Geography of Maracaibo
Maracaibo, Venezuela, the capital of Zulia state. It is a port on the western shore of the strait between the Gulf of Venezuela and Lake Maracaibo, 320 miles (515 km) west of Caracas. Maracaibo is among the world's main exporters of petroleum, produced in the Lake Maracaibo Basin. Products manufactured here include processed foods, chemicals, and cement. The University of Zulia is here.
Maracaibo was founded in the 1500's. In 1669 it was sacked by the English buccaneer Henry Morgan. A town of only 18,000 at the end of World War I, Maracaibo expanded as foreign interests developed the newly discovered oil resources.
Population: 1,400,643.