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Delta Amacuro State Estado Delta Amacuro
—  State  —
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: La Paz en la Federación (English: The Peace in the Federation)
Anthem: Delta Amacuro State Anthem
Location within Venezuela
Country	Venezuela
Created	1991[c]
Capital	Tucupita
Government
• Governor	Lizeta Hernández (2008–2012)
Area
• Total	40,200 km2 (15,500 sq mi)
Area rank	7th
	4,39% of Venezuela
Population (2007 est.)
• Total	152,700
• Rank	23rd
	0.42% of Venezuela
Time zone	UTC-04:30
ISO 3166 code	VE-Y
Emblematic tree	Mangle rojo (Rhizophora mangle)
^[c] Prior to this date, Delta Amacuro had Federal Territory status, granted in 1884.

Delta Amacuro State (Spanish: Estado Delta Amacuro, IPA: [esˈtaðo ˈðelta amaˈkuɾo]) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, and is the location of the Orinoco Delta. The Paria Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean are found to the north, Bolívar State is found to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and Guyana are found to the east, and Monagas State is found to the west. The state capital city is Tucupita.

Delta Amacuro State covers a total surface area of 40,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 152,700.

Child malnutrition has reached a level of 30 percent of the population under age five, according to United Nations statistics; this is the fraction of the child population classified as stunted or wasted.

The Orinoco River delta

History[link]

The Warao people have lived in this region since well before the Europeans arrived in America. Thanks to the remoteness of the Delta, the Warao managed to keep a certain independence from the European and later criollo colonizers.

Columbus arrived at the coast off the Delta on 1 August 1498 during his third voyage to America. He wrote about the macareo, the noise that occurs when a large river flow (the Orinoco river) meets the ocean currents.

As the Delta connects to the Orinoco, it became the point of entry from the Ocean to Guayana.

Diego de Ordaz explored the territory from June 1531, when he sailed upstream the Orinoco River with several ships.^[1] Antonio Berrío traveled through the region in the eighties of the XVI century. Fernando de Berrío, Antonio Berrío's son, initiated expeditions going through the area in search for El Dorado. Walter Raleigh crossed the Delta in 1594, 1595 and finally on his last expedition, in 1616.

Walter Raleigh was three times in the area

The Delta was part of New Andalusia. Alexander von Humboldt wrote in his Voyages to the Equinoccial Regions that the Waraos were the only native Americans still free from control from the Spanish authorities in the province. He said people calculated the Warao population in the Delta at around 6.000-7.000 individuals, although he thought there were less.

The territory became part of the Province of Guayana when Venezuela became independent.

Delta Amacuro in 1840: Piacoa Canton, part of the Province of Guayana

On 27 February 1884 the Delta became Federal Territory and was composed of the districts Manoa and Guzmán Blanco. The territory was attached soon afterwards to the Bolivar state. It became a Federal Territory again on 26 April 1901. The catholic missionary Barral arrived in the area in the thirties of the XX century and established a couple of religious missions and schools. He carried out some of the first studies on the Warao language.^[2] The Delta became state on 3 August 1991.

In the last decade, Delta Amacuro has seen an important migration of criollo Venezuelans looking for jobs in the oil sector.

Economy[link]

The main economic activities are fishing, ranching and petroleum drilling and refinement. Mineral resources include petroleum and peat. Agricultural resources include corn, rice, cattle, pigs, birds, yucca, pineapple, and pine nuts.

There is some limited tourism in the area.

Guayana Fortress, a Spanish fortress located in the Casacoima municipality

Population[link]

Natives warao. Photo: Roar Johansen

The native Americans Warao Indians live mostly here. According to the population count for First Nations, there were in 2001 some 2680 native Americans in the Delta, most of which were Waraos. The Waraos have their own language, but they are mostly bilingual.

The population in the main cities is composed mostly of other Venezuelans.

Economy[link]

The Delta Amacuro is one of the poorest regions of Venezuela. The main economic activities are fishing, cattle raising and the oil industry.

Main products:

• Agriculture: rice, maize, cattle, chickens, coconuts, bananas, maniok, pineapples, palmito plant.

• Industry: oil products.

• Forest: cuajo, mangrove, moriche, seje, yagrumo.

• Minerals: oil, gold, peat.

Politics[link]

Delta Amacuro is one of the 23 Venezuelan states and as such it has a government elected every 4 years. There is a governor and a legislative council.

Legislative council[link]

The Consejo Legislativo del Estado Delta Amacuro is a unicameral chamber elected by direct vote every for years. The council is made up of 7 members. At the current moment they belong to the PSUV party.

Municipalities[link]

3 of the 4 municipalities are managed by PSUV mayors. Pedernales is ruled by an independent mayor.

Municipalities and municipal seats[link]

Delta Amacuro is divided into four municipalities (with a total of 22 parishes):

Municipality	Capital	Surface km²	Population 2001	Localition
Antonio Díaz	Curiapo	22.746,49	19.308
Casacoima	Sierra Imataca	2.920,69	29.200
Pedernales	Pedernales	3.537	6.990
Tucupita	Tucupita	10.996	72.856

See also[link]

• States of Venezuela

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Delta Amacuro

References[link]

1. ^ Urs Bitterli: Die Entdeckung Amerikas (1999). p. 282
2. ^ Warao studies (report in German from Tübingen University

v t e Administrative divisions of Venezuela Capital District Caracas States Amazonas Anzoátegui Apure Aragua Barinas Bolívar Carabobo Cojedes Delta Amacuro Falcón Guárico Lara Mérida Miranda Monagas Nueva Esparta Portuguesa Sucre Táchira Trujillo Vargas Yaracuy Zulia Dependencies Los Monjes Archipelago Las Aves archipelago Isla Aves Los Hermanos Archipelago Islas Los Frailes Los Roques archipelago La Sola Island La Tortuga Island La Orchila Blanquilla Island Los Testigos Islands Isla de Patos Regions Andean Capital Central Central-Western Guayana Insular Llanos North-Eastern South-Western Zulian Claimed Guayana Esequiba

Coordinates: 10°3′N 60°48′W / 10.05°N 60.8°W / 10.05; -60.8

Nicolás Maduro Moros
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2006
President	Hugo Chávez
Preceded by	Alí Rodríguez Araque
Personal details
Born	November 23, 1962 Caracas

Nicolás Maduro Moros (born 23 November 1962 in Caracas) is a Venezuelan politician who was appointed foreign minister by President Hugo Chávez on 9 August 2006.^[1]

Biography[link]

Nicolas Maduro began his political career as a bus driver and unofficial trade-unionist representing the workers of the Caracas Metro system in the 1970s and 1980s (back then, unions within the Metro company were not allowed). He finished high school in the Liceo Avalos, a public high-school west of Caracas during the '80 (El Valle neighborhood), but lacks any university or further education. He is considered one of the founders of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), but his biggest political accomplishment was as activist for the release of Hugo Chávez from prison, and later as one of this regional political coordinators during the 1998 presidential race. Maduro was elected on the MVR ticket to the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies in 1998, to the National Constituent Assembly in 1999, and to the National Assembly in 2000 and 2005, representing the Capital District. The legislature elected him Speaker of the Assembly, even though he did not have a college degree or formal education. He held that position from 2005 until the first half of 2006.^[2] Maduro is married to Cilia Flores,^[3] herself a prominent figure within the MVR. She replaced Maduro as Speaker of assembly.^[4]

In January 2009, Israel ordered the Venezuelan ambassador and his staff to leave the country after Venezuela expelled Israeli diplomats over Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Maduro stated, with regard to Israel's expelling of the Venezuelan ambassador, that "The response of the State of Israel is weak, late and in any case for us it's an honor. We're proud that the State of Israel that exists today, led by these criminals, made this decision."^[5]

On September 2006, he was detained by the Homeland Security officers at JFK Airport, after paying for three air tickets in cash.^[6]

On the 15th of December 2011, it was reported in El Universal that President Hugo Chavez wished to make Maduro, the PSUV candidate in the state of Carabobo for governor, which is currently held by the opposition MUD.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Exteriores (Venezuelan Foreign Ministry)
• Nicolás Maduro Moros, Ministro del Poder Popular para Relaciones Exteriores (government CV)