Maracay

Maracay is a city (population: 2001 census 491,797, although the "metropolitan" area, which encompasses other small settlements is estimated to have around 1.000.000 inhabitants) in central Venezuela and is the capital and most important city of Aragua State. It was officially established on March 5, 1701, by Bishop Diego de Ba?os y Sotomayor in the valleys of Tocopio and Tapatapa (what is known today as the central valley of Aragua) in northern Venezuela. It was named Maracay after a local indigenous chief. Maracay seems to mean "Tiger" in an ancient Caribbean language.

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Today Maracay is a modern city with a large manufacturing park. Main products are paper, textiles and chemicals.

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Maracay is also the home of the local baseball team "Tigres de Aragua".

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In Spanish, Maracay is known as "Ciudad Jard?n", or "Garden City". Maracay was the name of a Cacique (Caribe Indian Chief) of the indigeneous people that lived in the area before the Spanish discovery of America.

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Maracay is the cradle of Venezuelan aviation, and it is home to the two largest Air Force bases in the country, in addition to other military facilities including an Army Armor division and the Venezuelan Paratroopers main base and training center. It is also home to the government-owned ammunitions and weapons factory that produces the Venezuelan version of the FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Leger - Light Automatic Rifle) rifle. Maracay is a military city.

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Maracay has good transportation facilities and infrastructure that effectively connects it to the rest of the country, it is linked to most other important localities by the Autopista Regional del Centro (Central Regional Highway), it also has good access to the only, small railway system in the country. The city boasts the national Hidroplane airport, located on the shore of the Lago de Valencia (Lake of Valencia).

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One of the most important cities in Venezuela, Maracay is primarilly an industrial and commercial center, the city produces textiles, paper, cement, tobacco, cattle derivated foods, such as milk or meat conserves, as well as soap and perfumes. Even though it is an industrial center, the surroundings of Maracay live of an intensive agriculture, where sugarcane, tobacco, coffee and cocoa stand out as the main products. There are also cattle-herding and timber-cutting activities.

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The mountains on the north side of Maracay, that separate it from the coast, make up the Henry Pitier National Park, named after the German naturalist that studied them. The park is a very lush rainforest, with a great variety of ferns. Two very winding roads cut through the park over the mountains to the coast. One, begining at the North-Central part of the city known as Urbanizaci?n El Casta?o, goes to the beach town of Choroni. The other, begining at the North-Western part of the city known as Urbanizaci?n El Lim?n, goes to Ocumare de la Costa and the beaches of Cata and Catica.

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Maracay is the birthplace of several Major League Baseball players, including Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guill?n, Ray Olmedo, and Luis Gonz?lez.

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Maracay was affected by a rapid growth during Juan Vicente G?mez's dictatorship, from 1908 to 1936, year of his death in this very city. G?mez saw Maracay as a suitable place to make his residence during his rule, and his mere presence caused the city to grow very quickly. During his stay at Maracay, G?mez ordered the construction of an Arc of Triumph, a bull plaza, an ?pera and, most notably the Hotel Jard?n (Garden Hotel), a majestic, tourist attraction with very large gardens. The city is home to the Mausoleo de G?mez (G?mez's mausoleum), where the dictator's remains are stored, it also houses the Faculty of Veterinarians and Agronomy of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, as an extention of the Universidad de Carabobo.

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Aragua State: Estado Aragua is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and beautiful Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata and Choroni....

March 5: March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). There are 301 days remaining....

Caribbean: The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of countries and islands in the Caribbean Sea. These countries or islands are located from the southeastern areas of Mexico to the northwest of Venezuela in South America. There are at least 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cayes in the region. They are ...