Ciudad Guayana
Planned industrial city at the confluence of the Orinoco and Caroní rivers.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Ciudad Guayana is a city in Bolívar State, Venezuela, officially founded in 1961 by the unification of two former settlements: the old town of San Félix and the newer area of Puerto Ordaz. It stretches 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco River at its confluence with the Caroní River, and is Venezuela's fastest-growing city, with approximately one million people in the greater metro area. Its importance stems from its iron, steel, aluminum, and hydroelectric industries, as well as its role as a top-five shipping location for goods produced in Bolívar state.
- Founded
- 1961
- Country
- Venezuela
- State
- Bolívar
- Population (metro area)
- Approximately one million
- Known for
- Iron, steel, aluminum, hydroelectric industries; planned city design
- Major river
- Orinoco
- Airport
- Manuel Carlos Piar International Airport
Lore & Background
The area was first explored in 1531 by Diego de Ordaz, and later expeditions led by Juan González Sosa and Alfonso Herrera discovered jungles and plains along the Orinoco. In 1591, Antonio de Berrio founded Santo Tome de Guayana at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco, near the Indian village of Cachamay. The settlement was destroyed multiple times by pirates and conquerors, including an English expedition sent by Walter Raleigh in 1618. In 1764, residents were relocated to Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar) due to attacks. The modern city was founded on July 2, 1961, as Ciudad Guayana.
Reader's Guide
Ciudad Guayana is significant as a planned city designed with the participation of the Harvard–MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies. Its layout, with highways, residential areas, schools, and recreational facilities, was intended to house 2.5 million people by 2020. The city's economy is driven by major industries located in Puerto Ordaz, including Alcasa, Venalum, Bauxilum, Ferrominera, and SIDOR, as well as the hydroelectric plants managed by CVG Edelca, such as Macagua and Caruachi within city limits. The Orinoquia Bridge, inaugurated in 2006, connects the city to the opposite bank of the Orinoco. Notable visitors include Pope John Paul II, former American president G.W. Bush, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The city is also home to two football clubs, LALA FC and Mineros de Guayana, playing at the CTE Cachamay stadium.
Did You Know?
- Ciudad Guayana was officially founded in 1961 by unifying San Félix and Puerto Ordaz.
- The city hosts the headquarters of CVG Edelca, Venezuela's main electricity producer.
- The Orinoquia Bridge, inaugurated in 2006, is the second largest bridge in Venezuela.
- US Steel built housing for American immigrant workers in Puerto Ordaz until nationalization of the steel industry.
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