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138-973: In the last round of negotiations, trade ministers from 34 countries met in Miami , Florida, in the United States, in November 2003 to discuss the proposal. The proposed agreement was an extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Discussions have faltered over similar points as the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks; developed nations sought expanded trade in services and increased intellectual property rights, while less developed nations sought an end to agricultural subsidies and free trade in agricultural goods. Similar to

276-411: A Hispanic and Latino population of 310,472, or 70.2 percent of the city's population, as of 2020. Downtown Miami has among the largest concentrations of international banks in the U.S. and is home to several large national and international companies. The Health District is home to several major University of Miami -affiliated hospital and health facilities, including Jackson Memorial Hospital ,

414-589: A lower middle class subsidized home provided by the government, where they attended Daniel O'Leary High School in the mid-1960s. His father, despite having the salary of a teacher, helped pay for college for Chávez and his siblings. Aged 17, Chávez studied at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences in Caracas, following a curriculum known as the Andrés Bello Plan, instituted by

552-555: A base for U.S. defense against German submarines due to its prime location on the southern coast of Florida. This brought an increase in Miami's population; 172,172 people lived in the city by 1940. The city's nickname, The Magic City , came from its rapid growth, which was noticed by winter visitors who remarked that the city grew so much from one year to the next that it was like magic. After Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba following

690-730: A democracy into a dictatorship by centralising power amongst its supporters in the Constituent Assembly and granting Chávez increasingly autocratic powers. Many of them pointed to Chávez's personal friendship with Cuba's Fidel Castro and the one-party socialist government in Cuba as a sign of where the Bolivarian government was taking Venezuela. Chávez sought to make PDVSA his main source of funds for political projects and replaced oil experts with political allies in order to support him with this initiative. In early-2002, he placed

828-451: A direct government arm whose profits would be injected into social spending. The result of this was the creation of " Bolivarian Missions ", oil funded social programs targeting poverty, literacy, hunger, and more. In 2001, the government introduced a new Hydrocarbons Law through which it sought to gain greater state control over the oil industry. The law increased the transnational companies taxation in oil extraction activities to 30% and set

966-441: A gang of white men with torches marched through the neighborhood and warned the residents to move or be bombed. Miami prospered during the 1920s with an increase in population and development in infrastructure as northerners moved to the city. The legacy of Jim Crow was embedded in these developments. Miami's chief of police at the time, H. Leslie Quigg , did not hide the fact that he, like many other white Miami police officers,

1104-427: A group of progressive, nationalistic military officers. This new curriculum encouraged students to learn not only military routines and tactics but also a wide variety of other topics, and to do so civilian professors were brought in from other universities to give lectures to the military cadets. Living in Caracas, he began to get involved in activities outside of the military school, playing baseball and softball with

1242-564: A large residential population. Brickell Avenue has the largest concentration of international banks in the United States. Just northwest of Downtown is the Health District , which is Miami's center for hospitals, research institutes and biotechnology , with hospitals such as Jackson Memorial Hospital , Bascom Palmer Eye Institute , and the University of Miami 's Miller School of Medicine . The southern side of Miami includes

1380-526: A leftist professor as the president of PDVSA. In April 2002, Chávez appointed his allies to head the PDVSA and replaced the company's board of directors with loyalists who had "little or no experience in the oil industry", mocking the PDVSA executives on television as he fired them. Anger with Chávez's decisions led to civil unrest in Venezuela, which culminated in an attempted coup. On 11 April 2002, during

1518-514: A march headed to the presidential palace , nineteen people were killed, and over 110 were wounded. Chávez believed that the best way to stay in power was to implement Plan Ávila . Military officers, including General Raúl Baduel , a founder of Chávez's MBR-200 , then decided that they had to pull support from Chávez to deter a massacre and shortly after at 8:00 pm, Vásquez Velasco, together with other ranking army officers, declared that Chávez had lost his support. Chávez agreed to be detained and

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1656-470: A media star", noted Rory Carroll of The Guardian . Chávez was arrested and imprisoned at the San Carlos military stockade, wracked with guilt and feeling responsible for the failure of the coup. Pro-Chávez demonstrations outside San Carlos led to his transfer to Yare Prison . Another unsuccessful coup against the government occurred in November, with the fighting during the coups resulting in

1794-500: A military contingency plan by the Venezuelan Army to maintain public order, and an outbreak of violent repression unfolded. Though members of Chávez's MBR-200 movement allegedly participated in the crackdown, Chávez did not, since he was then hospitalized with chicken pox . He later condemned the event as " genocide ". Chávez began preparing for a military coup d'état known as Operation Zamora. The plan involved members of

1932-489: A number of Super Tucano light attack and training planes from Brazil. Troop numbers were also increased. Chávez faced a two-month management strike at the PDVSA. The Chávez government's response was to fire about 19,000 striking employees for abandoning their posts and then employing retired workers, foreign contractors, and the military to do their jobs instead. The total firing of tens of thousands of employees by Chávez would forever damage Venezuela's oil industry due to

2070-546: A private capacity, where he announced plans to supply cheap Venezuelan oil to poor working class communities in the continent. The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone welcomed him, describing him as "the best news out of Latin America in many years." In the presidential election of December 2006 , which saw a 77% voter turnout, Chávez was once more elected, this time with 63% of the vote, beating his closest challenger Manuel Rosales . The Organization of American States (OAS) and

2208-724: A proud COPEI member – and Elena Frías de Chávez , were schoolteachers who lived in the small village of Los Rastrojos. Hugo was born the second of seven children. Chávez's childhood of supposed poverty has been disputed as he possibly changed the story of his background for political reasons. Attending the Julián Pino Elementary School, Chávez was particularly interested in the 19th-century federalist general Ezequiel Zamora , in whose army his own great-great-grandfather had served. With no high school in their area, Hugo's parents sent Hugo and his older brother Adán to live with their grandmother Rosa, who lived in

2346-462: A public referendum, which he hoped would support his plans to form a constituent assembly of representatives from across Venezuela and from indigenous tribal groups to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution. Chávez said he had to run again; "Venezuela's socialist revolution was like an unfinished painting and he was the artist", he said, while someone else "could have another vision, start to alter

2484-502: A variety of other religions have smaller followings; atheism or no self-identifying organized religious affiliation was practiced by 21%. There has been a Norwegian Seamen's church in Miami since the early 1980s. In November 2011, Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit opened a new building for the church. The church was built as a center for the 10,000 Scandinavians that live in Florida. Around 4,000 of them are Norwegian . The church

2622-677: A visit to the United States in 1999, he rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange . His administration held formal talks with the International Monetary Fund until oil prices rose enough to let the government rule out the need for any financial assistance. Beginning 27 February 1999, the tenth anniversary of the Caracazo , Chávez set into motion a social welfare program called Plan Bolívar 2000 . He said he had allotted $ 20.8 million for

2760-485: A warm ocean current , runs northward just 15 miles (24 km) off the coast, allowing Miami's climate to stay warm and mild all year. The surface bedrock under the Miami area is called Miami oolite or Miami limestone. This bedrock is covered by a thin layer of soil, and is no more than 50 feet (15 m) thick. Miami limestone formed as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glacial periods , or ice ages . Beginning some 130,000 years ago,

2898-666: Is 45 °F (7 °C) in December 1989 during the December 1989 United States cold wave . The coldest maximum temperature average between 1991 and 2020 stood at 59 °F (15 °C). The warmest overnight low measured is 84 °F (29 °C) on several occasions. The stability of summer overnight lows is underlined by the mean maximum annual overnight low of just one degree lower. Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, although hurricanes can develop beyond those dates. The most likely time for Miami to be hit

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3036-411: Is a major center and leader in finance, commerce, culture, arts, and international trade. Miami's metropolitan area is by far the largest urban economy in Florida, with a 2017 gross domestic product of $ 344.9 billion. In a 2018 UBS study of 77 world cities, Miami was the third-richest city in the U.S. and the third-richest globally in purchasing power . Miami is a majority-minority city with

3174-800: Is also an important place for the 150 Norwegians that work at Walt Disney World in Central Florida. In a 2022 Point-In-Time Homeless Count, there were 3,440 homeless people in Miami-Dade County, 970 of which were on the streets. In the city limits of Miami, there were 591 unsheltered homeless people on the streets, up from 555 in 2021. According to National Immigration Forum , the top countries of origin for Miami's immigrants are Latin America (86%): Cuba (741,666), Haiti (213,000), Colombia (166,338), Jamaica (144,445); Europe (6.1%): United Kingdom (23,334), Germany (15,611), Italy (14,240) and Asia (5.2%): India (23,602), China (21,580) and

3312-549: Is during the peak of the Cape Verde season, which is mid-August to the end of September. Although tornadoes are uncommon in the area, one struck in 1925 and another in 1997 . Around 40% of homes in Miami are built upon floodplains and are considered as flood-risk zones. Miami falls within the Department of Agriculture's 10b/11a plant hardiness zone . Miami is one of the major coastal cities and major cities in

3450-672: Is mostly composed of high-rise residential towers and is home to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts . Wynwood is an art district with ten galleries in former warehouses, as well as a large outdoor mural project. The wealthier residents of Miami usually live in the Design District and the Upper Eastside , which has many 1920s homes as well as examples of Miami Modern architecture in

3588-533: Is the core of the Miami metropolitan area , which, with a population of 6.14 million, is the second-largest metropolitan area in the Southeast after Atlanta , and the ninth-largest in the United States. With a population of 442,241 as of the 2020 census , Miami is the second-most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville . Miami has the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises , 61 of which exceed 491 ft (150 m). Miami

3726-603: The Partido Comunista Venezolano (Venezeuelan Communist Party) and the Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement for Socialism). Chávez received support from different sectors: the lower class felt identified with Chávez, that he cared about their needs and would offer a solution to their problems; part of the middle class also supported, feeling frustrated with corruption and wishing for a strong-handed government; Chávez also received support from members of

3864-563: The 11 September attacks against the U.S. by Islamist militants. In late 2001, Chávez showed pictures on his television show of children said to be killed in a bombing attack. He commented that "They are not to blame for the terrorism of Osama bin Laden or anyone else", called on the American government to end "the massacre of the innocents", and describing the war as "fighting terrorism with terrorism." The U.S. government responded negatively to

4002-516: The 1950 census . This made it Florida's largest city, a title it retained until the Jacksonville Consolidation , when the city of Jacksonville absorbed most of Duval County , nearly tripling its population. Since then, Miami has retained its spot as Florida's second-largest city. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, Miami experienced a certain amount of stagnation in its population, with expansion slowing during

4140-446: The 1998 presidential election . Chávez went on a tour around the country. On his tours, he met Marisabel Rodríguez , who would give birth to their daughter shortly before becoming his second wife in 1997. At the start of the election run-up, front runner Irene Sáez was backed by one of Venezuela's two primary political parties, Copei . Chávez's revolutionary rhetoric gained him support from Patria Para Todos (Homeland for All),

4278-576: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas ( Alianza Bolivariana para las Américas , ALBA) which emphasizes energy and infrastructure agreements. Evo Morales of Bolivia has referred to the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas, as "an agreement to legalize the colonization of the Americas". On the other hand, the then presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , and Argentina, Néstor Kirchner , have stated that they do not oppose

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4416-807: The Bolivarian missions to expand access to food, housing, healthcare and education. While these initiatives led to temporary improvements in poverty reduction and social welfare during periods of high oil revenue, their reliance on state control and centralized planning exposed significant structural weaknesses as oil prices declined. The high oil profits coinciding with the start of Chavez's presidency resulted in temporary improvements in areas such as poverty, literacy, income equality and quality of life between primarily 2003 and 2007, though extensive changes in structural inequalities did not occur. On 2 June 2010, Chávez declared an "economic war" on Venezuela's upper classes due to shortages , arguably beginning

4554-749: The Criollitos de Venezuela team, progressing with them to the Venezuelan National Baseball Championships. He also wrote poetry, fiction, and drama, and painted. He also became interested in the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara (1928–1967) after reading his memoir The Diary of Che Guevara . In 1974, he was selected to be a representative in the commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho in Peru,

4692-696: The National Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services and made Hernán Grüber Ódreman  [ es ] , one of the 1992 coup leaders, governor of the Federal District of Caracas. His critics referred to these government officials as the " Boliburguesía " or "Bolivarian bourgeoisie", and highlighted that it "included few people with experience in public administration". The number of his immediate family members in Venezuelan politics also led to accusations of nepotism . Chávez appointed businessman Roberto Mandini president of

4830-675: The Puntofijo Pact , he founded the clandestine Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200) in the early 1980s. Chávez led the MBR-200 in its unsuccessful coup d'état against the Democratic Action government of President Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992, for which he was imprisoned. Pardoned from prison two years later, he founded the Fifth Republic Movement political party, and then receiving 56.2% of

4968-701: The Radical Cause ) and Douglas Bravo . Five years after his creation of the ELPV, Chávez went on to form a new secretive cell within the military, the Bolivarian Revolutionary Army-200 (EBR-200), later redesignated the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200). He was inspired by Simón Bolívar , Simón Rodríguez and Ezequiel Zamora , who became known as the "three roots of the tree" of

5106-613: The Revolution in 1959, many wealthy Cubans sought refuge in Miami, further increasing the city's population. Miami's national profile expanded dramatically in the 1970s, particularly in 1972. The region hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in the 1972 Presidential election . The Miami Dolphins also made history with their undefeated "perfect" season . The area's educational and cultural institutions also developed significantly in this period, positioning

5244-535: The Sangamonian Stage raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (8 m) above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plateau , stretching from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas . The area behind this reef line was a large lagoon. Miami limestone formed throughout

5382-734: The Trans-Pacific Partnership , and resolving disputes with the European Union. The following countries were planned to be part of the Free Trade Area of the Americas: A vocal critic of the FTAA was Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez , who has described it as an " annexation plan" and a "tool of imperialism " for the exploitation of Latin America. As a counterproposal to this initiative, Chávez promoted

5520-573: The Tropic of Cancer , and proximity to the Gulf Stream shape its climate. Average winter high temperatures, from December to March, range from 76.4–80.3 °F (24.7–26.8 °C). January is the coolest month with an average daily temperature of 68.2 °F (20.1 °C). Low temperatures fall below 50 °F (10 °C) about 3 to 4 nights during the winter season, after the passage of cold fronts that produce what little rainfall that falls in

5658-419: The crisis in Venezuela . By the end of Chávez's presidency in the early 2010s, economic actions performed by his government during the preceding decade, such as deficit spending and price controls, proved to be unsustainable, with Venezuela's economy faltering. At the same time, poverty , inflation and shortages increased. Under Chávez, Venezuela experienced democratic backsliding , as he suppressed

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5796-669: The democratic socialism , which he wanted to promote in Latin America, from the Marxist–Leninist socialism that had been spread by socialist states like the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China during the 20th century, arguing that the latter had not been truly democratic, suffering from a lack of participatory democracy and an excessively authoritarian governmental structure. In May 2006, Chávez visited Europe in

5934-539: The mainland of South Florida just above sea level . Beneath the plain lies the Biscayne Aquifer , a natural underground source of fresh water that extends from southern Palm Beach County to Florida Bay . It comes closest to the surface around the cities of Miami Springs and Hialeah . Most of the Miami metropolitan area obtains its drinking water from the Biscayne Aquifer. As a result of

6072-548: The 1950s and 1960s before nearly halting in the next three decades as suburbanization occurred. Miami grew by 34.3% in the 1950s and 1960s as its population reached 334,859 at the 1970 census . In the next three decades, it only grew 8.2%. By the time of the 2000 census , Miami's population stood at 362,470. In the 2000s and 2010s, spurred by high-rise construction in Downtown Miami, Edgewater, and Brickell, Miami's population began to grow quickly once more. An estimate by

6210-537: The 1999 Constitution with the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. The constituent assembly put together a new constitution , which was voted on at a referendum in December 1999. Seventy-two percent of those who voted approved of the new constitution. There was a low turnout and an abstention vote of over 50%. The new constitution provided protections for the environment and indigenous people, socioeconomic guarantees and state benefits, while giving greater powers to

6348-497: The 2020 census, it was 52,447, only 11.7% of the population. Reasons for this include high costs in areas such as Liberty City and Little Haiti , compounded with gentrification . The non-Hispanic White population began to rebound in the twenty-first century, as the monolithically Hispanic areas in the Western and Central parts of Miami experienced population stagnation. This caused them to begin to be outweighed by migration into

6486-642: The 21st century . Chávez described his policies as anti-imperialist , being a prominent adversary of the United States's foreign policy as well as a vocal critic of neoliberalism and laissez-faire capitalism . He described himself as a Marxist . Chávez was born on 28 July 1954 in his paternal grandmother Rosa Inéz Chávez's home, a modest three-room house located in the rural village Sabaneta , Barinas State . The Chávez family were of Amerindian , Afro-Venezuelan , Spanish and Italian descent. His parents, Hugo de los Reyes Chávez – described as

6624-449: The 21st century, Venezuela was the world's fifth largest exporter of crude oil , with oil accounting for 85% of the country's exports, therefore dominating the country's economy. Before the election of Chávez, the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) ran autonomously, making oil decisions based on internal guidance to increase profits. Once he came to power, Chávez started directing PDVSA and effectively turned it into

6762-478: The American Community Survey found that the downtown population, from Brickell north to Midtown Miami, grew nearly 40% between 2010 and 2018. From 2000 to 2010, Miami's population grew by 10.2% and reached 399,457 in 2010. In the early 2010s, Miami's population crossed a milestone of 400,000 people. In the 2020 census , it had grown by a further 10.7%, up to a population of 442,241. In 1970,

6900-473: The Census Bureau reported Miami's population as 45.3% Hispanic, 32.9% non-Hispanic White, and 22.7% Black. Miami's explosive population growth has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country, up until the 1960s. From 1970 to 2000, population growth in Miami was stagnant, as non-Hispanic White Miamians left and significant immigration from Latin America, particularly Cuba , made up

7038-536: The Chávez administration tried to implement educational reforms through the proposed Resolution 259 and Decree 1.011, which would have seen the publication of textbooks with a heavy Bolivarian bias. Parents noticed that such textbooks were really Cuban books filled with revolutionary propaganda outfitted with different covers. The protest movement, which was primarily by middle-class parents whose children went to privately run schools, marched to central Caracas shouting out

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7176-414: The Chávez regime argued that it was dictatorial. Most jurists believed that the new constituent assembly had become the country's "supreme authority" and that all other institutions were subordinate to it. The assembly also declared a "judicial emergency" and granted itself the power to overhaul the judicial system. The Supreme Court ruled that the assembly did indeed have this authority, and was replaced in

7314-767: The Cuban high hierarchy where, among other things, he said "We have a long term strategic project, in which the Cubans have and would have much to contribute" and "it is a project of a twenty to forty year horizon, a sovereign economic model". Travelling around Latin America in search of foreign support for his Bolivarian movement, he visited Argentina , Uruguay , Chile , Colombia , and Cuba , where he met Castro and became friends with him. According to journalist Patricia Poleo , during his stay in Colombia, he spent six months receiving guerilla training and establishing contacts with

7452-499: The Downtown region, from Latin America and the rest of the United States. This caused the non-Hispanic White population to rise from a nadir of 11.8% at the time of the 2000 census to 11.9% at the time of the 2010 census . After this, the non-Hispanic White population grew significantly faster than Miami as a whole did during the 2010s. In the 2020 census , non-Hispanic Whites were 14.0% of the population of Miami and numbered 61,829,

7590-601: The FARC and ELN terrorist groups, and even adopted a nom de guerre Comandante Centeno. By now Chávez was a supporter of taking military action, believing that the oligarchy would never allow him and his supporters to win an election. Chávez and his supporters later founded a political party, the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR – Movimiento Quinta República ) in July 1997 in order to support Chávez's candidacy in

7728-572: The FTAA as a long-term goal. The Implementation of a full multilateral FTAA between all parties could be made possible by enlargement of existing agreements. At this point Agreements within the Area of the Americas include: Miami Miami , officially the City of Miami , is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida . It

7866-414: The FTAA but they do demand that the agreement provide for the elimination of U.S. agriculture subsidies , the provision of effective access to foreign markets and further consideration towards the needs and sensibilities of its members. One of the most contentious issues of the treaty proposed by the United States is with concerns to patents and copyrights . Critics claim that if the measures proposed by

8004-417: The MBR-200. In 1984 he met Herma Marksman , a recently divorced history teacher with whom he had an affair that lasted several years. During this time Francisco Arias Cárdenas , a soldier interested in liberation theology , also joined MBR-200. After some time, some senior military officers became suspicious of Chávez and reassigned him so that he would not be able to gain any more fresh new recruits from

8142-556: The MiMo Historic District. The northern side of Miami also has notable African-American and Caribbean immigrant communities, including Little Haiti , Overtown (home of the Lyric Theater ), and Liberty City . Miami has a tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen climate classification Am ) with hot and wet summers and warm and dry winters. Miami's sea-level elevation, coastal location, position just above

8280-476: The Philippines (15,078). Hugo Ch%C3%A1vez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías ( / ˈ tʃ ɑː v ɛ z / ; Spanish: [ˈuɣo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβes ˈfɾi.as] ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period of forty-seven hours in 2002 . Chávez

8418-575: The President ). He founded two newspapers, El Correo del Presidente ( The President's Post ), founded in July, for which he acted as editor-in-chief, and Vea ( See ), another newspaper, as well as Question magazine and Vive TV. El Correo was later shut down among accusations of corruption and mismanagement. In his television and radio shows, he answered calls from citizens, discussed his latest policies, sang songs and told jokes. In June 2000 he separated from his wife Marisabel, and their divorce

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8556-731: The South and the regional television network TeleSUR . Internationally, Chávez aligned himself with the Marxist–Leninist governments of Fidel and then Raúl Castro in Cuba, as well as the socialist governments of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. Chávez's ideas, programs, and style form the basis of " Chavismo ", a political ideology closely associated with Bolivarianism and socialism of

8694-434: The U.S. after New York City , with over four million visitors in 2022. Miami has sometimes been called the "Gateway to Latin America" because of the magnitude of its commercial and cultural ties to Latin America . In 2022, Miami ranked seventh in the U.S. in business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. Miami was named after the Miami River , derived from Mayaimi ,

8832-442: The United States had pushed for a single comprehensive agreement to reduce trade barriers for goods, while increasing intellectual property protection. Specific intellectual property protections could include Digital Millennium Copyright Act style copyright protections similar to the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement . Another protection would likely have restricted the importation or cross importation of pharmaceuticals, similar to

8970-884: The United States that will be most affected by climate change . Globally, it is one of the most at-risk cities, according to a 2020 report by Resources for the Future . Global sea level rise , which in Miami is projected to be 21 inches (53 cm) to 40 inches (100 cm) by 2070, will lead to an increase in storm damage, more intense flooding, and will threaten Miami's water supply. Other potential impacts of climate change include higher hurricane wind speeds and severe thunderstorms, which can bring about hail or tornadoes. Some protective efforts are in place, including nourishing beaches and adding protective barriers, raising buildings and roads that are vulnerable, and restoring natural habitats such as wetlands . Miami Beach has invested $ 500 million to protect roads, buildings, and water systems. Real estate prices in Miami already reflect

9108-432: The United States were implemented and applied this would reduce scientific research in Latin America. On the Council of Canadians web site, Barlow wrote: "This agreement sets enforceable global rules on patents, copyrights and trademark. It has gone far beyond its initial scope of protecting original inventions or cultural products and now permits the practice of patenting plants and animal forms as well as seeds. It promotes

9246-446: The United States; Cancún and Puebla in Mexico; Panama City , Panama; and Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago . The U.S. city of Colorado Springs also submitted its candidacy in the early days but subsequently withdrew. Miami, Panama City and Puebla served successively an interim secretariat headquarters during the negotiation process. The last summit was held at Mar del Plata , Argentina, in November 2005, but no agreement on FTA

9384-535: The Venezuelan People's Liberation Army ( Ejército de Liberación del Pueblo de Venezuela , or ELPV), consisted of him and a handful of his fellow soldiers who had no immediate plans for direct action, though they knew they wanted a middle way between the right-wing policies of the government and the far-left position of the Red Flag. Nevertheless, hoping to gain an alliance with civilian leftist groups in Venezuela, Chávez set up clandestine meetings with various prominent Marxists, including Alfredo Maneiro (the founder of

9522-571: The WTO talks, Brazil took a leadership role among the less developed nations, while the United States took a similar role for the developed nations. Discussions about the Free Trade Area of the Americas began at the first Summit of the Americas in Miami on December 11, 1994. The FTAA came to public attention during the third summit , held in Quebec City in 2001, as the meeting was targeted by large anti-corporatization and anti-globalization protests. The Miami negotiations in 2003 met similar protests, though not as large. In previous negotiations,

9660-474: The academy. He was sent to take command of the remote barracks at Elorza in Apure State . In 1989, Carlos Andrés Pérez was elected president, and though he had promised to oppose the International Monetary Fund 's policies, once he got into office he enacted economic policies supported by the IMF, angering the public. In an attempt to stop widespread lootings and protests that followed his spending cuts, known as El Caracazo , Pérez initiated Plan Ávila ,

9798-405: The aquifer, it is not possible to dig more than 15 to 20 ft (5 to 6 m) beneath the city without hitting water, which impedes underground construction, though some underground parking garages exist. For this reason, the mass transit systems in and around Miami are elevated or at-grade . Most of the western fringes of Miami border the Everglades , a tropical marshland covering most of

9936-507: The area averages at around 6 ft (1.8 m) above sea level in most neighborhoods, especially near the coast. The highest points are found along the Miami Rock Ridge , which lies under most of the eastern Miami metro. The main portion of Miami is on the shores of Biscayne Bay, which contains several hundred natural and artificial barrier islands , the largest of which contains Miami Beach and South Beach . The Gulf Stream ,

10074-458: The area from the deposition of oolites and the shells of bryozoans . Starting about 100,000 years ago, the Wisconsin glaciation began lowering sea levels, exposing the floor of the lagoon. By 15,000 years ago, the sea level had dropped 300 to 350 feet (90 to 110 m) below the current level. The sea level rose quickly after that, stabilizing at the current level about 4,000 years ago, leaving

10212-402: The balance. Miami's Hispanic majority solidified itself in this period of time, and in 1985, Miami elected its first Cuban-born mayor, Xavier Suarez . The non-Hispanic Black population of the city of Miami peaked in 1990 at almost 90,000, making up nearly a quarter of the population of Miami. Since then, Miami's non-Hispanic Black population has experienced a precipitous and steady decline. In

10350-660: The banks of the Miami River as part of their development of the Florida Territory and their attempt to suppress and remove the Seminoles . As a result, the Miami area became a site of fighting in the Second Seminole War . Miami is noted as the only major city in the United States founded by a woman. Julia Tuttle , a local citrus grower and a wealthy Cleveland native, was the original owner of

10488-489: The city to service a larger and increasingly international population. Miami developed new businesses and cultural amenities as part of the New South in the 1980s and 1990s. At the same time, South Florida weathered social problems related to drug wars , immigration from Haiti and Latin America, and the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew . Racial and cultural tensions sometimes sparked, but Miami developed in

10626-519: The city's total population, 1.7% were German, 1.6% Italian, 1.4% Irish, 1.0% English, 0.8% French, 0.6% Russian, and 0.5% were Polish. In 2010, those of Asian ancestry were 1.0% of Miami's population. Of the city's total population, 0.3% were Indian / Indo-Caribbean (1,206 people), 0.3% Chinese/ Chinese Caribbean (1,804 people), 0.2% Filipino (647 people), 0.1% were other Asian (433 people), 0.1% Japanese (245 people), 0.1% Korean (213 people), and 0.0% were Vietnamese (125 people). In 2010, 1.9% of

10764-493: The comments, which were picked up by the media worldwide and recalled its ambassador for consultations. Meanwhile, the 2000 elections had led to Chávez's supporters gaining 101 out of 165 seats in the Venezuelan National Assembly, and so in November 2001 they voted to allow him to pass 49 social and economic decrees. This move antagonized the opposition movement particularly strongly. At the start of

10902-466: The conflict in which Simon Bolívar's lieutenant, Antonio José de Sucre , defeated royalist forces during the Peruvian War of Independence . In Peru, Chávez heard the leftist president, General Juan Velasco Alvarado (1910–1977), speak, and inspired by Velasco's ideas that the military should act in the interests of the working classes when the ruling classes were perceived as corrupt. Befriending

11040-426: The contours of the painting". There was a low turnout of 37.65% and an abstention of 62.35%, 88% of the voters supported his proposal. Chávez called an election on 25 July to elect the members of the constituent assembly. Over 900 of the 1,171 candidates standing for election were Chávez opponents. To elect the members of the assembly, Chávez used a formula designed by mathematical experts and politicians, known at

11178-456: The country's bicameral legislature into a single National Assembly that gave him more power and created community groups of loyal supporters allegedly trained as paramilitaries. Such actions created great fear among Venezuelans who felt like they were tricked and that Chávez had dictatorial goals. The first organized protest against the Bolivarian government occurred in January 2001, when

11316-550: The coup was elected president and soon afterward he freed Chávez and the other imprisoned MBR-200 members, though Caldera banned them from returning to the military. After his release, on 14 December 1994, Chávez visited Cuba during the Special Period , where he was received by Fidel Castro with head of state honors. During his visit, Chávez gave a speech at the Aula Magna of the University of Havana before Fidel and

11454-501: The date summer ended ranged from September 24 to November 1, with a median date of October 17. During summer, temperatures range from the mid-80s to low 90s °F (29–35 °C) and are accompanied by high humidity. The heat is often relieved in the afternoon by thunderstorms or a sea breeze that develops off the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the year's 61.9 inches (1,572 mm) of rainfall occurs during this period. Dew points in

11592-414: The deaths of at least 143 people and perhaps as many as several hundred. Pérez was impeached a year later, charged with malfeasance and misappropriating funds. While Chávez and the other senior members of the MBR-200 were in prison, his relationship with Herma Marksman broke up in July 1993. In 1994, Rafael Caldera (1916–2009) of the centrist National Convergence Party who allegedly had knowledge of

11730-414: The eligible Venezuelan population turned out to vote, with 59% of voters deciding to keep the president in power. In January 2005, Chávez began openly proclaiming the ideology of " socialism of the 21st century ", something that was distinct from his earlier forms of Bolivarianism , which had been social democratic in nature, merging elements of capitalism and socialism. He used this new term to contrast

11868-501: The ensuing decade, this would be increased to 90,000 barrels a day (in exchange for 40,000 Cuban medics and teachers), dramatically aiding the Caribbean island's economy and standard of living after its " Special Period " of the 1990s. However, Venezuela's growing alliance with Cuba came at the same time as a deteriorating relationship with the United States. Chávez opposed of the 2001 American-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to

12006-436: The ensuing violence. Chávez gave himself up to the government and appeared on television, in uniform, to call on the remaining coup members to lay down their arms. Chávez remarked in his speech that they had failed only " por ahora " (for now). Venezuelans, particularly poor ones, began seeing him as someone who stood up against government corruption and kleptocracy . The coup "flopped militarily—and dozens died—but made him

12144-418: The first day that occurs, or within a few days later. Daily rainfall in Miami decreases sharply when the average daily dew point falls to 70 °F (21 °C) or below. In some years, a stalled front to the south of the Florida peninsula may cause rains to continue for a few more days. From 1956 to 1997, the date summer began ranged from April 16 to June 3, with a median date of May 21. In those same years,

12282-528: The former Coconut Grove Playhouse , CocoWalk , and the Coconut Grove Convention Center . It is home to many nightclubs , bars, restaurants, and bohemian shops, which makes it very popular with local college students . Coconut Grove is known for its many parks and gardens, such as Vizcaya Museum , The Kampong , The Barnacle Historic State Park , and numerous other historic homes and estates. The western side of Miami includes

12420-1049: The highest number since the 1980s. The non-Hispanic White population of Miami surpassed the non-Hispanic Black population of Miami in the 2010s. In 2010, 34.4% of city residents were of Cuban origin, 15.8% had a Central American background (7.2% Nicaraguan , 5.8% Honduran , 1.2% Salvadoran , and 1.0% Guatemalan ), 8.7% were of South American descent (3.2% Colombian, 1.4% Venezuelan , 1.2% Peruvian , 1.2% Argentine , 1.0% Chilean and 0.7% Ecuadorian ), 4.0% had other Hispanic or Latino origins (0.5% Spaniard ), 3.2% descended from Puerto Ricans , 2.4% were Dominican , and 1.5% had Mexican ancestry. In 2010, 5.6% of city residents were West Indian or Afro-Caribbean American origin (4.4% Haitian , 0.4% Jamaican , 0.4% Bahamian , 0.1% British West Indian , and 0.1% Trinidadian and Tobagonian , 0.1% Other or Unspecified West Indian ), 3.0% were Black Hispanics , and 0.4% were Subsaharan African origin. In 2010, those of (non-Hispanic white) European ancestry were 11.9% of Miami's population. Of

12558-484: The historic name of Lake Okeechobee and the Native Americans who lived around it. Miami is sometimes colloquially referred to as The 305 , Magic City , Gateway to the Americas , Gateway to Latin America , Capital of Latin America , and Vice City . The Tequesta tribe occupied the Miami area for around 2,000 years before contact with Europeans. A village of hundreds of people, dating to 500–600 BCE,

12696-514: The increase in prices for real estate at a higher elevation within the city compared to real estate at a lower elevation. Miami is the largest city in South Florida , the second-largest city in Florida , and is the anchor of the largest metropolitan area in Florida: the Miami metropolitan area , which has over 6 million residents. Despite Miami being home to less than a fourteenth (1/14) of

12834-521: The judiciary, and by his creation of a parallel government of military cronies". Soon after being established into office, Chávez spent much of his time attempting to abolish existing checks and balances in Venezuela. He appointed new figures to government posts, adding leftist allies to key positions and "army colleagues were given a far bigger say in the day-to-day running of the country". For instance, he put Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 founder Jesús Urdaneta  [ es ] in charge of

12972-450: The land upon which Miami was built. In the late 19th century, the area was known as "Biscayne Bay Country", and reports described it as a promising wilderness and "one of the finest building sites in Florida". The Great Freeze of 1894–1895 hastened Miami's growth, as the crops there were the only ones in Florida that survived. Julia Tuttle subsequently convinced railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his Florida East Coast Railway to

13110-507: The latter half of the 20th century as a major international, financial, and cultural center. It is the second-largest U.S. city with a Spanish-speaking majority (after El Paso, Texas ), and the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality. Miami and its suburbs are located on a broad plain between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east, which extends from Lake Okeechobee southward to Florida Bay . The elevation of

13248-521: The loyalty of less than 10% of Venezuela's military. After numerous betrayals, defections, errors, and other unforeseen circumstances, Chávez and a small group of rebels found themselves hiding in the Military Museum, unable to communicate with other members of their team. Pérez managed to escape Miraflores Palace . Officially, thirty-two civilians, police officers and soldiers were killed, and fifty soldiers and some eighty civilians injured during

13386-407: The managers and executives of PdVSA and replaced them with political allies, stripping the state-owned company expertise. Much of Chávez's opposition originated from the response to the "cubanization" of Venezuela. Chávez's popularity dropped due to his relationship with Fidel Castro and Cuba, with Chávez attempting to make Venezuela in Cuba's image. Chávez, following Castro's example, consolidated

13524-534: The middle class and the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy who had formerly supported him. Chávez was re-elected with 60% of the vote, a larger majority than his 1998 electoral victory. That year, Chávez improved ideological ties with the Cuban government of Fidel Castro by signing an agreement under which Venezuela would supply Cuba with 53,000 barrels of oil per day at preferential rates, in return receiving 20,000 trained Cuban medics and educators. In

13662-534: The military a mandated role in the government by empowering it to ensure public order and aid national development, which the previous constitution had expressly forbidden. In the new constitution, the country, until then officially known as the Republic of Venezuela, was renamed the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela) at Chávez's request. Chávez's actions following

13800-451: The military overwhelming military locations and communication installations and then establishing Rafael Caldera in power once Pérez was captured and assassinated. Chávez delayed the MBR-200 coup, initially planned for December, until the early twilight hours of 4 February 1992. On that date five army units under Chávez's command moved into urban Caracas. Despite years of planning, the coup quickly encountered trouble since Chávez commanded

13938-423: The minimum state participation in "mixed companies" at 51%, whereby the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), could have joint control with private companies over industry. By 2006, all of the 32 operating agreements signed with private companies during the 1990s had been converted from being primarily or privately-run to being at least 51% controlled by PDVSA. Chávez had also removed many of

14076-563: The modern history of Venezuela and Latin America . His 14-year presidency marked the start of the socialist " pink tide " sweeping Latin America—he supported Latin American and Caribbean cooperation and was instrumental in setting up the pan-regional Union of South American Nations , the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States , the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas , the Bank of

14214-553: The nation's largest hospital with 1,547 beds, and the Miller School of Medicine , the University of Miami's academic medical center and teaching hospital, and others engaged in health-related care and research. PortMiami , the city's seaport, is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines. The Miami metropolitan area is the second-most visited city or metropolitan statistical area in

14352-423: The neighborhoods of Coral Way , The Roads , and Coconut Grove . Coral Way is a historic residential neighborhood built in 1922 between Downtown and Coral Gables , and is home to many old homes and tree-lined streets. Coconut Grove, settled in 1825, and annexed into Miami in 1925, is a historic neighborhood with narrow, winding roads and a heavy tree canopy. It is the location of Miami's City Hall at Dinner Key ,

14490-496: The neighborhoods of Little Havana , West Flagler , and Flagami . Although at one time a mostly Jewish neighborhood, today western Miami is home to immigrants from mostly Central America and Cuba . The west central neighborhood of Allapattah is a multicultural community of many ethnicities. The northern side of Miami includes Midtown , a district with a great mix of diversity ranging from West Indians to Hispanics to European Americans . The Edgewater neighborhood of Midtown

14628-520: The next few years, some governments, most notably the United States, not wanting to lose any chance of hemispheric trade expansion moved in the direction of establishing a series of bilateral trade deals. The leaders planned further discussions at the 6th Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia in 2012, but these discussions did not take place. As of 2022, U.S. trade policy neglected Latin America in favor of competition with China after failure of

14766-413: The old left, as well as the members of the militarist right wing, some of them nostalgic for the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez. By May 1998, Chávez's support had risen to 30% in polls, and by August he was registering 39%. Voter turnout was 63%, and Chávez won the election with 56.2% of the vote. Chávez's presidential inauguration took place 2 February 1999. He deviated from the usual words of

14904-479: The plan. The plan involved 70,000 soldiers, sailors and members of the air force repairing roads and hospitals, removing stagnant water that offered breeding areas for disease-carrying mosquitoes, offering free medical care and vaccinations, and selling food at low prices. Several scandals later affected the program as allegations of corruption were formulated against generals involved in the plan and that significant amounts of money had been diverted. Chávez called

15042-555: The population considered themselves to be of only American ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity), while 0.5% were of Arab ancestry, in 2010. Religion in the Miami Metro Area (2014) In a 2014 Pew Research Center study, Christianity was the most-practiced religion in Miami (68%), with 39% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant , and 27% professing Catholicism . Followed by Judaism (9%); Islam , Buddhism , Hinduism , and

15180-403: The population of the metro area, it is an outlier compared to its neighbors, being nearly twice the size of the next-largest city in the metro: Hialeah . Miami has approximately a sixth of the population of its own county, Miami-Dade , which is the state's largest. Miami had rapid growth in the first half of the twentieth century. Its population grew from 1,681 in the 1900 census to 249,276 in

15318-470: The president. The presidential term was extended to six years, and a president was allowed to serve for two consecutive terms. Previously, a sitting president could not run for reelection for 10 years after leaving office. It also replaced the bicameral Congress with a unicameral Legislative Assembly and gave the president the power to legislate on citizen rights, to promote military officers and to oversee economic and financial matters. The assembly also gave

15456-403: The presidential oath when he took it, proclaiming: "I swear before God and my people that upon this moribund constitution I will drive forth the necessary democratic transformations so that the new republic will have a Magna Carta befitting these new times". Freedom in Venezuela suffered following "the decision of President Hugo Chávez, ratified in a national referendum, to abolish congress and

15594-444: The press, manipulated electoral laws, and arrested and exiled government critics. His use of enabling acts and his government's use of propaganda were controversial. Chávez's presidency saw significant increases in the country's murder rate and continued corruption within the police force and the government. Across the political spectrum, Chávez is regarded as one of the most influential and controversial politicians in

15732-547: The private rights of corporations over local communities and their genetic heritage and traditional medicines". On the weekend of April 20, 2001, the 3rd Summit of the Americas was a summit held in Quebec City , Canada. This international meeting was a round of negotiations regarding a proposed FTAA. There are currently 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere, stretching from Canada to Chile that still have

15870-688: The proposed agreement between the United States and Canada. Brazil posed a three-track approach that called for a series of bilateral agreements to reduce specific tariffs on goods, a hemispheric pact on rules of origin , and a dispute resolution process Brazil proposed to omit the more controversial issues from the FTA, leaving them to the WTO. The location of the FTA Secretariat was to have been determined in 2005. The contending cities were: Atlanta , Chicago , Galveston , Houston , San Juan , and Miami in

16008-573: The ratification the 1999 Venezuelan constitution government weakened many of Venezuela's checks and balances, allowing the government to control every branch of the Venezuelan government for over 15 years after it passed until the Venezuelan parliamentary election in 2015 . In May 2000 he launched his own Sunday morning radio show, Aló Presidente ( Hello, President ), on the state radio network. This followed an earlier Thursday night television show, De Frente con el Presidente ( Face to Face with

16146-468: The region, for which she became known as "the mother of Miami". Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, with a population of just over 300. During the early 20th century, migrants from the Bahamas and African-Americans constituted 40 percent of the city's population. When landlords began to rent homes to African-Americans around Avenue J, what would later become NW Fifth Avenue,

16284-442: The same day. Going into the elections, Chávez had control of all three branches of government. For the position of president, Chávez's closest challenger proved to be his former friend and co-conspirator in the 1992 coup, Francisco Arias Cárdenas , who since becoming a governor of Zulia state had turned towards the political centre and begun to denounce Chávez as autocratic. Some of his supporters feared that he had alienated those in

16422-548: The slogan Con mis hijos no te metas ("Don't mess with my children"). Although the protesters were denounced by Chávez, who called them "selfish and individualistic", the protest was successful enough for the government to retract the proposed education reforms and instead enter into a consensus-based educational program with the opposition. Later into 2001, an organization known as the Coordinadora Democrática de Acción Cívica (Democratic Coordinator, CD)

16560-404: The son of Maximum Leader Omar Torrijos , the leftist dictator of Panama, Chávez visited Panama, where he met with Torrijos, and was impressed with his land reform program that was designed to benefit the peasants. Influenced by Torrijos and Velasco he saw the potential for military generals to seize control of a government when the civilian authorities were perceived as serving the interests of only

16698-569: The southern portion of Florida. Alligators that live in the marshes have ventured into Miami communities and onto major highways. Miami is split roughly into north, south, west, and Downtown areas. The heart of the city is Downtown Miami , which is on the eastern side and includes the neighborhoods of Brickell , Virginia Key , Watson Island , and PortMiami . Downtown Miami is Florida's largest and most influential central business district, with many major banks, courthouses, financial headquarters, cultural and tourist attractions, schools, parks, and

16836-431: The state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela . Chávez initially believed that capitalism was still a valid economic model for Venezuela, but only Rhenish capitalism , not neoliberalism . Low oil prices made Chavez's government reliant on international free markets during his first months in office, when he showed pragmatism and political moderation, and continued to encourage foreign investment in Venezuela. During

16974-478: The time as the kino (lottery) or the "keys of Chávez". Chávez obtained 51% of the votes, but his supporters took 95% of the seats, 125 in total, including all of the seats assigned to indigenous groups, while the opposition won six seats. On 12 August 1999, the new constituent assembly voted to give themselves the power to abolish government institutions and to dismiss officials who were perceived as corrupt or as operating only in their own interests. Opponents of

17112-409: The tremendous loss of expertise. By 2005, the members of Venezuela's energy ministries stated it would take more than 15 years for PDVSA to recover from Chávez's actions. The 1999 constitution had introduced the concept of a recall referendum into Venezuelan politics, so the opposition called for such a referendum to take place. The resulting 2004 referendum to recall Chávez was unsuccessful. 70% of

17250-402: The vote, was elected president of Venezuela in 1998 . He was reelected in the 2000 Venezuelan general election with 59.8% of the vote and again in the 2006 Venezuelan presidential election , with 62.8% of the vote. After winning his fourth term as president in the 2012 Venezuelan presidential election with 55.1% of the vote, he was to be sworn in on 10 January 2013. However, the inauguration

17388-570: The warm months range from 71.9 °F (22.2 °C) in June to 73.7 °F (23.2 °C) in August. Historical temperature extremes range from 27 °F (−2.8 °C) on February 3, 1917, to 100 °F (38 °C) on July 21, 1942. While Miami has never recorded snowfall at any official weather station since records have been kept, snow flurries fell in some parts of Miami on January 19, 1977. The coldest daytime maximum temperature on record

17526-459: The wealthy elites. Chávez later said, "With Torrijos, I became a Torrijist. With Velasco I became a Velasquist. And with Pinochet, I became an anti-Pinochetist". In 1975, Chávez graduated from the military academy as one of the top graduates of the year. Following his graduation, Chávez was stationed as a communications officer at a counterinsurgency unit in Barinas. In 1977, Chávez's unit

17664-410: The winter. There are two basic seasons in Miami, a hot and wet season from May to October, and a warm and dry season from November to April. During the hot and wet season, daily thundershowers occur in the humid unstable air masses. The wet season in Miami is defined as the period during which the average daily dew point temperature is above 70 °F (21 °C). The rainy season typically begins on

17802-547: Was a member of the Ku Klux Klan . Unsurprisingly, these officers enforced social codes far beyond the written law. Quigg, for example, "personally and publicly beat a colored bellboy to death for speaking directly to a white woman". The collapse of the Florida land boom of the 1920s , the 1926 Miami Hurricane , and the Great Depression in the 1930s slowed development. When World War II began, Miami became

17940-531: Was also leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which he led until 2012. Born into a middle-class family in Sabaneta, Barinas , Chávez became a career military officer. After becoming dissatisfied with the Venezuelan political system based on

18078-552: Was cancelled due to his cancer treatment , and on 5 March at age 58, he died in Caracas . Following the adoption of the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution , Chávez focused on enacting social reforms as part of the Bolivarian Revolution . Using record-high oil revenues of the 2000s, his government nationalized key industries, created participatory democratic Communal Councils and implemented social programs known as

18216-405: Was finalised in January 2004. Under the new constitution, it was legally required that new elections be held in order to re-legitimize the government and president. This presidential election in July 2000 would be a part of a greater "megaelection", the first time in the country's history that the president, governors, national and regional congressmen, mayors and councilmen would be voted for on

18354-761: Was founded, under which the Venezuelan opposition political parties, corporate powers, most of the country's media, the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce , the Institutional Military Front and the Central Workers Union all united to oppose Chávez's regime. The prominent businessman Pedro Carmona (1941–) was chosen as the CD's leader. The Coordinadora Democrática and other opponents of Chávez's Bolivarian government accused it of trying to turn Venezuela from

18492-468: Was located at the mouth of the Miami River . It is believed that the entire tribe migrated to Cuba by the mid-1700s. In 1566, admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés , Florida's first governor, claimed the area for Spain . A Spanish mission was constructed one year later. Spain, and briefly Britain , ruled Florida until it ceded it to the United States in 1821. In 1836, the U.S. built Fort Dallas on

18630-568: Was reached. Of the 39 countries present at the negotiations, 20 pledged to meet again in 2006 to resume negotiations, but no meeting took place. The failure of the Mar del Plata summit to establish a comprehensive FTA agenda augured poorly. The FTAA missed the targeted deadline of 2005, which followed the stalling of useful negotiations of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005 . Over

18768-462: Was to moderate his approach, implementing a new economic team that appeared to be more centrist and reinstated the old board of directors and managers of the state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), whose replacement had been one of the reasons for the coup. At the same time, the Bolivarian government began to increase the country's military capacity, purchasing 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles and several helicopters from Russia, as well as

18906-402: Was transferred by army escort to La Orchila ; business leader Pedro Carmona declared himself president of an interim government. Carmona abolished the 1999 constitution and appointed a governing committee. Protests in support of Chávez along with insufficient support for Carmona's government quickly led to Carmona's resignation, and Chávez was returned to power on 14 April. Chávez's response

19044-479: Was transferred to Anzoátegui , where they were involved in battling the Red Flag Party , a Marxist– Hoxhaist insurgency group. After intervening to prevent the beating of an alleged insurgent by other soldiers, Chávez began to have his doubts about the army. In 1977, he founded a revolutionary movement within the armed forces, in the hope that he could one day introduce a leftist government to Venezuela:

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