib origin; it is the name of a tree also known as Copaiba (Copaifera Officiallis) from which trunk an oil with medicinal properties is extracted, also known as oil stick.

Cabimas was founded by a group of Cistercians monks in 1758 as the Mission of Saint Ambrosio of Punta de Piedra, located in the modern day "La Mision". Some archeological remains have been found, however not a single wall survives. The existence of Cabimas is stated in the chronicles of Venezuelan Archbishop Mariano Marti who visited the town in 1771. The town grew as a fishing village on Lake Maracaibo's coast until the discovery of oil by the Venezuelan Oil Concessions (VOC) with the well Santa Barbara (R2) in 1917. However, it was the well "Los Barrosos 2" (R4) (1922) which 100,000 bpd blow out reached the world newspaper's headlines. Many oil companies and workers from other parts of Venezuela and abroad came to Cabimas, increasing its population. Most foreign personnel were of American or Dutch origin. La Rosa Oilfield was given in concession by Venezuela president Juan Vicente Gómez.

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Wikipedia