Ciudad Bolívar
Venezuela · Americas
About Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar, formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about 1 mile (1.6 km) in width, is the site of the first bridge across the river, and is a major riverport for the eastern regions of Venezuela.
Historic Angostura gave its name to the Congress of Angostura, to the Angostura tree, to the House of Angostura, and to Angostura bitters. Modern Ciudad Bolívar has a well-preserved historic center; a cathedral and other original colonial buildings surround the Plaza Bolívar.
Originally a Spanish settlement, it was called Santo Tomé de Guayana (Saint Thomas of Guyana). The settlement was a fortified port which had to be moved on three occasions because it was constantly attacked by Carib natives and European rivals, such as the Dutch and English.
The first settlements were located downstream from Ciudad Bolívar.
In 1576 Saint Thomas of Guyana was located near present-day Ciudad Guayana which is at the confluence with the Caroní River. Dutch forces led by Captain Adrian Janson...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.