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Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, close to the Caribbean Sea. As of 2004 the population of the city was 1.7 million and of the metropolitan area 3.6 million.
The city was founded in 1567 as Santiago de León de Caracas by Spanish explorer Diego de Losada.
The city of Caracas gave birth to two of America's most important figures Francisco de Miranda (1750) and "El Libertador" Simón Bolívar (1783).
An earthquake destroyed Caracas on March 26, 1812 and was portrayed by authorities as a divine punishment to people rebelling against the Spanish Crown.
As the economy of oil-rich Venezuela grew steadily during the first part of the 20th century, Caracas became one of Latin America's economical centers, and was also known as the preferred hub between Europe and South America. The Concorde used to fly weekly to Caracas implying its geographical and economical importance.
The city has two main football stadiums: The Olympic Stadium (35,000) and the Brigido Iriarte Stadium with a capacity of 25,000 seats (home of the Caracas Futbol Club and Italchacao Club). Baseball teams Tiburones de la Guaira and Leones del Caracas also play on their shared stadium Estadio Universitario (33,000 seats).
The Caracas metro has been in operation since 1983 and is the safest and quickest way to travel in the city.
Nearby Maiquetia has Maiquetia International Airport.
External links - Lonely Planet - Caracas (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_america/caracas/)
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