:''For other uses, see
Zulia (disambiguation)''
Municipalities of Zulia
'Estado Zulia' is one of
Venezuela's 23 states
''(estados)''. The state capital is
Maracaibo. The state covers a total surface area of 63,100 km² and, in
2007, had an estimated population of 3,620,200. It is located in the northwestern part of the country.
Geography
Lake Maracaibo, the largest lake in
South America, lies within Zulia. The Lake Maracaibo Basin covers one of the largest
oil and
gas reserves in the western hemisphere, bringing enormous wealth to the
country. A long and mostly uninhabited border separates Venezuela from
Colombia to the north and west from the
Guajira Peninsula to the mountains of
Perijá. Venezuela's
Andean states of
Tachira,
Mérida and
Trujillo border Zulia State at the Southern end of Lake Maracaibo and finally the states of
Lara and
Falcón complete the boundaries of Zulia.
The name ''Venezuela'' also comes from the Lake Maracaibo area.
Spanish Conquistadors sailing into this area found the indigenous peoples living in communities of huts supported by stilts along the shores of the Lake over 500 years ago and promptly named this new territory "Little
Venice" (''Pequeña Venecia'') or ''Venezuela''.
Municipalities and municipal seats
Zulia is comprised by 21 municipalities (''municipios''):
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