Punto Fijo

Punto Fijo is the capital city of the municipality of Carirubana in northern Falcón State, Venezuela. It is located on the southwestern coast of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Its metropolitan area includes the parishes of Norte, Carirubana, Punta Cardón and the parish of Judibana in the municipality of Los Taques. Punto Fijo is the largest city in Falcón State. Punto Fijo was founded in the early 1940s, on the outskirts of two refinery operations established by Standard Oil and Shell during the 1940s. Despite the name of the 1958 Puntofijo Pact, Punto Fijo is unrelated to the pact (the pact was signed at Puntofijo Residence in Caracas). Punto Fijo has an estimated population of 270,000 (est. 2002 census), mostly in the urban center. Punto Fijo's name is commonly attributed to the late Rafael González Estaba, former city historian, who said that the place where the city now stands was a common stop (the "fixed point") for passers-by and fishermen.