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20-517: Paraguaná ( Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaɣwaˈna] ) is a peninsula and tied island in Venezuela , situated in the north of Falcón State , and comprises the municipalities of Carirubana, Los Taques and Falcón. The island of Aruba lies 27 km (17 miles) to the north. Bonaire and Curaçao are slightly further away. Paraguaná lies in the Caribbean Sea , and is connected to

40-469: A basin . This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula . In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines , which act as dams for the meltwater. This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas. If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock , which

60-446: A tied island . Geologically, Paraguana is a tabular limestone area. The eastern coast is exposed to strong wave action, where low cliffs alternate with beaches. A central hill, Cerro Santa Ana, rises abruptly to 830 m through well-defined vegetation zones. A fringing coral reef extends along the north-eastern coast. The western coast is more sheltered and low-lying, with high fault-induced cliffs only around Punto Fijo. South of Paraguana

80-502: A few tourists from the United States. The beaches serve as a large part of tourist attraction. There is a luxury beachfront hotel called Eurobuilding Villa Caribe. Paraguana also takes advantage of the duty-free shopping for tourism and opened a Paraguana Mall which is used for that. Two shopping malls are in the area. The mall, Las Virtudes, attracts a lot of people, and the mall, Sambil Paraguana , attracts many tourists, and has

100-572: A luxury hotel, Lidotel, in it. Western news sources point to Paraguaná as being an ongoing construction site for launch purposes in connection with Iranian-manufactured and imported ballistic missiles to the Bolivarian Republic under agreement of the late president, Hugo Chavez . The peninsula is served by Josefa Camejo International Airport in Punto Fijo, among others. Supermercado La Franco Italiana used to be headquartered in

120-532: Is the shallow Coro Gulf into which the Mitare River flows. The bird-foot delta of this river has grown rapidly during the past 3,000 years, sheltered by the isthmus of Medanos and the Paraguana peninsula. The eastern shore of the isthmus is exposed to strong waves, and has a long 32-km beach protected by a ledge of exposed beach rock. Dunes, including some barchans, are migrating across the southern part of

140-572: The 16th century. A peninsula is generally defined as a piece of land surrounded on most sides by water. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and the body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea. A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey , United States. A peninsula may be connected to

160-499: The case of Florida , continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape. In the case of formation from glaciers (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod ), peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion , meltwater or deposition . If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since the glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed

180-558: The company's name changed officially from La Franco Italiana to Supermercado La Franco Italiana S.A. . In 1989 the company inaugurated what was, as of 2003, the largest supermarket store in Venezuela. Many people in the Paraguaná Peninsula still refer to the company as La Franco . The supermarket got sold due to economic and security problems. It got sold to the company "De Candido" which has several supermarkets in

200-501: The isthmus towards the Gulf of Coro. Tectonic processes, reef building, erosion, longshore drift, sediment deposition, and dune development have all been influential in the formation of Paraguana and its associated features. The Solar eclipse of February 26, 1998 was visible from the peninsula. The center line of the eclipse crossed the northern part of the peninsula, parallel to its north-west coastline. The skies were completely clear from

220-531: The mainland via an isthmus , for example, in the Isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula. Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift , glacial erosion , glacial meltwater , glacial deposition , marine sediment , marine transgressions , volcanoes, divergent boundaries or river sedimentation. More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula. For example, in

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240-648: The peninsula, until it was merged with Supermercados De Candido, which maintains branches there. [REDACTED] Media related to Paraguaná at Wikimedia Commons Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most sides. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula . The word peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula , from paene  'almost' and insula  'island'. The word entered English in

260-487: The peninsula. Bleachers were set up north of Punto Fijo as a designated eclipse viewing spot. Paraguana hosts three large oil refineries, in the western part. Together these comprise the third largest oil refinery complex in the world, the Paraguaná Refinery Complex . Most of the oil that PDVSA acquires is processed in this complex. The output of these refineries is shipped internationally through

280-480: The ports of Amuay and Cardón. Many engineers that worked in the refineries have moved to the United States to work at Citgo . Paraguana is a duty-free zone, therefore many international shops, notably Arabian, have opened. While most of the economy is centered on the oil industry, tourism is growing. While most of the tourists come from other parts of Venezuela, many tourists come from surrounding countries such as Colombia , Aruba , Bonaire , Curaçao , and even

300-593: The rest of the state by the natural isthmus or tombolo of Médanos . Because it is almost completely surrounded by water, the peninsula is sometimes called Cora Island, and considered a part of the Leeward Antilles . It was in fact a separate island earlier in the Holocene , before the development of the tombolo that connected it to the mainland sometime in the last 12,000 years, and possibly as recently as 3,000 years ago. Paraguana can thus be classified as

320-468: The sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula. Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels. Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger. Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce

340-514: The size of some peninsulas over time. Peninsulas are noted for their use as shelter for humans and Neanderthals . The landform is advantageous because it gives hunting access to both land and sea animals. They can also serve as markers of a nation's borders. Supermercado La Franco Italiana Supermercado De Candido is a chain of supermarkets , located in the Paraguaná Peninsula of Venezuela . The supermarket company

360-497: The volcano erupts near shallow water. Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone . A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula ), while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent ). Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean,

380-504: Was created from a large deposit of glacial drift . The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago. In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g., the Alaskan Peninsula ). Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when

400-472: Was established in 1950, when the Italian Prati Caruso brothers established it as Supermercado La Franco Italiana . During the company's first few years, growth was slow, but when petroleum companies Royal Dutch/Shell and Creole Petroleum Corporation merged the Paraguaná Peninsula experienced significant economic and population growth, inspiring La Franco Italiana to expand. In 1974

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