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112-509: Maracaibo is considered the economic center of western Venezuela, owing to the petroleum industry that developed in the shores of Lake Maracaibo . It is sometimes known as "The First City of Venezuela", for being the first city in Venezuela to adopt various types of public services, including electricity, as well as for being located in the shores of Lake Maracaibo, where the name of Venezuela allegedly originates. Early indigenous settlements around

224-495: A Spanish treasure ship, which he captured, along with its rich cargo of cacao , gemstones and more than 260,000 pieces of eight . In March 1669, Henry Morgan sacked Maracaibo , which emptied when his fleet was first spied, and moved on to the Spanish settlement of Gibraltar on the inside of Lake Maracaibo in search of more treasure. A few weeks later, when he attempted to sail out of the lake, Morgan found an occupied fort blocking

336-461: A barrier to small farmers, and particularly, female farmers. The primary benefits to certification include improving conservation practices and reducing the use of agrochemicals, business support through cooperatives and resource sharing, and a higher price for cocoa beans which can improve the standard of living for farmers. Fair trade cocoa producer groups are established in Belize, Bolivia, Cameroon,

448-465: A botanical basis. They are still used frequently in marketing material. Criollo has traditionally been the most prized variety. Believed to have been native to South America, by the time of the Spanish conquest they were grown in Mesoamerica. After European colonization, disease and population decrease led to the Spanish and Portuguese using different cacao varieties from South America. Different from

560-573: A class action lawsuit filed by eight former children from Mali who alleged that the companies aided and abetted their enslavement on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast . The suit accused Barry Callebaut , Cargill , The Hershey Company , Mars , Mondelez , Nestlé , and Olam International , of knowingly engaging in forced labour , and the plaintiffs sought damages for unjust enrichment , negligent supervision , and intentional infliction of emotional distress . In 2022, world production of cocoa beans

672-399: A flat bottom is steep and the northwestern edge is gentle. The southern part is lighter due to river water injection, while the northern part is slightly salty due to tidal influence. The Catatumbo River forms a bird-foot-shaped delta in the southwest of the lake basin, and the surface lake water in the delta has a salinity of only 0.13%. However, the intrusion of seawater from the mouth of

784-642: A lake it would be the largest in South America , ahead of Lake Titicaca, as well as one of the oldest lakes on Earth , having formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains . The lake is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela to the north by a narrow spit . It is fed by numerous rivers, the biggest being the Catatumbo River . The fault in the northern section has collapsed and is rich in oil and gas resources. It

896-448: A large metropolitan city, comprising two municipalities: the municipality of Maracaibo proper, and the municipality of San Francisco , established in 1995, to the south. In recent years, due to political/economic and cultural reasons, many have moved to Maracaibo from rural areas and other cities (including Caracas ). Maracaibo also boasts one of the best universities in the country, the state university, La Universidad del Zulia (LUZ)

1008-453: A lemonade-like taste enclosing 30 to 50 large seeds that are fairly soft and a pale lavender to dark brownish purple color. During harvest, the pods are opened, the seeds are kept, and the empty pods are discarded and the pulp made into juice. The seeds are placed where they can ferment. Due to heat buildup in the fermentation process, cacao beans lose most of the purplish hue and become mostly brown in color, with an adhered skin which includes

1120-555: A protected harbour, the city is located on the shores of the lake where the narrows, which eventually lead to the Gulf of Venezuela , first become pronounced. The Dutch corsair Henrik de Gerard plundered Maracaibo in 1614, and in 1642 the city was attacked by the British pirate William Jackson . In 1667, l'Olonnais with a fleet of eight ships and a crew of six hundred pirates sacked Maracaibo and Gibraltar. En route, l'Olonnais crossed paths with

1232-557: A public-private partnership with the governments of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire to address child labor practices in the cocoa industry. As of 2017, approximately 2.1 million children in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire were involved in harvesting cocoa, carrying heavy loads, clearing forests, and being exposed to pesticides. According to Sona Ebai, the former secretary general of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries: "I think child labor cannot be just

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1344-443: A ship's hold or in containers, is still common. Throughout Mesoamerica where they are native, cocoa beans are used for a variety of foods. The harvested and fermented beans may be ground to order at tiendas de chocolate , or chocolate mills. At these mills, the cocoa can be mixed with a variety of ingredients such as cinnamon , chili peppers , almonds , vanilla , and other spices to create drinking chocolate . The ground cocoa

1456-519: A small blood pressure lowering effect. The beans also contain theobromine and a small amount of caffeine . The tree takes five years to grow and has a typical lifespan of 100 years. Cocoa is a variant of cacao, likely due to confusion with the word coco . It is ultimately derived from kakaw(a) , but whether that word originates in Nahuatl or a Mixe-Zoquean language is the subject of substantial linguistic debate. The term cocoa beans originated in

1568-423: A tree rather than from the end of a branch, similar to jackfruit . This makes harvesting by hand easier as most of the pods will not be up in the higher branches. The pods on a tree do not ripen together; harvesting needs to be done periodically through the year. Harvesting occurs between three and four times weekly during the harvest season. The ripe and near-ripe pods, as judged by their colour, are harvested from

1680-540: A year on average. The nocturnal thunderstorms occur on average about 297 days per year. At its peak in September, the lake area can experience up to 280 lightning strikes per hour, approximately 28 lightning strikes per minute, lasting up to 9 hours, and is capable of illuminating nighttime navigation. The aboriginal Añú  [ es ] people who lived on the banks of the lake refer to it as Coquivacoa. The tribes of Wayuu , Caquetíos , and Quiriquires also lived in

1792-572: A young native who valiantly resisted the Spaniards and died fighting them. Legend says that when Mara fell, the Coquivacoa shouted " Mara cayó! " (" Mara fell! "), thus originating the city name—although it would be strange for them to shout in Spanish. Other historians say that the first name of this land in the local language was "Maara-iwo" meaning "Place where serpents abound". The first indigenous settlements were of Arawak and Carib origin. Around

1904-465: Is twinned with: Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo ( Spanish : Lago de Maracaibo ) is located in northwestern Venezuela , between the states of Zulia , Trujillo , and Mérida . While Maracaibo is commonly referred to as a lake, its current hydrological characteristics may better classify it as estuary and/or semi-enclosed bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela . With a surface area of 13,512 km (5,217 sq mi), if counted as

2016-402: Is 210 kilometers long from north to south, 121 kilometers wide from east to west, covers an area of 13,512 square kilometers, the deepest is 35 meters, the shore length is about 1000 kilometers, and the volume is about 280 cubic kilometers. The largest river entering the lake, the Catatumbo River , enters the lake from west to east, providing 57% of the water entering the lake. In addition to

2128-502: Is 9–10% of the total weight in the pod. One person can separate the beans from about 2000 pods per day. The wet beans are then transported to a facility so they can be fermented and dried. The farmer removes the beans from the pods, packs them into boxes or heap them into piles, then covers them with mats or banana leaves for three to seven days. Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about (often using bare human feet) and sometimes, during this process, red clay mixed with water

2240-426: Is Venezuela's main oil producing area and an important fishing and agricultural producing area. Eutrophication caused by oil pollution is a major environmental problem facing the lagoon. The area around the lagoon is inhabited by a quarter of the country's population and is also the place with the most frequent lightning on Earth. The famous Catatumbo lightning can illuminate nighttime navigation. Lake Maracaibo

2352-536: Is also an important ingredient in tejate . The first allegations that child slavery is used in cocoa production appeared in 1998. In late 2000, a BBC documentary reported the use of enslaved children in the production of cocoa in West Africa. Other media followed by reporting widespread child slavery and child trafficking in the production of cocoa. The cocoa industry was accused of profiting from child slavery and trafficking. The Harkin–Engel Protocol

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2464-664: Is an effort to end these practices. In 2001, it was signed and witnessed by the heads of eight major chocolate companies, US senators Tom Harkin and Herb Kohl , US Representative Eliot Engel , the ambassador of the Ivory Coast, the director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor, and others. It has, however, been criticized by some groups including the International Labor Rights Forum as an industry initiative which falls short, as

2576-510: Is divided into 18 parishes as follows: Maracaibo is one of the hottest cities in Venezuela and all of South America as well. The rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta gives the city a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen : BSh ) Attenuated only by the moderating influence of the lake; Maracaibo's average historical temperature is 29 °C (84.2 °F). In the past, the climate of

2688-655: Is engaged in projects around the world to support sustainable cocoa production and provide current information on the world cocoa market. Cocoa is one of seven commodities included in the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products (EUDR), which aims to guarantee that the products European Union (EU) citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide. There are numerous voluntary certifications including Fairtrade and UTZ (now part of Rainforest Alliance ) for cocoa which aim to differentiate between conventional cocoa production and that which

2800-643: Is geographically a peninsula), while others like Toad have tectonic origins. The majority of the islands are located in the area of the Tablazo Bay and forms the Almirante Padilla municipality  [ es ] . The islands of Burro, Providencia, Hijacal, Pájaros, and the artificial islands are located at the neck of the lake and belong to other municipalities. Natural islands of Lake Maracaibo: Artificial islands of Lake Maracaibo: The 8,678 metres (28,471 ft) long General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge connects

2912-505: Is interrupted, the resulting cocoa may be ruined; if underdone, the cocoa seed maintains a flavor similar to raw potatoes and becomes susceptible to mildew . Some cocoa-producing countries distill alcoholic spirits using the liquefied pulp. A typical pod contains 30 to 40 beans and about 400 dried beans are required to make 1 pound (450 g) of chocolate. Cocoa pods weigh an average of 400 g (14 oz) and each one yields 35 to 40 g (1.2 to 1.4 oz) dried beans; this yield

3024-454: Is located within the eponymous basin and is one of the oldest lakes on earth. It was formed 36 million years ago when the faults collapsed when the Andes were uplifted in the late Eocene . In the geological history, sea water and fresh water have alternated many times, and have flooded the area. At the end of the last glacial period , the sea level rose, connecting Lake Maracaibo directly with

3136-419: Is more sustainable in terms of social, economic and environmental concerns. As of 2016, at least 29% of global cocoa production was compliant with voluntary sustainability standards. However, among the different certifications there are significant differences in their goals and approaches, and a lack of data to show and compare the results on the farm level. While certifications can lead to increased farm income,

3248-475: Is rife with stories about the creation of an independent and sovereign nation apart from Venezuela, a nation called La República Independiente del Zulia , 'the Independent Republic of Zulia', but this has never come to be. Come the 20th century, cars, buses, and lorries, with their constant flow of manufactured goods and agricultural product to and from the city port, depended on ferry services between

3360-412: Is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer color, polish, and protection against molds during shipment to factories in other countries. Drying in the sun is preferable to drying by artificial means, as no extraneous flavors such as smoke or oil are introduced which might otherwise taint the flavor. The beans should be dry for shipment, which is usually by sea. Traditionally exported in jute bags, over

3472-464: Is the dried and fully fermented seed of Theobroma cacao , the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao trees are native to the Amazon rainforest . They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate , an indigenous Mexican drink. The cacao tree was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago by

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3584-436: Is the most widely used. In 2020, global cocoa bean production reached 5.8 million tonnes, with Ivory Coast leading at 38% of the total, followed by Ghana and Indonesia . Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder are traded on futures markets, with London focusing on West African cocoa and New York on Southeast Asian cocoa. Various international and national initiatives aim to support sustainable cocoa production, including

3696-435: Is the world's smallest soft commodity market. The futures price of cocoa butter and cocoa powder is determined by multiplying the bean price by a ratio. The combined butter and powder ratio has tended to be around 3.5. If the combined ratio falls below 3.2 or so, production ceases to be economically viable and some factories cease extraction of butter and powder and trade exclusively in cocoa liquor . Cocoa futures traded on

3808-474: Is well renowned for its excellent law, medical and engineering schools as many other disciplines. Other universities and schools include Universidad Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE) and Universidad Rafael Urdaneta , with one of the country's leading psychology schools. However, recent political instability has led to the decline of the universidad. The Diocese of Maracaibo (23 July 1965) was elevated to Archdiocese on 30 April 1966 by Pope Paulus VI . Maracaibo

3920-505: The Atlantic Ocean , and the lighter fresh water floated on the heavier salt water, causing nutrients to be deposited on the bottom of the lake, resulting in the accumulation of more than a five kilometer thick deposit of sediment on the bedrock. In the Pliocene , the depression of today's Lake Maracaibo reached what would be practically its current form. The numerous rivers that flow into

4032-803: The Liga Profesional de Baloncesto de Venezuela. Its home is the 5.000-people Pedro Elías Belisario Aponte stadium. Other teams include the Unión Atlético Maracaibo and the Zulia FC in football , the Maracaibo Rugby Football Club and the Zulianos Rugby Club . In the 2000 Little League World Series , the Sierra Maestra Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela defeated Bellaire Little League of Bellaire, Texas in

4144-528: The Mayo-Chinchipe culture in South America, before it was introduced in Mesoamerica. Cacao was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures in spiritual ceremonies and its beans were a common currency in Mesoamerica. The cacao tree grows in a limited geographical zone; today, West Africa produces nearly 81% of the world's crop. The three main varieties of cocoa plant are Forastero , Criollo, and Trinitario; Forastero

4256-555: The Vineta bombarded the fort, setting fire to it and destroying it, with the death of 25 civilians in the nearby town. In 1908, the Friesland , Gelderland and Jacob van Heemskerck were sent to patrol the Venezuelan coast during the second Castro crisis . Friesland guarded the entry way to Maracaibo. The dictatorial regime of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez in the 1950s set as a goal

4368-768: The West Indian manatee and the Amazon river dolphin . About 145 species of fish inhabit the lake, including many endemic species such as the Maracaibo half-hooked catfish ( Hypostomus maracaiboensis ), the Maracaibo hairy catfish ( Trichomycterus maracaiboensis ), the Maracaibo Lake Lamont catfish ( Lamontichthys maracaibero ), Lake Maracaibo tetra ( Bryconamericus motatanensis ), and Maracaibo wolf anchovies ( Lycengraulis limnichthys ) living in surface waters. The lake has been drilled about 14,000 times, and more than 15,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines criss-cross

4480-417: The rind is discarded. The pulp and seeds are then piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the seeds and pulp undergo "sweating", where the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments. The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa seeds behind to be collected. Sweating is important for the quality of the beans, which originally have a strong, bitter taste. If sweating

4592-575: The 19th century; during the 18th century they were called chocolate nuts , cocoa nuts or just cocoa . The cacao tree is native to the Amazon rainforest. It was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago, in equatorial South America from the Santa Ana-La Florida (SALF) site in what is present-day southeast Ecuador ( Zamora-Chinchipe Province ) by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture, before being introduced in Mesoamerica. More than 4,000 years ago, it

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4704-449: The Andes at night contacts the warm and humid air on the lake surface, forming an average of 297 mm per year. The meteorological phenomenon known as Catatumbo lightning takes place in southern part of the lake, characterized by a continuous series of lightnings that are almost continuous and silent. This makes Lake Maracaibo the place with the most frequent lightning on Earth. There are about 233 lightning strikes per square kilometer in

4816-544: The Catatumbo River are the main traffic lines for the transportation of commodities in the nearby area, and the city of Maracaibo is the transshipment center of coffee produced in the Andes. The waterway can pass through large sea-going ships and oil tankers, exporting crude oil and agricultural and livestock products from the Andean mountains and lakes. The Lake District is home to a quarter of Venezuela's population, and with

4928-606: The Congo, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sierra Leone, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In 2018, the Beyond Chocolate partnership was created between multiple stakeholders in the global cocoa industry to decrease deforestation and provide a living income for cocoa farmers. The many international companies are currently participating in this agreement and

5040-668: The Criollo beans, these new beans were named Forastero, which can be translated as strange or foreign . They are generally of the Amelonado type and are associated with West Africa. Any hybrid between Criollo and Forastero. The Nacional is a rare variety of cocoa bean found in areas of South America such as Ecuador and Peru. Some experts in the 21st century had formerly considered the Nacional bean to be extinct after an abrupt end in 1916, when an outbreak of witch's broom disease devastated

5152-735: The French commander of six ships and 700 men, captured Maracaibo then followed the plundering of several smaller towns as Gibraltar , penetrating as far inland as Trujillo . In 1810, the province of Maracaibo did not join the First Republic of Venezuela and remained loyal to the Spanish crown . Maracaibo then held the seat of the Captaincy General of Venezuela . In 1821, uprisings in favor of independence began to lead to warfare and hostility. The royalists , led by Francisco Tomás Morales , fought with

5264-570: The German warship SMS Panther attempted to enter Lake Maracaibo , which was a center of German commercial activity. On 17 January, it exchanged fire with the settlement of Fort San Carlos, but withdrew after half an hour, as shallow waters prevented it getting close enough to the fort to be effective. The Venezuelans claimed this as a victory, and in response the German commander sent the SMS Vineta , with heavier weapons, to set an example. On 21 January,

5376-635: The Gothic word for "goat", which is the skin generally used for the membrane of the "furro" instrument. Other instruments used in gaita include maracas, cuatro, charrasca and tambora (Venezuelan drum). Song themes range from humorous and love songs to protest songs.The style became popular throughout Venezuela in the 1960s, and it fused with other styles such as salsa and merengue in the 1970s. Famous gaita groups include Maracaibo 15, Gran Coquivacoa, Barrio Obrero, Cardenales del Éxito, Koquimba, Melody Gaita, Guaco, Estrellas del Zulia, Saladillo, and many others. Maracaibo

5488-598: The ICE Futures US Softs exchange, are valued at 10 Tonnes per contract with a tick size of 1 and tick value of US$ 10. Multiple international and national initiatives collaborate to support sustainable cocoa production. These include the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO), the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), and Beyond Chocolate, Belgium. A memorandum between these three initiatives

5600-517: The Nacional variety throughout these countries. Pure genotypes of the bean are rare because most Nacional varieties have been interbred with other cocoa bean varieties. A cocoa pod (fruit) is about 17 to 20 cm (6.7 to 7.9 in) long and has a rough, leathery rind about 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.18 in) thick (varying with the origin and variety of pod) filled with sweet, mucilaginous pulp (called baba de cacao in South America) with

5712-498: The Pérez Jiménez regime on January 23, 1958, quickly led to a less elaborate design project that was approved and funded by a democratic and more financially responsible government. The building of El Puente sobre el Lago de Maracaibo "General Rafael Urdaneta" (' General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge over Lake Maracaibo') named after the distinguished general and war of independence hero was opened to public traffic in 1962 connecting

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5824-745: The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO), the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), and Belgium's Beyond Chocolate. At least 29% of global cocoa production was compliant with voluntary sustainability standards in 2016. Deforestation due to cocoa production remains a concern, especially in West Africa. Sustainable agricultural practices, such as agroforestry , can support cocoa production while conserving biodiversity. Cocoa contributes significantly to economies such as Nigeria 's, and demand for cocoa products continues to grow steadily at over 3% annually since 2008. Cocoa contains phytochemicals like flavanols , procyanidins , and other flavonoids , and flavanol-rich chocolate and cocoa products may have

5936-405: The application of pyrenoids , as well as hermetic storage in sealed bags or containers with lowered oxygen concentrations. Safe long-term storage facilitates the trading of cocoa products at commodity exchanges. Cocoa beans, cocoa butter and cocoa powder are traded on futures markets. The London market is based on West African cocoa and New York on cocoa predominantly from Southeast Asia. Cocoa

6048-615: The area were of Arawak and Carib origin. Maracaibo's founding date is disputed. There were failed attempts to found the city—in 1529, by Captain Ambrosio Ehinger , and in 1569, by Captain Alonso Pacheco. Founded in 1574 as Nueva Zamora de la Laguna de Maracaibo by Captain Pedro Maldonado, the city became a transshipment point for inland settlements after Gibraltar , at the head of the lake, had been destroyed by pirates in 1669. It

6160-553: The area. When Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci and Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda 's fleet sailed here on August 24, 1499 (the first time Europeans entered this area), the stilt houses in which the Añú lived in reminded Vespucci of the Italian city of Venice , so he named the region Veneziola ( Venezuela in Spanish), or "Little Venice". Spain made two attempts to establish settlements around

6272-457: The bottom of the lake to float to the surface of the lake, which in turn allowed the duckweed to rapidly multiply and triggered a bloom that lasted for up to eight months. The blooms were noted in June to have covered 18% of the lake, and the local government had to begin spending about $ 2 million per month on cleanup work. Numerous oil spills , at least partly attributed to deficient maintenance, and

6384-608: The championship game of the 54th Little League World Series. The Coquivocoa Little League team from Maracaibo placed third in the 1974 Little League World Series . Rugby in Venezuela was first played in Maracaibo, thanks to the influence of the English community based on the Zulia State Team: Culture in Maracaibo maintains strong Indigenous influences, from its gaitas , desserts, style, and other customs. Most major houses of advertising in Venezuela acknowledge how different

6496-530: The city and the eastern shore which was poorly connected to the country's motorway system. Maracaibo and the Lake Maracaibo region's economy was more linked to Colombia and the Caribbean than to eastern Venezuela due to the natural route available through Lake Maracaibo then leading to the sea. In January 1903, as the naval blockade of Venezuela continued during the negotiations with presidente Cipriano Castro ,

6608-407: The city of Maracaibo, the lake water is contaminated with E. coli from feces, oil pollution, and eutrophication caused by agricultural sewage discharged into the lake, as well as domestic and industrial wastewater, resulting in the blooms of duckweed and green algae . The presence of large amounts of duckweed blocks the passage of sunlight, significantly affecting biological cycles, preventing

6720-447: The city to its opposite shore neighbors and the rest of the country through a new system of highways. The project was completed on schedule in 40 months. This bridge construction project was a remarkable feat. Built under very difficult conditions, when completed, it became the longest prestressed concrete bridge in the world. The structure is in constant use and remains today as the most important link between Maracaibo, along with much of

6832-402: The city, indeed all along the coast of Lake Maracaibo, was unhealthy due to the combination of high temperatures with high humidity. Today, control of plagues and the effects of urban development has largely eradicated these health problems. The registered high temperature of the city is 43.6 °C (110.5 °F), and the lowest is 18.8 °C (65.8 °F). Several universities are based in

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6944-537: The city: Due to the regionalistic nature of Marabinos, they strongly support their native teams. Maracaibo, and the rest of Zulia, are represented in baseball by the Águilas del Zulia , a Venezuelan winter league team that plays in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional , and is based in the Estadio Luis Aparicio El Grande . The city's basketball team is Gaiteros del Zulia , which plays in

7056-419: The construction of a bridge connecting the two lake shores. Various bridge projects for the spanning of the Lake Maracaibo narrows near the city were in the works. The general's government had decided that this "city of independent thought" should be more "connected" to the rest of the country. Proposals for a bridge design that included rail transport and tourist facilities were seriously considered. The fall of

7168-436: The culture of Maracaibo is from that of Caracas. Studies of both prove, for example, that Caracas' leading soft drink brand is Coke , while in Maracaibo it is Pepsi . This has made many brands create special localized advertising of their products (including several Pepsi commercials spoken by local celebrities). The Gaita is a style of Venezuelan folk music from Maracaibo. According to Joan Corominas , it may come from gaits,

7280-440: The development of native algae and plant species. Additionally, duckweed residues accumulate at the bottom, generating a layer of organic elements that produces large amounts of ammonium, methane and other compounds whose saturation causes eutrophication of the waters. In the spring of 2004, heavy rains fell in the Lake Maracaibo basin, causing a large influx of fresh water into the lake. This caused nutrients originally deposited on

7392-524: The dried remains of the fruity pulp. This skin is released easily by winnowing after roasting. White seeds are found in some rare varieties, usually mixed with purples, and are considered of higher value. Cacao trees grow in hot, rainy tropical areas within 20° of latitude from the Equator . Cocoa harvest is not restricted to one period per year and a harvest typically occurs over several months. In fact, in many countries, cocoa can be harvested at any time of

7504-403: The educational and financial resources provided are more readily available to male farmers versus female farmers. Access to credit is important for cocoa farmers, as it allows them to implement sustainable practices, such as agroforestry, and provide a financial buffer in case disasters like pest or weather patterns decrease crop yield. Cocoa production is likely to be affected in various ways by

7616-440: The expected effects of global warming . Specific concerns have been raised concerning its future as a cash crop in West Africa, the current centre of global cocoa production. If temperatures continue to rise, West Africa could simply become unfit to grow the beans. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture warned in a paper published in 2013 that Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, the world's two top cocoa growers, will experience

7728-663: The felling of trees by logging companies. This trend has decreased as many governments and communities are beginning to protect their remaining forested zones. However, deforestation due to cocoa production is still a major concern in parts of West Africa. In Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, barriers to land ownership have led migrant workers and farmers without financial resources to buy land to illegally expand their cocoa farming in protected forests. Many cocoa farmers in this region continue to prioritize expansion of their cocoa production, which often leads to deforestation. Sustainable agricultural practices such as utilizing cover crops to prepare

7840-533: The flavor of the cacao seed (or bean) became popular, the sweet pulp of the chocolate fruit, used in making a fermented (5.34% alcohol) beverage, first drew attention to the plant in the Americas. The cocoa bean was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest. The bean was utilized in pre-modern Latin America to purchase small items such as tamales and rabbit dinners. A greater quantity of cocoa beans

7952-402: The following voluntary certification programs are also partners in the Beyond Chocolate initiative: Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade , ISEAL, BioForum Vlaanderen. Many major chocolate production companies around the world have started to prioritize buying fair trade cocoa by investing in fair trade cocoa production, improving fair trade cocoa supply chains and setting purchasing goals to increase

8064-410: The goal to eliminate the "worst forms of child labor" from cocoa production by 2005 was not reached. The deadline was extended multiple times and the goal changed to a 70% child labor reduction. Child labour was growing in some West African countries in 2008–09 when it was estimated that 819,921 children worked on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast alone; by 2013–14, the number went up to 1,303,009. During

8176-520: The gods") cacao . Cocoa was an important commodity in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. A Spanish soldier who was on Hernan Cortés ' side during the conquest of the Aztec Empire tells that when Moctezuma II , emperor of the Aztecs , dined, he took no other beverage than chocolate , served in a golden goblet. Flavored with vanilla or other spices , his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in

8288-459: The indiscriminate discharge of sewage without prior treatment, have significantly deteriorated the water quality, to the point that in some parts of the Zulia area, the water presents levels of contamination that are very dangerous for health. Within the existing polluting activities, the mining of mineral coal has started more recently, which further contaminates the basin with pollutants. Likewise,

8400-476: The influence of the prevailing wind, the lake water circulates counterclockwise. There are also the Santa Ana River, Chama River , Motatán River , Escalante River , and about fifty other rivers which drain into it. Lake Maracaibo is deep in the south and shallow in the north. The northern half of the lake, which looks like a bottleneck, is 55 kilometers long. The southeastern edge of the lake basin with

8512-464: The influx of farmers from the nearby Andes, the population of the Lake District increased from about 300,000 in 1936 to over 3.62 million in 2007. Lake Maracaibo possesses highly oxygenated waters which makes it rich in algae, and in turn fish, making it very biologically diverse. It is home to clams, blue crabs , shrimp and other aquatic products, and is also home to two endangered aquatic mammals,

8624-715: The inlet to the Caribbean, along with three Spanish ships. These were the Magdalena , the San Luis , and the Soledad . He destroyed the Magdalena and burned the San Luis by sending a dummy ship full of gunpowder to explode near them, after which the crew of the Soledad surrendered. By faking a landward attack on the fort, thereby convincing the Spanish governor to shift his cannon, he eluded their guns and escaped. In June 1678, Michel de Grammont ,

8736-410: The lake connecting Maracaibo and Santa Rita was completed in 1962. Lake Maracaibo is rich in oil and gas resources and is known as the "oil lake". The first Spaniards who arrived used tar seeping from the lake to fill ship cracks. The Maracaibo oil field was discovered in 1914, the first oil well was constructed in 1917, and large-scale exploitation began in 1922. The oil fields are concentrated in

8848-437: The lake floor, but most of these pipelines are half a century old, with oil leaking from many aging underwater pipes. Before the 1950s, the lake water could still be used directly for domestic use, but then due to the intrusion of tidal salt water caused by the widening of the lake mouth channel, the salinity of the northern lake area increased by about 1,000%, and the south also increased by 300–500%. In lakeside towns such as

8960-690: The lake have been defining its banks, especially those that form the southern delta of the lake, where the Escalante , Catatumbo and Santa Ana rivers converge. Lake Maracaibo is located in the Maracaibo lowland in the faulted basin between the Perija Mountains and the Merida Mountains of the Eastern Cordillera Mountains in northwestern Venezuela. The lake is in the shape of a vase. It

9072-507: The lake in 1529 and 1569, but it was not until 1574 that the city of Maracaibo was successfully established. The Privateer Henry Morgan raided settlements on the lake in the Spring of 1669 and defeated a Spanish squadron sent to intercept him. On July 24, 1823, Venezuela won the famous Battle of Lake Maracaibo on the lake during the Venezuelan War of Independence . The original depth of

9184-421: The lake makes the salinity of the bottom lake water higher, reaching 0.2–0.3%. The north is connected with the Gulf of Venezuela , and the spit at the mouth of the lake extends for about 26 kilometers. The annual average temperature of the lake area is 28 °C, the precipitation is more in the south and less in the north, and the average annual rainfall in the south is 1400 mm. The mountain wind from

9296-409: The lake mouth, which was only more than 4 meters deep, was increased to 8 meters after dredging in the 1930s, and the 3-kilometer-long stone breakwater was further increased to 11 meters after its completion in 1957, allowing ocean-going tankers to enter the lake, At the same time, the northern part, which was originally fresh water, became brackish. The 8,678-meter General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge over

9408-412: The last decade, beans are increasingly shipped in "mega-bulk" parcels of several thousand tonnes at a time on ships, or standardized to 62.5 kilograms (138 lb) per bag and 200 (12.5 metric tons (12.3 long tons; 13.8 short tons)) or 240 (15 metric tons (15 long tons; 17 short tons)) bags per 20 feet (6.1 m) container. Shipping in bulk significantly reduces handling costs. Shipment in bags, either in

9520-692: The main group were the Añu tribe who built rows of stilt houses all over the northern riviera of Lake Maracaibo. The first Europeans arrived in 1499. The city was founded three times: the first time was during the Klein-Venedig period (1528–1546), when the Welser bankers of Augsburg received a concession over Venezuela Province from Charles I of Spain . In August 1529, the German Ambrosius Ehinger made his first expedition to Lake Maracaibo , which

9632-520: The mouth. No fewer than 60 portions each day reportedly may have been consumed by Moctezuma II, and 2,000 more by the nobles of his court. Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards, and became a popular beverage by the mid-17th century. Venezuela became the largest producer of cocoa beans in the world. Spaniards also introduced the cacao tree into the West Indies and the Philippines. It

9744-432: The northeast and northwest of the lake, and the oil-producing layers are mainly Tertiary sandstone and Cretaceous limestone, with a hydrocarbon-bearing area of 1,300 square kilometers, mainly concentrated in the coastal waters 105 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide in the east of the lake. On the northwest coast is the capital of Zulia State , the second largest city in Venezuela and an important oil export port in

9856-496: The patriots, led by Rafael Urdaneta , to take back control over the province in the Juana de Ávila Battle, and Morales brought back Spanish rule in 1822 until he was defeated in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo on 24 July 1823, culminating Venezuela's struggle for independence. For about 380 years, Maracaibo remained isolated and separated from the rest of the country. Transportation to the area

9968-586: The premium price paid for certified cocoa by consumers is not always reflected proportionally in the income for farmers. In 2012 the ICCO found that farm size mattered significantly when determining the benefits of certifications, and that farms an area less than 1ha were less likely to benefit from such programs, while those with slightly larger farms as well as access to member co-ops and the ability to improve productivity were most likely to benefit from certification. Certification often requires high up-front costs, which are

10080-704: The proportion of fair trade chocolate available in the global market. The Rainforest Alliance lists the following goals as part of their certification program: The UTZ Certified-program (now part of Rainforest Alliance) included counteracting against child labor and exploitation of cocoa workers, requiring a code of conduct in relation to social and environmentally friendly factors, and improvement of farming methods to increase profits and salaries of farmers and distributors. The relative poverty of many cocoa farmers means that environmental consequences such as deforestation are given little significance. For decades, cocoa farmers have encroached on virgin forest, mostly after

10192-477: The responsibility of industry to solve. I think it's the proverbial all-hands-on-deck: government, civil society, the private sector. And there, you really need leadership." As Reported in 2018, a 3-year pilot program , conducted by Nestlé with 26,000 farmers mostly located in Côte d'Ivoire, observed a 51% decrease in the number of children doing hazardous jobs in cocoa farming. In 2021, several companies were named in

10304-534: The same period in Ghana, the estimated number of children working on cocoa farms was 957,398 children. The 2010 documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate revealed that children smuggled from Mali to the Ivory Coast were forced to earn income for their parents, while others were sold as slaves for €230. In 2010, the US Department of Labor formed the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group as

10416-495: The so-called cañadas , which are random drainage courses, drag large amounts of garbage from the human settlements that are in their path to the lake. In addition to this, residential waste such as plastic bags and bottles are also added. These pollutants all eventually get carried into the lake. There are many islands in the lake. Some primarily consist of sedimentary rock , such as the Zapara, Pescadores, and San Carlos islands (which

10528-475: The soil before planting and intercropping cocoa seedlings with companion plants can support cocoa production and benefit the farm ecosystem. Prior to planting cocoa, leguminous cover crops can improve the soil nutrients and structure, which are important in areas where cocoa is produced due to high heat and rainfall which can diminish soil quality . Plantains are often intercropped with cocoa to provide shade to young seedlings and improve drought resilience of

10640-541: The soil. If the soil lacks essential nutrients, compost or animal manure can improve soil fertility and help with water retention. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by cocoa farmers is limited. When cocoa bean prices are high, farmers may invest in their crops, leading to higher yields which, in turn tends to result in lower market prices and a renewed period of lower investment. While governments and NGOs have made efforts to help cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire sustainably improve crop yields, many of

10752-468: The state of Zulia, and the rest of Venezuela. François de Pons , an agent to the French government in Caracas, provides some historical insight into the people of Maracaibo in his travel journal ( de Pons 1806 ). The following excerpts describe the local population of Maracaibo: He also notes the appreciation of literature, the arts, education, and culture among the people of Maracaibo: Maracaibo has become

10864-794: The tree in these areas since long before the Spanish arrived. As of 2018, evidence suggests that cacao was first domesticated in equatorial South America, before being domesticated in Central America roughly 1,500 years later. Artifacts found at Santa-Ana-La Florida, in Ecuador, indicate that the Mayo-Chinchipe people were cultivating cacao as long as 5,300 years ago. Chemical analysis of residue extracted from pottery excavated at an archaeological site at Puerto Escondido, in Honduras , indicates that cocoa products were first consumed there sometime between 1500 and 1400 BC. Evidence also indicates that, long before

10976-424: The trunk and branches of the cacao tree with a curved knife on a long pole. Care must be used when cutting the stem of the pod to avoid damaging the junction of the stem with the tree, as this is where future flowers and pods will emerge. One person can harvest an estimated 650 pods per day. The harvested pods are opened, typically with a machete , to expose the beans. The pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and

11088-578: The western and eastern coast of the lake together. It held the record for being the longest cable-stayed concrete bridge in the world at the time of its inauguration in 1962. Located in the southern part of the Strait of Maracaibo, it is a vehicles-only bridge that accommodates both directions of traffic, while its height allows for the passage of vessels up to 45 meters in height. Cocoa bean The cocoa bean , also known simply as cocoa ( / ˈ k oʊ . k oʊ / ) or cacao ( / k ə ˈ k aʊ / ),

11200-417: The world. The lake area is also an important fishing and agricultural production area in Venezuela, supporting more than 20,000 fishermen, many of whom live in colorful traditional stilt houses built with iron sheets on the lake. The main crops on the south bank of the lake are bananas, peanuts, cocoa, coconut, sugar cane and coffee, the western shore of the lake developed dairy industry. Lake Maracaibo and

11312-405: The year. Pesticides are often applied to the trees to combat capsid bugs , and fungicides to fight black pod disease . Immature cocoa pods have a variety of colours, but most often are green, red, or purple, and as they mature, their colour tends towards yellow or orange, particularly in the creases. Unlike most fruiting trees, the cacao pod grows directly from the trunk or large branch of

11424-426: The zone made Nikolaus Federmann evacuate the village in 1535 and move its population to Santa Marta near the then capital of Venezuela Province , Santa Ana de Coro . A second attempt by Captain Alonso Pacheco in 1569 suffered a brief setback when the city had to be evacuated in 1573 due to ferocious attacks by native local tribes. The European settlement returned a short while later, in 1574, however, for which it

11536-403: Was 5.87 million tonnes , led by Ivory Coast with 38% of the total, while secondary producers were Ghana and Indonesia (table). Cocoa beans are traditionally shipped and stored in burlap sacks , in which the beans are susceptible to pest attacks. Fumigation with methyl bromide was to be phased out globally by 2015. Additional cocoa protection techniques for shipping and storage include

11648-564: Was also introduced into the rest of Asia, South Asia and into West Africa by Europeans. In the Gold Coast , modern Ghana , cacao was introduced by a Ghanaian, Tetteh Quarshie . Cocoa beans are traditionally classified into three main varieties : Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. Use of these terms has changed across different contexts and times, and recent genetic research has found that the categories of Forastero and Triniario are better understood as geohistorical inventions rather than as having

11760-446: Was bitterly opposed by the indigenous Coquivacoa . After winning a series of bloody battles, he founded the settlement on 8 September 1529. Ehinger named the settlement New Nuremberg ( German : Neu-Nürnberg ) and the lake after the valiant chieftain Mara of the Coquivacoa, who had died in the fighting. The city was renamed Maracaibo after the Spanish took possession. The lack of activity in

11872-605: Was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures along the Yucatán, including the Maya, and as far back as Olmeca civilization in spiritual ceremonies. It also grows in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America , in Colombia and Venezuela . Wild cacao still grows there. Its range may have been larger in the past; evidence of its wild range may be obscured by cultivation of

11984-412: Was not until the first decades of the 17th century that the first town was settled. Petroleum was discovered in 1917, leading to a large increase in population from migration. Maracaibo is served by La Chinita International Airport . The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge connects Maracaibo to the rest of the country. The name Maracaibo is said to derive from the brave cacique (indigenous chief) Mara,

12096-574: Was possible through the lake via boats and ferries. Commerce and culture flowed between Maracaibo and the Caribbean Sea, particularly the Dutch Antilles, Colombian coastal cities, Cuba, Hispaniola and later on Miami, New York and Hamburg. This isolation from the rest of Venezuela was both a challenge and an advantage. The very nature of the city's location made for a population known for their independent thought and character. The history of this region

12208-470: Was re-founded by Captain Pedro Maldonado under Governor Diego de Mazariegos 's command and assuming the name of Nueva Zamora de Maracaibo. "Nueva Zamora" comes from Mazariego's place of birth, Zamora, in Spain. Since its definite foundation, the town began to develop as a whole. It is based on the western side of Lake Maracaibo , the dominant feature of the oil-rich Maracaibo Basin . Favored by prevailing winds and

12320-601: Was signed in 2020 to measure and address issues including child labor, living income, deforestation and supply chain transparency. Similar partnerships between cocoa producing and consuming countries are being developed, such as the cooperation between the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) and the Ghanaian Cocoa Authority , who aim to increase the proportion of sustainable cocoa being imported from Ghana to Switzerland to 80% by 2025. The ICCO

12432-459: Was used to purchase turkey hens and other large items. Cacao trees grow in a limited geographical zone, of about 20° to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop today is grown in West Africa. The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, where he called it Theobroma ("food of

12544-573: Was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1985. Since November 2000, its Archbishop has been Ubaldo Ramón Santana Sequera . In 2019, power outages and widespread poverty caused a citywide wave of violence and looting, resulting in mass emigration, most of which was headed to the United States. Zulia's main income comes from oil extraction and refining, agriculture (coffee, rice, maize, cassava, cocoa, sugar cane), livestock production, and mining (clay, limestone, coal and sand). The municipality of Maracaibo

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