Estado Zulia is one of Venezuela's 23 states (estados). The state capital is Maracaibo. In 2007 had an estimated population of 3,620,200, giving it the largest population among Venzuela's states. 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. 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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