Falcón


Falcón State is one of the 23 states that constitute Venezuela. The state capital is Coro.

History

The area was first explored in 1499 by Juan de la Cosa and Américo Vespucio, as part of an expedition supervised by Alonso de Ojeda. The origins of Falcon go back to 1527 when the city of Coro was founded and received the name of "Santa Ana de Coro" by Juan Ampíes, who did it in the name of his father for a conquest that received the same name in Santo Domingo. In 1811, when Venezuela declared its independence, Coro remained faithful to the Spanish Crown and merged with the Province of Maracaibo, until Fernando VII decreed the creation of the Province of Coro in 1815. Finally in 1821 when it was liberated by Josefa Camejo during the War of Independence it appears as a province of the department of Zulia of the Republic of the Great Colombia. In 1830, with the separation of Venezuela from this republic, it was formed in one of its provinces.
In 1856 it is confirmed its category of province integrated by the cantons of Coro, San Luis, Casigua, Costa Arriba, Cumarebo and Paraguaná. In 1859, after the events of the initiation of the Federal War that took place on February 20 in Coro, it is declared the Independent State of Coro. In 1864 it became a federal state, part of the United States of Venezuela, as the confederation was called.
In 1872 it was renamed Falcon State, in honor of the Federal War leader Juan Crisóstomo Falcón. In 1879, along with Lara and Yaracuy, minus the Department of Nirgua, it became part of the Western Northern State. Between 1881 and 1890 it formed with Zulia the State Falcon-Zulia. In 1891 it appears again as an independent state with the name of Falcon. In 1899 it suffers a change of name, recovering for a short period of time its historical denomination of Estado Coro; returning in 1901 with the name that is known at the present time.
In 1899, the territory comprising the towns of Tucacas and Chichiriviche, which until that year belonged to the Great State of Lara, was annexed, giving to the latter what is now the municipality of Urdaneta.
Coro, the capital, founded with the name of Santa Ana de Coro, was declared National Monument in 1950, and UNESCO has named it Cultural Patrimony of the Humanity in 1993.

Geography

Falcon State is located in the north of the geographic region called the Corian System. To the south, it is made up of medium altitude mountain ranges configured from east to west, which in the eastern part of the state reach the Caribbean forming maritime valleys. While the western part, from the city of Coro there is a coastal plain that runs parallel to the Gulf of Venezuela. To the north lies one of the most characteristic geographic features that make up the Venezuelan coast: the Paraguana Peninsula, linked to the mainland by the isthmus of Los Medanos de Coro.

Climate

The semi-arid climate of scarce rainfall dominates the western coast and the Paraguaná peninsula. In Coro there are 417 mm of rain per year, which usually falls in dry years, with an average temperature of 28.4 °C, while in Punto Fijo there are 316 mm of annual rainfall with average temperatures of 27.6 °C. The extremely dry desert conditions, with rainfall of less than 300 mm, are recognised on the western coasts of Cordoba and above all on the isthmus of Los Médanos de Coro, with average annual temperatures of between 28 and 29 °C. In the eastern coastal sectors, rainfall increases from 800 to 1200 mm per year, always with high temperatures. Somewhat more favorable, with temperatures between 25 and 27 °C, are the climatic conditions of the mountainous foothills, recognizing a sub-humid climate in the higher altitudes of the Sierras de San Luis and Churuguara, with annual rainfall of 1300 mm and average temperatures of 22 °C.

Soils

On the coast line they are calcareous, and between the Lara and Falcón mountains they are clayey. They vary in quality, but in general the availability of land for traditional agriculture can be classified as low, with 89% of very low potential, 3% of low potential and 6% of moderate potential.
Only 2% of it, located in the Southeast valleys and alluvial areas, basins with very high potential. The limitations of the arid and semi-arid soils come from salinity, water deficit caused by low rainfall, low concentration of organic matter and the influence of climatic agents such as wind.

Relief

The Corian System of Falcon State presents a diversity of landscapes ranging from coastal plains on its Caribbean side, to mountain ranges formed by valleys and hills, in an area of transition between the two major mountain systems of the country. The Sierra de San Luis has the highest altitude of the entire system of basins of that state, but are very modest heights whose maximum does not exceed 1600 meters. Cerro Santa Ana is a natural monument located in the center of the Paraguaná peninsula. Unlike the rest of the peninsula, the characteristics of Santa Ana Hill are the contrast between its greenness and the xerophytic vegetation of the Paraguaná area. It has three peaks: the Santa Ana, the Buena Vista and Moruy.

Hydrography

The state's hydrography is very poor, all the rivers flow into the north, either into the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Venezuela. However, the main Venezuelan river of the Caribbean basin, the Tocuyo, bathes a large area of the state flowing into the Caribbean on the East Coast of the state after travelling 423 km. Another river worth mentioning that flows into the Caribbean is the Aroa with a length of 130 km. From the basin of the Gulf of Venezuela, the main ones are the Matícora and the Mitare with 120 km.
The marine flora is very rich. There is a great diversity of algae on the rocky shores and on the reef bottoms. The fishing potential of its waters is enormous and among the species that are extracted are shrimp, octopus, squid, mackerel, corocoro, mullet, horse mackerel, lebranche and dogfish. Other species require protection such as sea turtles and the coastal alligator. The latter inhabits the coastal mangroves of Morrocoy, Cuare and the isthmus, along with the sea shearwater, herons, italic=no, gannets and the flamingo. Among the invertebrates, the Hueque scorpion stands out, discovered in the caves of the Juan Crisostomo Falcon National Park and which is distributed in a great part of the Falconian territory; the giant scolopendra, which is the largest centipede in the world, and the blue tarantula of Paraguaná are also native.
In the cardonales and spines that occupy the lower areas, plants heavily armed with thorns predominate. The italic=no, broom, yabo, italic=no, tunas and italic=no are common. Aloe vera and sisal crops are scattered throughout the region. In this environment, bats, savannah rabbits, common foxes, wild mice, iguanas and lizards stand out; and among the birds are the cardinal coriano and the paraulata llanera or chuchube. It is also the endemic site of the Hueque scorpion, a species of native scorpion whose distribution is exclusively from the state of Falcon.
On the upper slopes of the mountains, cloud forests dominate where an enormous variety of ferns and palms grow. In the limestone formations of the sierra you can find the guácharo, as well as interesting birds such as the blacksmith's bell bird and the emerald-billed toucan, and reptiles such as the nibbling turtle, a species endemic to the mountains of the Sistema Coriano.

Geology

Early Cretaceous rocks cover the pre-existing sedimentary units in the South, in what is one of the thickest sections in South America. The rounded hills of the Cocodite table are supported by an ancient igneous-metromorphic complex and a poorly metamorphosed Jurassic succession.
To the east of Vela de Coro and Cumarebo, the foothills are supported by outcrops of the young Tertiary, also present to the north of Urumaco, where the stones are rough and darkened by iron oxide; while the plains concentrated in the lower part of the rivers are alluvial.
The arid plain presents quaternary earthquakes, with elevations sustained by rocks from the upper tertiary.

Municipalities and municipal seats

Falcon State is subdivided into 25 municipalities, listed below with their administrative capitals, areas and populations.
MunicipalityAdministrative
Capital		Area Population
Census 2011		Estimate
30 June 2016
AcostaSan Juan de los Cayos75719,04521,272
BolívarSan Luis2958,5399,420
BuchivacoaCapatárida2,65722,89725,470
Cacique ManaureYaracal19010,87412,149
CarirubanaPunto Fijo684239,444276,251
ColinaLa Vela de Coro58241,51046,631
DabajuroDabajuro1,14423,38826,364
DemocraciaPedregal2,6029,94411,293
FalcónPueblo Nuevo1,57746,21555,196
FederaciónChuruguara1,08429,25133,138
JacuraJacura1,84211,23212,492
Los TaquesSanta Cruz de Los Taques23141,57945,681
MauroaMene de Mauroa1,90424,92027,488
MirandaSanta Ana de Coro1,805211,537239,961
Monseñor IturrizaChichiriviche90719,30021,927
PalmasolaPalmasola1947,0778,306
PetitCabure1,02513,72515,316
PírituPíritu1,16810,62811,685
San FranciscoMirimire34611,03012,219
SilvaTucacas53732,19341,826
SucreLa Cruz de Taratara8405,7816,379
TocóperoTocópero835,5196,010
UniónSanta Cruz de Bucaral97515,66017,441
UrumacoUrumaco7528,3499,044
ZamoraPuerto Cumarebo61933,21037,868
Estado FalcónCoro24,800902,8471,030,827

The Paraguaná Peninsula comprises the municipalities of Carirubana, Los Taques and Falcón.

Demographics

The population of Falcon State in 2011 was 902,847 inhabitants, while in 2001 there were 763,188 inhabitants. Its population density has risen from 30.8 inhabitants/km² in 2001 to 36.4 inhabitants/km² in 2011. Due to the constant growth of urban areas, a decrease in rural life is observed, with the urban population reaching 67.3% of the total state population in 1990. In 2011 it is estimated that the urban population will be around 600,000 inhabitants, distributed in several cities headed by the conurbation of 228,931 inhabitants formed by the city of Santa Ana de Coro and its port La Vela de Coro ; and by the metropolitan area of Punto Fijo, which includes the initial fishing villages of Las Piedras, Carirubana and Punta Cardón with a population of over 300,000 inhabitants.
Other medium sized cities structure their respective areas of influence, highlighting Puerto Cumarebo, Dabajuro, Tucacas, Churuguara and Mene de Mauroa. Moreover, according to the last population census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics in 2011, 55.7% of the population is ethnically recognized as mestizo; 38.9% as Caucasian, concentrated mainly in the city of Punto Fijo; and 4.1% identified themselves as black.

Race and ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, the estimated racial composition of the population was:
Racial compositionEst. Pop.%
Mestizo513,00055.7
White358,00038.9
Black44,0004.8
Other race6,0000.6

Main population centers

Economic resources

Its economic resources include;
Agricultural products: Sugar cane, coconut, corn, melon, yam, ocumo and sorghum.
The main economic activity in terms of employment is agriculture, with important crops such as coconut, onions, corn, tomatoes, patilla, melon, coffee, aloe and legumes.
The state of Falcon is the first producer of coconut and copra, goats and their derivatives; second in production of fish and vegetables such as onions, and paprika; third in production of bovine milk and melon. It also has great advantages for the production of dry floor vegetables such as melon, onions, sideburns and tomatoes. The coconut alone has approximately 20,000 hectares cultivated, and there is availability for the expansion of surface area on the eastern coast of Falcon State. Falcon State is one of the main producers of aloe vera in Venezuela, and in the coffee area has a farm of 3500 hectares, but with a provision of 12 700 hectares, distributed in the Sierra de Coro in the south of the federal entity.
In the mountains coffee is cultivated, having prestige the productions in the Sierra de San Luis and Sierra de Churuguara.
In the Eastern Coast there are important plantations of coconut trees, which have developed an important industry of oil extraction and use of copra. As for livestock, there is an abundance of goats, cattle and, to a lesser extent, pigs.

Economic activities

Falcon is the Venezuelan state that has more kilometers of coast, therefore the fishing activity has special dimensions. The annual production is 30,471 tons of fish and seafood, landed in the ports of Las Piedras, Carirubana, Puerto Cumarebo, Zazárida, Chichiriviche, and La Vela de Coro, highlighting the industrialization of crustaceans with the presence in the extensive coast of the state of shrimp farms, as in Boca de Ricoa and at various points of the Paraguaná peninsula.
In Falcón, there are some exploited oil fields in Mene de Mauroa, Media, Hombre Pintado and Tiguaje and natural gas fields in Cumarebo and other nearby areas. However, the main activity of the oil industry is in the Paraguaná Refining Center, one of the largest in the world, made up of the Amuay Refining Complex and the Cardón Refinery, both with a capacity of 940,000 barrels of oil per day, which represents 75% of Venezuela's total refining capacity. These refineries are fed with crude oil and gas through polyducts coming from the Maracaibo Lake basin. Likewise, a tourist investment free zone has been consolidated in the Paraguaná peninsula.
Falcón also has mineral deposits to generate basic inputs for industries such as ceramics, fertilizers, energy, chemicals, abrasives, metalworking, pharmaceuticals, pottery, and paint, among others. Phosphates are exploited in Riecito and limestone in Chichiriviche, which are processed at the Cumarebo cement plant. It also has immense coal deposits in the western zone, with proven reserves for open-pit mining in the order of 20 million metric tons, and reserves estimated at 120 million metric tons, within a radius of action of 50,000 hectares. Other minerals in the area include graphite, silica, limestone, dolomite, phosphate, chromite and marble.
Thanks to the dry and arid climate, there are five natural salt flats and some 220,000 hectares of land suitable for the construction of artificial salt flats spread throughout the Falconian territory. Of all the salt mines, only the Las Cumaraguas salt mine is under industrial exploitation, the rest being exploited by hand.
Also thanks to its natural landscapes tourism is gaining importance in the economy of the State.

Tourism

National parks and monuments

The region is mostly coastal lowlands and the northern Andean mountain hills, and is mostly dry with limited agriculture production. Farming mostly occurs in river valleys and mountainous areas, and includes maize, coconut, sesame, coffee and sugar cane.
Coro, the state capitol and the Paraguaná Peninsula have had significant amounts of industrialization and growth. Large oil refineries such as the Paraguana Refinery Complex in the city of Punto Fijo are located on the southwestern shore of the Paraguaná Peninsula, and approximately two-thirds of Venezuela’s total oil production occurs in this area, much of which is exported via tanker ships that ship internationally through the port of Amuay.

Culture

Handicrafts

Falconian craftsmanship is rich in artistic expression. Within the popular handicrafts are the hammocks with unique styles, techniques and values of the state. The craft production is large and varied. The craftsmen of the towns that surround the city of Coro specialize in the manufacture of furniture with the wood of the cardon, the stick of Arch and the curarí. The wood is complemented using vegetable fibers such as sisal or with cow and goat skins. In Paraguaná the clay is worked to build objects for current domestic use, applying the same techniques used by the Caquetíos Indians. On the eastern coast the attraction is the basketwork made with bulrush, cocuiza and vines and the hammocks made with thread.

Gastronomy

The typical Falconian food allows the enjoyment of a variety of flavors represented in its specialties, such as goat talkarí, italic=no, goat milk cheese, custard, peeled arepa and goat milk candy. At a national level, rice with coconut and rice pudding is one of the most popular sweets, especially during the Easter season.

Folklore

Folkloric, traditional and religious expressions offer a seal of originality in the state. In typical celebrations, features of African, indigenous and European cultures are associated. Among these celebrations is the Baile de las Turas, which has its origin in an indigenous dance related to the hunting season and the harvesting of the corn crop. It is celebrated in San Pedro, El Tural and Mapararí in the mountain region, between 23 and 24 September. The drum dances in the cities of Coro, La Vela and Puerto Cumarebo are very joyful and colorful, and the celebration of the Day of the Mad in La Vela de Coro, with masked parades in the streets and public squares, reaches a display similar to that of the great carnivals of the world.

Sports

Sports facilities

As a federal state, it is autonomous and equal in political terms to the other members of the Federation. It organizes its administration and public powers through the Federal Constitution of Falcon State of 2004, issued by the Legislative Council.

Executive Power

It is composed of the Governor of the State of Falcon and a group of State Secretaries of his confidence who are freely appointed and removed by the regional government. The Governor is elected by the people through direct and secret vote for a period of four years and with the possibility of immediate reelection for equal periods, being in charge of the state administration before the Legislative Council
The first elected governor of Falcon was Aldo Cermeño of the Social Christian Party COPEI, who would govern in the period between 1989 and 1992. The current state governor is Victor Clark, of the ruling PSUV party, elected for the 2017-2021 period.
Like the other 23 federal entities of Venezuela, the State maintains its own police force, which is supported and complemented by the National Police and the Venezuelan National Guard.

Legislative Power

The state legislature is the responsibility of the Falcon State Legislative Council. It is a unicameral and autonomous body, elected by the people through direct and secret vote every four years, and may be re-elected for two consecutive periods, under a system of proportional representation of the population of the state and its municipalities. It has 11 legislators, of which 3 are list and 8 are nominal.