Puerto La Cruz facts for kids

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For the Canary Island city, see Puerto de la Cruz.

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Puerto La Cruz

City

Top:Panorama view of Lecheria and Las Villes area, Middle:Paseo Colon Beach (Playa del Paseo Colon), El Saco Beach, (Playa del El Saco), Bottom:Panoramic view of downtown Urbani Sacion, from El Saco Beach (all item from left to right)

Flag

Seal

Puerto La Cruz

Location in Venezuela

Municipality

Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality

Founded

1862

Area

• Total

244 km² (94 sq mi)

Elevation

10 m (30 ft)

Population

• Total

454,312

• Density

1,862/km² (4,822/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Portocruzano/a

Time zone

UTC−4 (VET)

Postal code

6023

Area code

0281

Climate

BSh

Puerto La Cruz is a busy port city in Anzoátegui State, Venezuela. It's the main city of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality. You can easily reach it by road from nearby cities like Barcelona, Lecheria, and Guanta.

Geography of Puerto La Cruz
History of Puerto La Cruz
Economy and Tourism
Transportation in Puerto La Cruz
Mass Transportation Plans
Places to Visit
Education in Puerto La Cruz
Sports in Puerto La Cruz
Notable People from Puerto La Cruz
Media in Puerto La Cruz
Images for kids
See also

Geography of Puerto La Cruz

Puerto La Cruz sits right on the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea. The city's height above sea level changes a lot, from about 64 to 767 meters (210 to 2,516 feet). It is located at Latitude 10° 13' N and Longitude 64° 37' W. The weather is usually warm, with temperatures between 25 and 28 °C (77 and 82 °F). The city is next to Mochima National Park and the Coastal Mountains.

History of Puerto La Cruz

The story of Puerto La Cruz began when the Spanish arrived on the northern coast of what is now Venezuela.

In 1780, a Christian mission called Pozuelos (meaning "small wells") was started by local native people.

On April 9, 1862, 26 families from Margarita Island decided to settle in Pozuelos Bay. Over time, this settlement chose the Virgen del Amparo (Virgin of Amparo) and the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz) as their religious symbols. They celebrate their patron saint on November 8 and the Holy Cross on May 3.

By 1868, the first church was built. Slowly, the town's name changed to Puerto de la Santa Cruz (Port of the Holy Cross). Later, it was shortened to Puerto La Cruz.

Economy and Tourism

Puerto La Cruz is home to a very important oil refinery. This refinery can process 200,000 barrels of oil every day. It provides oil for Venezuela and exports it to other Caribbean countries like Cuba. About 50 km (31 mi) away is the José Plant Complex. This is a major processing center for oil from the states of Monagas and Anzoátegui. It belongs to PDVSA, Venezuela's biggest oil company.

The city is also a key point for oil and gas pipelines. It is the end point for pipelines from Carapito (145 km or 90 mi), San Joaquin (155 km or 96 mi), and Anaco (184 km or 114 mi).

Puerto La Cruz is a gateway to a large national park. The beautiful beaches of Mochima National Park are all around the city. Places like Isla de Plata, Playa Conoma, Isla Arapo, and Playa Arapito are famous for their natural beauty.

To the west of the city, you'll find a main ferry terminal. From here, you can take a ferry to Isla Margarita. To the east, there's a private marina for tourists. You can take day trips to islands in the national park, such as Playa El Faro, Los Chimanas, Cachicamo, and Isla Borracha.

Besides tourism, many big international banks have their main offices here. The city is also growing with many new shops and large shopping centers.

Transportation in Puerto La Cruz

View of the Conferry of Puerto La Cruz.

Puerto La Cruz has many large roads that cross the city. Some of the main ones are:

Av. Municipal: This is the city's main avenue. It has multiple lanes for traffic and was the first road to be paved.
Av. 5 Julio: This avenue is very popular for shopping. Many of the shops here are owned by people of Arab descent.
Av. Paseo Colon: This avenue runs along the beautiful Bay of Pozuelos, which is one of the largest bays in the world. It has a nice walking area (boulevard) where you can see the city's symbol, the Holy Cross. Many well-known hotels are also located here.
Av. Bolivar: This avenue has many shops selling car spare parts and car dealerships. It connects to Av. Miranda and the Intercommunal Jorge Rodriguez Avenue, which helps with land travel.
Prolongation Paseo Colon: This is an extension of Av. Paseo Colon. It starts near the Razil Hotel and goes towards Lechería.

Puerto La Cruz has several ports. From these ports, you can reach many places, attractions, and shopping areas. You can travel to Margarita Island using ferry services like Conferry and Gran Cacique Express. You can also reach the beaches on the islands of Mochima National Park from Lechería.

In Guaraguao, Puerto La Cruz, there is also a special terminal. This terminal is used for sending and receiving crude oil that has been processed at the city's refinery.

Puerto La Cruz does not have its own airport. People use the Generál José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport in the nearby city of Barcelona.

Mass Transportation Plans

El Faro Island in the Mochima National Park

View of Puerto La Cruz from the Caribbean Sea

Local leaders have been working on plans for a modern public transportation system. They have discussed building a network with a Chinese company. The goal is to reduce traffic in the city by a lot. This big project might include both air and land transport sections.

Places to Visit

Chuparin Urbanization.

Cruz del Paseo Colón, a city landmark.

Galería Colón Tower.

A street in Puerto La Cruz.

View of Puerto La Cruz at night.

Paseo Colon
Andres Eloy Blanco Park
La Toma, San Diego Sector
The Laguna Natural Maguey
Club Terminal Guaraguao

Education in Puerto La Cruz

The city has many universities, institutes, and schools. Here are some of them:

Universities

UDO Universidad de Oriente, Nucleus Anzoátegui Av. Argimiro Gabaldon. Barcelona (Public)
UGMA University Grand Marshal of Ayacucho. Barcelona (Main Campus)
UNIMET Metropolitan University (Graduate Studies)
IUPSM Polytechnic Institute "Santiago Mariño." Barcelona (Main Campus)
USM University of Santa Maria (East Campus). Barcelona

Institutes

Institute of Technology Jose Antonio Anzoátegui. (Public).
University Institute of Technology (IUTA) with 2 locations: Barcelona and Puerto La Cruz. (Private).
Institute Monsignor Arias Blanco. (Private).
Instituto Universitario Pedro Maria Freites. (Private).
University Institute of Technology "Antonio José de Sucre" (Private)
University Institute of Technology "Rodolfo Loera Arismendi" (Private).

Schools and Colleges

College Juan Crisostomo Falcon
Carmen Mary College
College Miguel Otero Silva
Salesian College Pius XII
Basic School Great Liberator
L.B Mercedes de Pérez Freites
U.E Angel Mottola
U.E.C Antonio Maria Claret
U.E. Dr. Cristóbal Mendoza
U.E General Isaias Medina Angarita
U.E College Laura Vicuna
U.E Strings Down
U.E Alcazar's Neveri
U.E Bolivarian Guaraguao
U.E Colegio Italo Venezolano, Angelo Marta
U.E Colegio Santa Teresita.
U.E From Jean-Jacques Rousseau Integral Support
Dr U.E. Raúl Leoni
U.E Eloy Guillermo Gonzalez
U.E Eloy Palacios
U.E Gual and Spain
U.E Iberoamericana
Experimental Institute U.E
U.E Jacinto Benavente
U.E Juan Antonio Sotillo
U.E Lights and Virtues
U.E Mother Maria de San Jose
U.E Manuel Placido Maneiro
U.E Maria Montesorri
U.E Martin Tovar & Tovar
U.E Minerva
U.E Our Lady of Fatima
U.E Our Lady of Lourdes
U.E Our Lady of Lourdes II
U.E Romulo Gallegos
U.E San Celestino
U.E Liberator Simón Bolívar
U.E Simon Rodriguez
U.E Tomás Alfaro Calatrava
U.E Virgen del Carmen
U.E Carlos Soublette

International schools:

Colegio Internacional de Puerto La Cruz (International School of Puerto La Cruz)
Escuela Las Américas
QSI International School of Puerto La Cruz in Lechería, previously the Escuela De Las Americas Puerto La Cruz, acquired by Quality Schools International in 2004. (CLOSED)

Spanish Language Schools

Jakera Spanish School Playa Colorada [1]

Sports in Puerto La Cruz

Alfonso Chico Carrasquel Stadium.

Puerto La Cruz has good sports facilities. Work has been done to improve the local sports complex. This is because more and more sports fans live in the eastern part of Venezuela.

Baseball

The city is home to the baseball team Caribes de Anzoátegui. They play at the Estadio Alfonso Chico Carrasquel. This stadium can hold 18,000 fans.

Basketball

The city also has a professional basketball team called Marinos de Anzoátegui. They play in the Polideportivo Simón Bolívar, also known as the Caldera del Diablo.

Football

Puerto La Cruz has two football stadiums. The Jose Antonio Anzoátegui stadium can hold 40,000 people. It hosted some matches for the Copa América 2007 tournament. The stadium is the home field for the football team Deportivo Anzoátegui. They play in the top football league in Venezuela.

The other stadium is the Salvador de la Plaza stadium. It is home to the football team Inter Anzoátegui, which plays in the Third Division.

Sports Clubs