The Libertador Bolivarian Municipality () is the only

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

of the Capital District of Venezuela and along with the municipalities of Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo and

Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...

forms the Metropolitan District of Caracas. It is landlocked by

Vargas State La Guaira State (), known until 2019 as Vargas State (, ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Formerly named after Venezuela's first civilian president, José María Vargas, the state comprises a coastal region in the north of Venezuela, bord ...

and also borders Miranda State on the east and south. The municipality is one of a number in Venezuela named " Libertador Municipality", in honour of Venezuelan independence hero

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

. Libertador is one of the smallest municipalities in Venezuela, with a total area of . It is the largest in terms of population, with approximately 2.1 million inhabitants. In this municipality is home to the

Miraflores presidential palace The Miraflores Palace ( Spanish: ''Palacio de Miraflores'') is the official dispatch and head office of the President of Venezuela. It is located on Urdaneta Avenue, Libertador Bolivarian Municipality in Caracas. History Construction and dec ...

, the Federal Legislative Palace, the National Electoral Council, the main offices of

PDVSA Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (acronym PDVSA, , English language, English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as e ...

and

CANTV CANTV () is the state-run telephone and internet service provider in Venezuela. It was one of the first telephone service enterprises in the country, founded in 1930. The largest telecommunications provider in Venezuela, it was privatized in 19 ...

, the

Central Bank of Venezuela The Central Bank of Venezuela (, BCV) is the central bank of Venezuela. It is responsible for issuing and maintaining the value of the Venezuelan bolívar and is the governing agent of the Venezuelan Clearing House System (including an automate ...

and the public ministry.

History

It was first established in 1901 under the name of Libertador Department; with the Department of Vargas (now Vargas Municipality, it formed the ''Federal District of Venezuela''. In 1986, its name was changed to Libertador District. Following the creation of the Vargas State in 1998, it became the sole administrative division of the Federal District. Under the 1999 constitution, the Federal District ceased to exist and the Capital District was created. Under the new terms of administrative divisions, Libertador became a municipality, consisting of 22

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. In 2000, the Metropolitan District of Caracas was formed from Libertador and four other municipalities: Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo, and

Geography

The Libertador Municipality is located in the mid-north of the country surrounded by the mountain El Ávila which is part of the Venezuelan central range. It borders by the north with the Vargas State, by the south and east with the Baruta Municipality of the Miranda State and by the west with the Aragua State. The Municipality includes the Los Chaguaramos neighborhood.

Climate

The climate is characteristically tropical with the temperature varying according to the altitude with an annual temperature of being the warmest of the five municipalities that forms Caracas.

Economy

The vast majority of the population works for the public sector. It is also the most important commercial centre of the country since the Central Bank of Venezuela is located there. Tourism is the next largest economic activity in the municipality as the historical centre of the city is there. Informal commerce is also predominant in the area. Av Bolivar caracas2

Government

The Venezuelan constitution specifies that the municipal governments are divided by

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

; governed by the mayor, and

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

branches; governed by the municipal council comprising thirteen members, both offices are elected through universal and secret suffrage. The Libertador Municipality does not belong to any state therefore it doesn't have a governor but instead a Head of Government of the Capital District which is appointed by the President of the Republic. Since August 2009 the municipality publishes a newspaper, '' Ciudad CCS''.

Mayors

* Claudio Fermín (1989-1992) * Aristóbulo Istúriz (1992-1995) * Antonio Ledezma (1995-2000) * Freddy Bernal (2000-2008) * Jorge Rodríguez (2008-2017) * Erika Farías (2017-2021)

Parishes

The Libertador Municipality comprised 22 parishes out of the 32 that contains Caracas

Demographics

The Libertador Municipality represents only 0.22% of the countrywide territory but is home to more than 2 million people and represents half of the total population of Caracas and a density of 4,816.36/km2. On the other hand, the entire area is urbanized. As of 2006, Libertador was estimated to contain the world's second-largest mega-

slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...

. Mike Davis, ''Planet of Slums'', La Découverte, Paris, 2006 (), p. 31.

References

External links

Libertador Municipality website
{{Authority control Geography of Caracas Municipalities of Capital District (Venezuela) Slums in South America