Potosi, Venezuela

Last updated
Potosí
Pueblo de Potosí
Disestablished town
Venezuela location map (+claimed).svg
Red pog.svg
Potosí
Coordinates: 7°57′25″N71°41′4″W / 7.95694°N 71.68444°W / 7.95694; -71.68444 Coordinates: 7°57′25″N71°41′4″W / 7.95694°N 71.68444°W / 7.95694; -71.68444
Country Venezuela
State Táchira
Disestablished 1985
Population
 • Estimate (1985) 1,200

Potosí was a Venezuelan town in the western state of Táchira. The town was deliberately flooded by the Venezuelan government in 1985 to build a hydroelectric dam. In 2010, the town was uncovered for the first time since its flooding due to a drought caused by the weather phenomenon El Niño.

Venezuela Republic in northern South America

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and a large number of small islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas. It has a territorial extension of 916,445 km2. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east and on the east by Guyana. With this last country, the Venezuelan government maintains a claim for Guayana Esequiba over an area of 159,542 km2. For its maritime areas, it exercises sovereignty over 71,295 km2 of territorial waters, 22,224 km2 in its contiguous zone, 471,507 km2 of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean under the concept of exclusive economic zone, and 99,889 km2 of continental shelf. This marine area borders those of 13 states. The country has extremely high biodiversity and is ranked seventh in the world's list of nations with the most number of species. There are habitats ranging from the Andes Mountains in the west to the Amazon basin rain-forest in the south via extensive llanos plains, the Caribbean coast and the Orinoco River Delta in the east.

Hydroelectricity electricity generated by hydropower

Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2015, hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity, and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.

Contents

History

Prior to 1985, Potosí was a town of approximately 1,200 inhabitants. [1] [2] The then-president of Venezuela, Carlos Andres Perez, flew in by helicopter and announced that the town was to be evacuated and then flooded to build a hydroelectric dam. [1] Josefa Garcia, a former resident, visited the town's square for the first time and remembered that day saying, "He said we'd all be expropriated and we had to leave. It took our hope away." [2] Garcia relocated to a region not far from her former home and other former residents moved throughout Venezuela. [2] The houses and the colonial church were abandoned and the waters of the Uribante Reservoir, once covering 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi), [3] submerged the town with the exception of the steeple of its church. [1] [3] The steeple is 85 feet (26 m) feet tall and was once used as the high-water mark for the reservoir. [2] [4]

Carlos Andrés Pérez President of Venezuela

Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez also known as CAP and often referred to as El Gocho, was a Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela from 12 March 1974 to 12 March 1979 and again from 2 February 1989 to 21 May 1993. His first presidency was known as the Saudi Venezuela due to its economic and social prosperity thanks to enormous income from petroleum exportation. However, his second period saw a continuation of the economic crisis of the 1980s, and saw a series of social crises, a popular revolt and two coup attempts in 1992. In May 1993 he became the first Venezuelan president to be forced out of the office by the Supreme Court, for the embezzlement of 250 million bolívars belonging to a presidential discretionary fund.

Uribante River river in Venezuela

The Uribante River is a river of Venezuela, a tributary of the Apure River.

Reemergence

Uribante 1.jpg
Uribante 2.jpg
With a high water level, you can see the cross of the church of the old Potosi, however, due to the severe drought that suffered Venezuela in mid-2009-2010, one could see the whole church and the nearby cemetery.

After 26 years under water, [5] there was a 98 feet (30 m) drop in the water level of the reservoir [2] due to a drought. [1] [5] The church, grave markers, the ruins of houses and the outline of the former town square have reemerged [1] [4] with the church entirely exposed, [4] although only its facade remains. [5] Some visitors have appeared as well, including Garcia who once worked at the church there who commented, "It brings me joy, but it also makes me sad to see the situation that we're in." [5] The 2009-10 El Niño event is believed to be responsible for the severe drought afflicting the region. [1] [2] [4] [5]

See also

St. Thomas, Nevada ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, United States of America

St. Thomas, Nevada is a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada, near where the Muddy River flows into the Colorado River. St. Thomas was purchased by the US Federal Government and abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead submerged the town in the 1930s. However, as the level of Lake Mead dropped in the 2000s, the ruins of the town resurfaced. It is now located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

United States Federal republic in North America

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Hoover Dam hydroelectric dam on the Colorado River, United States

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. Originally known as Boulder Dam from 1933, it was officially renamed Hoover Dam, for President Herbert Hoover, by a joint resolution of Congress in 1947.

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Droughts in California

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2017 California floods

The 2017 California floods were a series of floods that affected parts of California in the first half of 2017. Northern California saw its wettest winter in almost a century, breaking the previous record set in the winter of 1982–83. Flooding related to the same storm systems also impacted parts of western Nevada and southern Oregon. Damage to California roads and highways alone was estimated at over $1.05 billion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Knowles, David (February 27, 2010). "Sunken Town Re-Emerges After 25 Years". AOL News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Venezuelan drought reveals a long-submerged town | Green Business | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  3. 1 2 "Drought uncovers hidden underwater village". Metro. February 26, 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Potosi, Venezuela: Drought Reveals Buried Town..." Gather. 2010-01-30. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Drought Uncovers City Submerged For Decades". TreeHugger. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
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