Maracaibo, << `mar` uh KY boh >> (pop. 1,339,019), is Venezuela’s chief coffee-exporting port and second largest city. Only Caracas has more people.
The discovery of petroleum in 1912 made Maracaibo one of the world’s great oil cities, and a thriving metropolis. Maracaibo lies on the west shore of the narrows that connect the Gulf of Venezuela with Lake Maracaibo. The city has a good harbor. A bridge 51/2 miles (8.9 kilometers) long across Lake Maracaibo connects Maracaibo with the east shore of the narrows. Maracaibo was founded in 1529.
