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Zulia State

Zulia
State of Venezuela
Flag of Zulia
Flag
Coat of arms of Zulia
Coat of arms
Anthem: Sobre Palmas
Location within Venezuela
Location within Venezuela
Coordinates: 9°50′N 72°15′W / 9.84°N 72.25°W / 9.84; -72.25Coordinates: 9°50′N 72°15′W / 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 50,230 km2 (19,390 sq mi)
Area rank 5th
  6.92% of Venezuela
Population (2011 census)
 • Total 3,704,404
 • Rank 1st
 • Density 74/km2 (190/sq mi)
  13.25% of Venezuela
Time zone UTC-04:30
ISO 3166 code VE-V
Emblematic tree Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Website web.archive.org/web/20080612071201/http://www.gobernaciondelzulia.gov.ve:80/

Zulia State (Spanish: Estado Zulia, IPA: [esˈtaðo ˈsulja]) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of the few states (if not the only one) in Venezuela in which voseo (the use of vos as a second person singular pronoun) is widely used.

Zulia State is in northwestern Venezuela, bordering Lake Maracaibo, the largest body of water of its kind in Latin America. Its basin covers one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere.

Zulia is economically important to the country from 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.

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.


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