name	Caracas
official name	Santiago de León de Caracas
native name
native name lang
settlement type	City
image shield	Caracas_coat_of_arms.png
blank emblem type
nickname	''La Odalisca del Ávila'' (The Avila's Odalisque)''La Sucursal del Cielo ''(Heaven's Branch on Earth)
motto	''Ave María Purísima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural''
anthem
dot x	|dot_y
pushpin map	Venezuela
pushpin label position
pushpin label
pushpin label1
coor pinpoint
coordinates region	VE-A
coordinates type
coordinates display	inline,title
coordinates footnotes
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name	Venezuela
subdivision type1	State
subdivision name1	Venezuelan Capital DistrictMiranda
subdivision type2	Municipality
subdivision name2	Libertador
established title	Founded
established date	25 July 1567
established title1
established title2
founder	Diego de Losada
named for
seat type
parts type	Metropolitan
parts style	para
parts	Municipalities
p1	Libertador
p2	Chacao
p3	Baruta
p4	Sucre
p5	El Hatillo
government footnotes
government type	Mayor-council
governing body	Alcaldía Metropolitana de Caracas
leader party	ABP
leader title	Mayor
leader name	Antonio Ledezma
leader name1
total type
unit pref
area footnotes
area magnitude
area urban footnotes
area metro footnotes
area metro km2	1930
area note
elevation footnotes
elevation m	900
elevation max footnotes
elevation min footnotes
elevation min m
population total	1,815,679
population as of	2009
population density km2	1431.5
population metro	4,196,514
population demonym	''caraqueño'' (m), ''caraqueña'' (f)
population note
demographics1 footnotes
demographics1 info1
demographics2 footnotes
demographics2 info1
timezone1	VST
utc offset1	-04:30
timezone1 dst	not observed
utc offset1 dst	-04:30
utc offset2 dst
postal code type	Postal coded
postal code	1010-A
area code type	Area code
area code	212
iso code	VE-A
registration plate
blank2 info sec1
blank2 info sec2
website	www.alcaldiamayor.gob.ve
footnotes	The area and population figures are the sum of the figures of the five municipalities (listed above) that make up the Distrito Metropolitano. }}

Caracas (), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English (and ''Caraqueños'' in Spanish). It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range (Cordillera de la Costa). Terrain suitable for building lies between above sea level. The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2200 m (7400 ft) high mountain range, Cerro Ávila; to the south there are more hills and mountains.

''El Distrito Metropolitano de Caracas'' (Metropolitan District of Caracas) includes the Distrito Capital (the capital city proper) and four other municipalities in Miranda State including Chacao, Baruta, Sucre, and El Hatillo. The Distrito Capital had a population of 2,097,350 as of 2009, while that of Distrito Metropolitano was estimated at 4,196,514 as of (2008).

History

At the time of its founding, more than four hundred years ago, the valley of Caracas was populated by indigenous peoples. Francisco Fajardo, the son of a Spanish captain and a Guaiqueri ''cacica'', attempted to establish a plantation in the valley in 1562 after founding a series of coastal towns. Fajardo's settlement did not last long. It was destroyed by natives of the region led by Terepaima and Guaicaipuro. This was the last rebellion on the part of the natives. On 25 July 1567, Captain Diego de Losada laid the foundations of the city of ''Santiago de León de Caracas''.

During the 17th century, the coast of Venezuela was frequently raided by pirates. With the coastal mountains as a barrier, Caracas was relatively immune to such attacks – one of the reasons it became the principal city of the region. However, in the 1680s, buccaneers crossed the mountains through a little-used pass while the town's defenders were guarding the more often-used one, and, encountering little resistance, sacked and set fire to the town.

The cultivation of cocoa under the Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas stimulated the development of the city, which in 1777 became the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela.

An attempt at revolution to gain independence organized by José María España and Manuel Gual was put down on 13 July 1797. But the ideas of the French Revolution and the American Wars of Independence inspired the people, and on 5 July 1811, a Declaration of Independence was signed in Caracas. This city was also the birthplace of two of Latin America's most important figures of the Venezuelan War of Independence: Francisco de Miranda and "''El Libertador''" Simón Bolívar. An earthquake destroyed Caracas on 26 March 1812, which was portrayed by authorities as a divine punishment for the rebellion against the Spanish Crown. The war continued until 24 June 1821, when Bolívar gained a decisive victory over the royalists at the Battle of Carabobo.

As the economy of oil-rich Venezuela grew steadily during the first part of the 20th century, Caracas became one of Latin America's economic centers, and is also known as the preferred travel hub between Europe and South America. During the 1950s, Caracas began an intensive modernization program which continued throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. The Universidad Central de Venezuela, designed by modernist architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and now a UNESCO monument, was built. New working- and middle-class residential districts sprouted in the valley, extending the urban area towards the east and southeast. Joining El Silencio, also designed by Villanueva, were several workers' housing districts, 23 de Enero and Simon Rodriguez. Middle class developments include Bello Monte, Los Palos Grandes, Chuao, and El Cafetal. On 17 October 2004, one of the Parque Central towers caught fire. The dramatic change in the economic structure of the country, which went from being primarily agricultural to dependent on oil production, stimulated the fast development of Caracas, and made it a magnet for people in rural communities who migrated to the capital city in an unplanned fashion searching for greater economic opportunity. This migration created the ''rancho'' (slum) belt of the valley of Caracas.

Symbols

The flag of Caracas consists of a burgundy red field with the version of the Coat of Arms of the City (effective since the 1980s). The red field symbolises the blood spilt by Caraquenian people in favour of independence and the highest ideals of the Venezuelan Nation. Later, in the year 1994, presumably as a result of the change of municipal authorities, it was decided to increase the size of the Caracas coat of arms and move it to the centre of the field. This version of the flag is still in use today.

The coat of arms of the City of Caracas was adopted by the Libertador Municipality to identify itself. Later, the Metropolitan Mayor Office assumed the lion, the scallop and Saint James' Cross for the same purpose.

The anthem of the city is the ''Marcha a Caracas'', written by the composer Tiero Pezzuti de Matteis with the lyrics by José Enrique Sarabia. The lyrics are said to be inspired by the heroism of the Caraquenian people, and the memory of the ''City of Red Roofs''. Incidentally, the National Anthem of Venezuela, ''Gloria al Bravo Pueblo'', includes the lines "...y si el despotismo levanta la voz, seguid el ejemplo que Caracas dio" ("...and if despotism raises its voice, follow the example that Caracas gave"), reflecting the fact that, in addition to generously providing many heroic fighters to the War of Independence, the junta established in Caracas (19 April 1810) served as inspiration for other regions to do the same—as did its declaration of independence a year later.

Local government

Caracas has five municipalities: Baruta, El Hatillo, Chacao, Libertador and Sucre. The constitution of Venezuela specifies that municipal governments be divided into executive and legislative branches. The executive government of the municipality is governed by the mayor, while the legislative government is managed by the Municipal council. In 8 March 2000, the year after a new constitution was introduced in Venezuela, it was decreed in ''Gaceta Official'' N° 36,906 that the Metropolitan District of Caracas would be created, and that some of the powers of these municipalities would be delegated to the ''Alcaldía Mayor'', physically located in the large Libertador municipality, in the center of the city.

Economy

Businesses located here include service companies, banks, and malls, among others. Most economic activity is in services, excepting some industries established in its metropolitan area. The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is headquartered here. The PDVSA is the largest company in Venezuela, and negotiates all the international agreements for the distribution and export of petroleum. When the company existed, the airline Viasa had its headquarters in the Torre Viasa.

Small and medium-size industry contribute to the Caracas economy. The city provides communication and transportation infrastructure between the metropolitan area and the country. Important industries in Caracas include chemicals, textiles, leather, food, iron and wood products. There are also rubber and cement factories.

Cost of living

A 2009 United Nations survey reported that the cost of living in Caracas was 89% of that of its baseline city: New York. However, this statistic is based upon a fixed currency-exchange-rate of 2003 and might not be completely realistic, due to the elevated inflation rates of the last several years.

Geography

Caracas is contained entirely within a valley of the Venezuelan central range, and separated from the Caribbean coast by a roughly 15 km expanse of El Ávila National Park. The valley is relatively small and quite irregular, the altitude with respect to sea level varies from between 870 and 1,043 meters (2,854–3,422 ft), with 900 meters (2,953 ft) in the historic zone. This, along with the rapid population growth, has profoundly influenced the urban development of the city. The most elevated point of the Capital District, wherein the city is located, is the ''Pico El Ávila'', which rises to 2,159 meters (7,083 ft). The main body of water in Caracas is the Guaire river, which flows across the city and empties into the ''Tuy river'', which is also fed by the ''El Valle'' and ''San Pedro'' rivers, in addition to numerous streams which descend from El Ávila. The ''La Mariposa'' and ''Camatagua'' reservoirs provide water to the city.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Caracas has a Tropical savanna climate. Caracas is also intertropical, with precipitation that varies between 900 and 1,300 millimeters (35–51 in) (annual), in the city proper, and up to 2,000 millimeters (79 in) in some parts of the Mountain range. While Caracas is within the tropics, due to its altitude temperatures are generally not nearly as high as other tropical locations at sea level. The annual average temperature is approximately , with the average of the coldest month (January) and the average of the warmest month (May) , which gives a small annual thermal amplitude of . In the months of December and January abundant fog may appear, in addition to a sudden nightly drop in temperature, until reaching or less. This peculiar weather is known by the natives of Caracas as the ''Pacheco''. In addition, nightly temperatures at any time of the year are much (12 to 16 °C) lower than daytime highs and usually do not remain above , resulting in very pleasant evening temperatures. Hail storms appear in Caracas, although only on rare occasions. Electrical storms are much more frequent, especially between June and October, due to the city being in a closed valley and the orographic action of Cerro El Ávila.

Demographics

The population of Caracas proper (Distrito Capital) is estimated to be 3,097,350 as of 2009, while that of the Metropolitan District of Caracas is estimated at 3,001,514 as of 2008. The conurbation including the surrounding suburbs has an estimated population of 5.3 million as of 2010.

Landmarks

Federal Capitol

Located at the southwest corner of Plaza Bolívar is the edifice that belonged from 1637 to 1874 to the Conceptions Nuns monastery, and that from 19 April 1810 was the seat of the first congress. The southern part is the present seat of the National Assembly, and the northern part was formerly the Elliptic room, Triptic room and Shields room. It was built during the government of Antonio Guzmán Blanco.

East Park

The Caracas East Park (''Parque del Este'', now officially ''Parque Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda'') was designed by Brazilian architect Roberto Burle Marx. It is a green paradise in the middle of the city, and it contains a small zoo. A replica of the ship led by Francisco de Miranda, the ''Leander'', is being built in the southern part of the park. Before there used to exist a replica of the Santa Maria ship, used by Christopher Colombus in his voyages to America.

Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex

The Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex (''Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño''), or more commonly the Teresa Carreño Theatre (''Teatro Teresa Carreño''), is by far the most important theater of Caracas and Venezuela, where symphonic and popular concerts imagine frequently, operas, ballet and theatre. It is the second largest theater in South America, after the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Simón Bolívar birthplace house

Skyscrapers may loom overhead, but there is more than a hint of original colonial flavour in this neatly proportioned reconstruction of the house where Simón Bolívar was born on 24 July 1783. The museum's exhibits include period weapons, banners and uniforms.

Much of the original colonial interior has been replaced by monumental paintings of battle scenes, but more personal relics can be seen in the nearby Bolivarian museum. Pride of place goes to the coffin in which Bolívar's remains were brought from Colombia; his ashes now rest in the National Pantheon.

National Pantheon

Venezuela's most venerated building is five blocks north of Plaza Bolívar, on the northern edge of the old town. Formerly a church, the building was given its new purpose as the final resting place for eminent Venezuelans by Antonio Guzmán Blanco in 1874.

Parque Central Complex

At a short distance east of Plaza Bolívar is Parque Central, a concrete complex of five high-rise residential slabs of somewhat apocalyptic-appearing architecture, crowned by two 56-storey octagonal towers, one of them is under repair due to the fire which burnt the building on 17 October 2004.

Parque Central is Caracas' art and culture hub, with museums, cinemas and the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex. The West Tower balcony, on the 52nd floor, gives a 360° bird's-eye view of Caracas.

Public squares

''Plaza Bolívar'' is the focus of the old town with the monument to ''El Libertador'', Simon Bolívar, at its heart. Modern high-rise buildings have overpowered much of the colonial flavor of Caracas' founding neighbourhood.

''Plaza Venezuela'' is the geographic center of Caracas. It is a large urban plaza at the entrance of the Central University of Venezuela. Kinetic artists have displayed their works there, including Carlos Cruz-Diez, Alejandro Otero and Jesus Soto. East of the Plaza is the Plaza Venezuela Fountain, a large computerized display of water, music and colored light refurbished in 2009 to include the latest available technology.

''Plaza Caracas'' was constructed in 1983. It is in the Simón Bolívar Center, at the foot of the 30-story towers, dominating ''El Silencio'' District and forming a unique testimony to the early days of the modernization of the city. It has various levels for pedestrian and motorised traffic, and contains the business, shops, restaurants, services of a zone in which are concentrated public and private institutions.

''Plaza San Jacinto'' is situated among the San Jacinto, San Pablo, El Chorro and Trapos's corners. Its history dates from 1603 and there used to be the market of the city. In the middle of the square, there was an Antonio Leocadio Guzmán statue and after which this place is called now "The Venezuelan". In the northwest part of the square is found the Sun's clock, made by Alexander Humboldt when he was in Caracas. In 1983, as part of the bycentenarial anniversary of Simón Bolívar, was built a black chambre. In 2010, as part of the celebration of the Bicentenary of the events of 19 April 1810, was inaugurated an steel obelisk.

El Hatillo

El Hatillo is a colonial town located at the south-east suburbs of Caracas in the municipal area of the same name. This small town, which is one of Venezuela's few well-preserved typical colonial areas, gives an idea of what Caracas was like in centuries past.

Cerro El Ávila

''Cerro El Ávila'' (''Mountain El Ávila'') (Indigenous name: Guaraira Repano), is a mountain in the mid-North of Venezuela. It rises next to Caracas and separates the city from the Caribbean Sea. It is considered the lungs of Caracas due to the fact that there is a lot of vegetation on it.

Las Mercedes

This zone contains restaurants with varied gastronomical specialties, along with pubs, bars, pools and art galleries.

Altamira neighborhood

Altamira is a neighborhood located in the Chacao municipality of Caracas. It has its own Metro Station, many hotels, malls and restaurants, and is an important business and cultural centre. The Francisco de Miranda avenue (a major avenue in Caracas) and the Distibuidor Altamira (a congested highway exit) are both located in Altamira.

Religious buildings

Fat lama with a red wing

The Iglesia de San Francisco is of historical value. Bolívar's funeral was held here twelve years after his death. Here he was proclaimed ''Libertador'' in 1813 by the people of Caracas. The church has gilded baroque altarpieces, and retains much of its original colonial interior, despite being given a treatment in the 19th century under the auspices of Antonio Guzmán Blanco, which was intended to be modernizing. It contains some 17th century masterpieces of art, carvings, sculptures and oil paintings. The Central University of Venezuela, established during the reign of Philip V, was lodged for centuries in the church cloisters next door, which today are the seat of the Language Academy, and the Academies of History, Physics, and Mathematics.

The Mosque of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim is the second largest mosque in Latin America. For many years it was the biggest.

The Union Israelita de Caracas is the biggest Synagogue for the Jewish Ashkenazi community in Caracas. Its mission is to host the religious services and preserve the memory of the Jewish heritage in Venezuela. Similarly, Mariperez is the biggest Synagogue for the Jewish Sephardic community in Caracas.

Colleges, universities and international schools

Central University of Venezuela

The Central University of Venezuela (''Universidad Central de Venezuela'' in Spanish) is a public University. Founded in 1721, it is the oldest university in Venezuela and one of the first in Latin America. The university campus was designed by architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000. The Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, as the main Campus is also known, is considered a masterpiece of architecture and urban planning and it is the only university campus designed in the 20th century that has received such recognition by UNESCO.

Simón Bolívar University

The Simón Bolívar University (Universidad Simón Bolívar, in Spanish, or USB) is a public institution located in Caracas, Venezuela, with scientific and technological orientation. Its motto is ''"La Universidad de la Excelencia"'' ("University of Excellence"). Both nationally and globally, Simón Bolívar University is a well-known school with a high reputation in scientific and engineering careers.

Other universities

Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

Universidad Metropolitana

Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez

Universidad Santa Maria

Universidad José María Vargas

Universidad Monteavila

Universidad Nueva Esparta

Universidad Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre

Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador

Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt

Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela

Universidad Experimental de las Fuerzas Armadas

Academia Militar de Venezuela

Escuela de Formacion de Oficiales de las Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion

International schools

International Christian School

Colegio Internacional de Caracas

British School of Caracas

Escuela Campo Alegre

Sports

There are professional Association Football, baseball and several other sports.

Professional teams include Deportivo Italia, Caracas Fútbol Club, SD Centro Italo Venezolano, Estrella Roja FC and Real Esppor Club. The Deportivo Italia has reached the semifinals of international tournaments such as the Copa Libertadores de America, while the Caracas Fútbol Club has reached the quarterfinals.

Baseball teams Tiburones de La Guaira and Leones del Caracas play in the ''Estadio Universitario de la UCV'', of the Central University of Venezuela, with a capacity of 26,000 spectators.

Another baseball team started in Caracas: the Navegantes del Magallanes. It was moved to Valencia, Carabobo in the 1970s.

Association Football stadiums include:

Estadio Olímpico de la UCV, with capacity of 30 000 spectators is seat of the Deportivo Italia and Caracas Fútbol Club.

Brígido Iriarte stadium, with a capacity of 12 000 spectators (old seat of the Deportivo Italia and Caracas Fútbol Club, and seat of the Estrella Roja FC). The Caracas Fútbol Club opened its own stadium in 2005, ''Campo Deportivo Cocodrilos''.

Cocodrilos de Caracas plays in the Venezuelan professional basketball league. They play their games in the "Gimnasio José Beracasa" in the neighbourhood of El Paraíso.

Caracas is the seat of the National Institute of Sports and of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee.

Caracas hosted the 1983 Pan American Games.

Teams

Association Football: Caracas Fútbol Club, Deportivo Petare, Atletico Venezuela, Estrella Roja Futbol club, Real Esppor Club.

Baseball: Tiburones de la Guaira, Leones del Caracas.

Basketball: Cocodrilos de Caracas.

Culture

Caracas is Venezuela's cultural capital, with many restaurants, theaters, museums, and shopping centers. The city is home to an array of immigrants from but not limited to: Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, Germany, China, and Latin American countries.

Museums, libraries and cultural centres

Caracas, has been a city with great cultural aspirations throughout the course of its history. Institutions such as the old Atheneum bear witness to this awareness. The National library holds a great amount of volumes, and affords abundant bibliographic information for the student of the discovery and independence of Venezuela. The museum of Colonial Art has on show an interesting exhibition of Venezuelan art from the periods previous to its independence with fountains, furniture, colonial courtyards etc. In the Fine Arts Museum are kept some archaeological finds with some good examples of precolombine pottery. Since 1974, Caracas has had a Contemporary Art Museum, containing works representing the most important tendencies in contemporary art, and since 1982, counts with a Children's Museum, a privately managed museum foundation, with the purpose of teaching children about science, technology, culture and arts. The Natural Science Museum, has a rich collection os archaeological pieces from the primitive native cultures, in these collections and in other no less important galleries (Raúl Santana Creole Museum, Transport Museum, the Coin Museum, Bolivarian Museum, Jacobo Borges Museum, Carlos Cruz-Diez Museum, Alejandro Otero Museum, Sacred Museum, etc.) the cultural aspirations of Caracas are more than evident.

Gastronomy

Caracas has a gastronomical heritage due to the influence of immigrants, leading to a choice of regional and international cuisine. There is a variety of international restaurants including American, French, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Chinese, Peruvian, Japanese, Mediterranean and Mexican. The district of ''La Candelaria'' contains Spanish restaurants, resulting from Galician and Canarian immigrants that came to this area in the mid-20th c.

Notable natives

Caracas has been the birthplace of many politicians and artists that notably shaped the country's history and culture:

Simón Bolívar

Simón Rodríguez

Andrés Bello

Francisco de Miranda

Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi

Fermín Toro

Teresa Carreño

Rómulo Gallegos

Francisco Herrera Luque

Fernando Paz Castillo

Carlos Cruz-Diez

Pedro Gual

Antonio Guzmán Blanco

Armando Reverón

Yucef Merhi

Martín Tovar y Tovar

Arturo Uslar-Pietri

José Ángel Lamas

Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde

Francisco Massiani

Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino

Juan Bautista Plaza

Lorenzo Mendoza

Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo

Juan Vicente Torrealba

Aquiles Nazoa

Alfredo Sadel

Manuel Caballero

Oscar D'León

Baruj Benacerraf

Ali Lenin Aguilera

Francisco Rodriguez

Andrés Galarraga

Cesar Baena

Jacobo Borges

Dayana Mendoza

Majandra Delfino

Transportation

The Caracas Metro has been in operation since March 27, 1983. With 4 lines, 47 stations and about 10 more to be constructed. It covers a great part of the city and also has an integrated ticket system that combines the route of the ''Metro'' with those offered by the ''Metrobús'', a bus service of the Caracas Metro.

Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are two bus systems: the traditional system and the ''Metrobús''. The traditional system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several companies on normal streets and avenues:

* Autobus; large buses.

* Camioneta; medium size buses.

* microbus or camionetica; vans or minivans.

IFE; train services to and from Tuy Valley cities of Charallave and Cúa.

Simón Bolívar International Airport, the biggest and most important in the country is located outside the city, roughly from the downtown area.

Caracas Aerial Tramway

In March 2009 four of the five Caracas districts launched ''Plan Vía Libre'' to reduce traffic (the pro-Chavez Jorge Rodríguez' Libertador District is currently not cooperating as the other districts are in the hands of the opposition). On each weekday, cars with certain number plates are banned from entering key parts of the city centre; the numbers rotate so that any particular car is banned one day a week.

International relations

Caracas is twinned with:

* Asunción, Paraguay

* Bogotá, Colombia

* Buenos Aires, Argentina

* Cluj-Napoca, Romania

* Fortaleza, Brazil

* Guatemala City, Guatemala

* Havana, Cuba

* Istanbul, Turkey

* La Paz, Bolivia

* Lisbon, Portugal

* Madrid, Spain

* Managua, Nicaragua

* Mexico City, Mexico

Minsk, Belarus

* Miami, USA

* Milan, Italy

* Montevideo, Uruguay

* Moscow, Russia

* Navi Mumbai, India

* New Orleans, USA

* Panama City, Panama

* Paris, France

* Quezon City, Philippines

* Ra'anana, Israel

* Reykjavik, Iceland

* Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

* San José, Costa Rica

* San Juan, Puerto Rico

* San Salvador, El Salvador

* Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Santiago, Chile>Santiago, Chile

* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

* San Francisco, USA

* São Paulo, Brazil

* Seoul, South Korea

*File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg

* [[Tegucigalpa, Honduras

* Tehran, Iran

* Washington, D.C., USA

Districts

See also

1967 Caracas earthquake

Large Cities Climate Leadership Group

Notes

External links

Category:Capitals in South America Category:Populated places in Venezuela Category:Populated places established in 1567

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name	Tina Rosenberg
birth date	April 14, 1960
birth place	Brooklyn, New York
education	Northwestern University (B.S., M.S.)
occupation	JournalistAuthor
nationality	American
religion	Jewish
years active	1985–present
url	}}

Tina Rosenberg (born April 14, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. She frequently writes for ''The New York Times Magazine''.

In 1987 she won a MacArthur Fellowship, which she used to move to South America. Her experiences there led to her first work, ''Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America''. Her work has appeared in ''The New Republic'', ''The New Yorker'', and the ''Washington Post''. She is a fellow at the World Policy Institute, and won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, as well as a National Book Award in 1995 for her book ''The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism'', about the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Currently, she is an editorial writer for ''The New York Times''. Rosenberg received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern University. As a youth outside Lansing, Michigan, Rosenberg was active in her synagogue and regional Jewish youth groups, including serving as Songleader for Michigan State Temple Youth in 1976-1977.

Works

''Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World'' (W.W. Norton, 2011)

''The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism'' (Random House, 1996)

''Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America'' (Random House, 1991)

References

External links

Columbia University World Leaders Forum: Tina Rosenberg

Pulitzer.org: Tina Rosenberg

Posts by Tina Rosenberg in ''The New York Times''' Opinion Pages

Category:1960 births Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:Living people Category:American Jews Category:Jewish American writers Category:American journalists Category:American non-fiction writers Category:National Book Award winners Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction winners Category:The New York Times people Category:The New Yorker people Category:The Washington Post people

es:Tina Rosenberg la:Tina Rosenberg

name	Tanya Roberts
birth date	October 15, 1955
birth place	The Bronx, New York City, United States
birth name	Victoria Leigh Blum
yearsactive	1975–present
occupation	Actress
spouse	Barry Roberts (1974-2006) }}

Victoria Leigh Blum (born October 15, 1955), professionally recognized as Tanya Roberts, is an American actress best known for her role in as Julie Rogers on the fifth and final season of ''Charlie's Angels'' (1980-1981) and as Midge Pinciotti on ''That '70s Show'' (1998-2001).

She later headlined the films: ''The Beastmaster'', ''A View to a Kill'', and ''Sheena''. Roberts was groomed as a Hollywood sex symbol during the early 1980s.

Early life

Blum was born in The Bronx of Irish and Jewish descent. Her father was an ink pen salesman. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager. She lived with her mother in Toronto for several years, where she started formulating a photo portfolio and laying plans for a career. At age 15, she abandoned her studies to marry and lived for a while hitch-hiking across the United States, until her mother-in-law annulled the union.

She returned to New York City and became a fashion and cover model. After meeting a psychology student, Barry Roberts (while waiting in line for a movie), she proposed to him in a subway station and they were soon married. While Barry pursued a career as a screenwriter, she began to study at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen under the name Tanya Roberts.

Acting career

1970s

Her career began as a model in TV ads for Ultra Brite, Clairol and Cool Ray sunglasses. She played serious roles in the Off-Broadway productions, ''Picnic'' and ''Antigone''. She also supported herself as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Her film debut was the 1975 thriller, ''Forced Entry''. This was followed in 1976 by ''The Yum-Yum Girls'', a comedy.

In 1977, as her husband was securing his own screenwriting career, the couple moved to Hollywood. The following year, Roberts participated in the drama, ''Fingers''. Roles in the 1979 cult-movie, ''Tourist Trap'', ''Racket'' and ''California Dreaming'' followed. Roberts was featured in several television pilots that were never picked up: ''Zuma Beach'' (a 1978 comedy); ''Pleasure Cove'' (1979); and ''Waikiki'' (1980).

1980s

In 1980, Roberts was chosen from some 2,000 candidates to replace Shelley Hack in the television series, ''Charlie's Angels'' (in what would be the last season of the series). She was featured on the February 9, 1981 cover of ''People'' magazine and afterward was offered more ambitious projects. In 1982, Roberts played Kiri in ''The Beastmaster''. She was featured in a nude pictorial in ''Playboy'' to help promote the movie, appearing on that issue's October 1982 cover.

In 1983, Roberts filmed the Italian-made, and little-known adventure, ''Paladini-storia d'armi e d'amori'' (''Paladins—the story of love and arms''; also released as ''Hearts and Armour''), based on the medieval novel, ''Orlando Furioso''. She played the role of Velda, a buxom secretary to private detective, Mike Hammer, in the television movie, ''Murder Me, Murder You''. The two-part pilot spawned the syndicated television series, ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer''. She declined to continue the role in the Mike Hammer series so she could work on her next project, ''Sheena: Queen of the Jungle''. The movie was a box office and critical disaster, garnering her a nomination for "Worst Actress" at the Razzie Awards.

Her subsequent appearance as Bond girl, Stacey Sutton, a well-educated and articulate geologist, in ''A View to a Kill'' (1985), which provided her a number of scenes with Roger Moore's James Bond. She again found herself nominated by the critics for a Razzie Award. Her career took a downturn. Later films in the 1980s included ''Body Slam'' (1987), an action movie set in the professional wrestling world; and ''Purgatory'', a movie about a woman wrongfully imprisoned in Africa.

1990spresent

In 1991, Roberts starred in the erotic thriller, ''Inner Sanctum'' (1991), alongside Margaux Hemingway. In 1992, she played Kay Egan in ''Sins of Desire''. She appeared on the cable TV series, ''Hot Line'', in 1994; and in the video game, ''The Pandora Directive'', in 1996.

In 1998, she took the role of Midge Pinciotti on the successful, long-running television sitcom, ''That '70s Show''. Roberts claimed to ''E! True Hollywood Story'' that she left the series in 2001 because her husband, Barry Roberts, had become terminally ill. Barry Roberts died in 2006. In 2008, Tanya Roberts wrote the foreword to the book, ''The Q Guide to Charlie's Angels''.

References

External links

Official website

Category:1955 births Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Jewish descent

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