Bolívar Map, Venezuela

The region of Bolivar State, Venezuela, is one characterized by spectacular scenery and cultural background. The state, which is massive, was the home to the world-famous Canaima National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, containing the tallest waterfall in the world, the Angel Falls (Salto Angel). In addition to this classic attraction, Bolivar boasts the geological wonder of the flat topped mountains (tepuis) including the difficult hike to Mount Roraima. Ciudad Bolivar, the historical beauty of the state, and a vivid culture of native inhabitants, Pemon people makes the state unforgettable for the bold traveller.

History

Nowadays Bolivar State was a part of the Guayana Province that was a distant and relatively unconquered land of the Spanish Empire. It is a land dominated by the mythical history of El Dorado and the city of gold. Most famously the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1595, sailed along the Orinoco River because of a chance to discover this City of Gold.

The colonization of the Spaniards was not easy, as the landscape was rough, and the natives such as the Pemon growled against them. Indian raids and attacks by European corsairs forced the capital of the province, Santo Tomas de Guayana, to move several times. In 1764 the town was transferred to the last, and the most important, position, at the least breadth of the river Orinoco, and was named Angostura, that is, the narrows.

Angostura was the heart of the Venezuelan War of Independence and it will always remain significant in the history of South America. After several failures in the war against the royalists of the Spaniards, Simon Bolivar, the "Liberator," made this place his base of operations.

The climax was the Congress of Angostura, which opened on February 15, 1819. In his supposedly most significant political speech, the Discurso de Angostura, Bolivar detailed his plan of an independent and united republic. This city provided the political base through which modern day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, which comprise Gran Colombia, the great state was made. Angostura had been the temporary seat of the new republic, and has now been renamed Ciudad Bolivar in memory of the Liberator.

As the political life of the new republic was centred in the city of Caracas, the Guayana region was of significant importance because of its natural resources. Gold and diamonds were found in the state in the deep interior, especially in El Callao and Grande Sabana regions, in the late 19th century, thus leading to major mining booms and the influx of immigrants of Caribbean and European descent. This resulted in a short lived, yet, rich cultural exchange, era of prosperity. A direct heritage of this mining immigration is the carnival festivals of El Callao where the distinctive calypso music is played and figures are costumed.

In the 20th century, the state began to pay attention not only to gold but also to hydroelectricity and heavy industry. The gigantic hydroelectric stations along the Caroni River, e.g. the Guri Dam (one of the largest in the world) and the creation of industrial cities in Bolivar (like Ciudad Guayana a conglomeration of Puerto Ordaz and San Felix) turned the state into the dominant source of electricity and steel production in the country, making the enormous natural resources of Bolivar all the more strategic. Today, the natural marvels of the state, such as Angel falls and Mount Roraima, are the very essence of the global state identity.

Culture

Northern part of the state. The cultural capital of the state interior, especially the Gran Sabana and Canaima National Park, are part of the Pemon indigenous people. The Pemon are the ancient inhabitants of the magnificent tepuis (table-top mountains) who worship them as the residences of the spirits of their ancestors known as Mawari. Particularly linked to the monumental landscape is their rich mythology which features the creation hero Makunaima. Pemon communities also provide a visitor with a priceless insight into their past activities, such as their traditional arts and crafts, and the unique language of the Caribs.

It is mostly Caribbean and African in the North and Eastern regions of the state and the most evident expression of it is the annual Carnivals of El Callao. The Calypso-music-infested festival, with characters donning costumes, is an invention of the immigrants, who came to the area during the gold rush in the late 19th century (including Trinidad and Tobago). The protagonists (the colorful Medio Pintos and the luxurious Madamas) are dancing enthusiastically and it is one of the turning points and historic events in Venezuela as far as the culture is concerned.

The cuisine produced in Bolivar is characterized by the mighty Orinoco River and the vast lands around it. It is famous also in its Sapoara, a tasty fresh water fish that rises the Orinoco at a particular time of the year, which is fried, roasted or cooked in a rich stew (sancocho). A different staple is the Cassava root based large flat bread, named Casabe which is a remnant of the indigenous cuisine. Another popular thing to the region is the growing of Merey (cashew fruit) that is utilized in preparing various candies and nougats of their traditions.

The cultural center of the state is called Ciudad Bolivar. It has a well-maintained Casco Historico (historic center), which is a great place to visit, with magnificent colonial architecture, to remind the visitors of its significant role in the War of Independence. Kinetic artist, Jesus Soto was also born in the city and the city houses the Jesus Soto Museum of Modern Art, displaying the world renown collection of his work and that of other contemporary Venezuelan artists.

Language

The official and massively used language is Spanish, spoken in administration, business and in the press in the entire state especially in the bigger cities such as Ciudad Bolivar and Ciudad Guayana. This part of the country, as most of Venezuela, has its own cadence and its own local vocabulary and uses a large number of regionalisms of a larger Guayana area.

Nevertheless, many of the Indigenous languages are also significant centers of the state, and are co-official languages in Venezuela, and this is the reason why they are so significant in terms of cultural values. These are headed by Pemon (Pemon).

Pemon language belongs to the Cariban group of languages and is used by thousands of native inhabitants mostly in the Gran Sabana and Canaima National Park. It is also very descriptive and its complex verb structure and distinct system of counting show a close relation to the distinctive plants and animals as well as the monumental tepuis (table-top mountains) of her native land. Even Pemon itself has a number of large dialects, such as Arekuna, Taurepan, and Camaracoto, more or less mutually intelligible.

Geography

Bolivar is the largest state in Venezuela with a very huge area of about 242,801 square kilometers; this area is almost equal to the size of the entire United Kingdom. It lies on the historic Guiana Shield, one of the oldest geological features on this planet, creating a dramatic, resource-rich and complex landscape.

The relief of the state is partially divided into three large zones. The northern part, along the Orinoco River (establishes its northern border), is a lower-lying savanna with rolling hills in which the principal cities, Ciudad Bolivar (the capital) and the industrial base Ciudad Guayana, are found. Orinoco is the vein of this region offering means of transportation and trade.

The Guiana Highlands take over the central and southern regions of the state. Here lies the most picturesque topography, the famous tepuis, the giant, flat-headed mountains of precambrian sandstone, sudden upheavals of the rest of the jungle and savanna. The islands in the sky are important ecological islands, with large numbers of endemic species and a highly influential local Pemon mythology. Mount Roraima, the tallest point in the state (2,875 meters) is a well-known tepui that borders on a tripoint with Brazil and Guyana.

The area containing these geological features especially the southeast lies in what is known as La Gran Sabana (The Great Savannah), a large stretch of grass land punctuated with forests and spectacular waterfalls. The Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which contains Angel Falls (Kerepakupai Meru), the largest continuous waterfall in the world, is located in this area.

Bolivar is extremely important in terms of water. Large rivers, such as the Caroni, the Caura, and the Paragua, cut deep gorges in the rock of the Shield. It is most important in the Caroni, part of the enormous Guri Dam hydroelectric power plant, which provides much of the electricity in Venezuela. The climate is tropical with specific wet and dry seasons although temperatures are always high in the lowlands with tepui summits being very cool.

Geographically, the wealth of natural resources is synonymous with the economic prosperity of the state. It hosts some of the biggest reserves of iron ore, not to mention large amounts of gold and bauxite (aluminum ore), and is the main mining and industrial hub of the country, known as the Venezuelan Guayana.

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