Maracaibo

Maracaibo is the second-largest city in Venezuela, after the national capital Caracas, and it is the capital of the Zulia state. It is also known as the "The Beloved Land of the Sun", and it was was founded in 1529 on the western side of Lake Maracaibo which is the dominant feature of the oil-rich Maracaibo Basin. Favored by prevailing winds and a protected harbor, the city is located on the shores of the lake the narrows eventually lead to the Gulf of Venezuela.