Barinas is a city in west central Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. According to an estimate in 2009, its population is 251,535. It is the capital of the Barinas Municipality

Barinas Municipality

The Barinas Municipality is one of the 12 municipalities that make up the Venezuelan state of Barinas. The town of Barinas is the shire town of the Barinas Municipality.-Demographics:...

 and the State of Barinas

Barinas (state)

Barinas State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Barinas. Current President Hugo Chávez was born in this state...

. The city of Barinas is known as the capital of llanos

Llanos

The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....

.

History

The original city was founded under the name Altamira de Caceres on June 30, 1577 by Captain Juan Andres Varela fulfilling orders of the governor of La Grita

La Grita

La Grita is a town in Táchira state, Venezuela. It has a population of 80.000. It is located in the North West of Tachira State. Founded by the Spanish Captain Francisco de Cáceres, in 1573, also known as ciudad de Atenas or ciudad del Espíritu Santo, it was the capital of the Province of La Grita...

 Francisco de Cáceres, who had founded this Andean city and established it governorate

Governorate

A governorate is an administrative division of a country. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states, provinces, or colonies, the term governorate is often used in translation from non-English-speaking administrations.The...

 in 1576.

In 1786 Barinas state was established in the territories of the existing states of Barinas and Apure

Apure

Apure State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations pronounced by the colonial authorities. In 1824 the Department of Apure was created, under...

. The city became the capital of the state and an important bastion of the patriots during the War of Independence

Venezuelan War of Independence

-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...

. Cristóbal Mendoza

Cristóbal Mendoza

Cristóbal Hurtado de Mendoza was a Venezuelan politician. Cristobal became the first President of Venezuela in 1811.-Biography:...

, the first President of Venezuela, lived and practiced his profession in Barinas.

Etymology

The name of the city comes from an indigenous word which identifies a strong wind that occurs during the rainy season, from the valleys of Santo Domingo.

Geography

The city is located in the northwest part of the state, along the river Santo Domingo in the Andean foothills about 165 km from the city of Mérida

Mérida, Mérida

Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, Venezuela, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan Andes...

 and 525 km from Caracas

Caracas

Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...

. The city has about 270,000 inhabitants and is the most populous in the state of Barinas and one of the largest Venezuelan llanos cities alongside Calabozo

Calabozo

Villa de Todos los Santos de Calabozo, an inland town of Venezuela, once capital of the Province of Caracas in the colonial period, formerly in the State of Miranda and former capital of the state of Guárico....

, Acarigua

Acarigua

Acarigua is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa at coordinates . The city's population is 116 551 but now estimated at 208,495 for 2008. Formerly the state capital, it is a major commercial center for the northern Llanos region of South America. It is...

-Araure

Araure

Araure is a town in the Venezuelan state of Portuguesa. This town is the shire town of the Araure Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, the municipality has a population of 111,908.-Demographics:...

, Guanare

Guanare

Guanare is the capital city of Portuguesa State, Venezuela. It is where la Virgen de Coromoto is said to have appeared to a Coromoto Indian.Located at the edge of the Southwestern floodplains, near the Andes foothills, Guanare is in a region known for livestock and agricultural production...

 and San Fernando de Apure

San Fernando de Apure

San Fernando de Apure is a city in Apure State in Venezuela. The population of the municipality area is 175,056 . The 18th century exports included heron feathers and animal hides....

. The city is located about 188 meters above sea level.

Economy

The city has become an important administrative centre being the headquarters of major educational institutions such as the National Experimental University of the Western Plains "Ezequiel Zamora" and the more immediate market for everything produced in the state both in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry and oil exploitation. In recent years an important tourist industry has emerged in the city since it has served as a base or point of entry to all eco-tourism locations in the region of Western Plains.

LAI - Línea Aérea IAACA

LAI - Linea Aerea IAACA

LAI - Línea Aérea IAACA was an airline based in Barinas, Venezuela. A regional airline that served nine destinations.-History:The airline was founded in 1995. He trained as a crop spraying company that have evolved to become the largest airborne operation of taxis in Venezuela...

, an airline, had its headquarters on the grounds of Barinas Airport

Barinas Airport

Barinas Airport is an airport in Barinas, a city in the Venezuelan state of Barinas.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 13/31 measuring and 03/21 which measures ....

 in Barinas.

Transport

The city has bus transportation, consisting of 5 lines that run throughout the city with over 80 different routes. It also has a large number of taxis or rental cars providing additional transportation services in the city.

Barinas International Airport

Barinas Airport

Barinas Airport is an airport in Barinas, a city in the Venezuelan state of Barinas.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 13/31 measuring and 03/21 which measures ....

, serves Barinas with its two runways in the form of the letter "L".

Sights

• The Marques Palace
• Museum Alberto Arvelo Torrealba
• Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar of Zaragoza and Santiago
• Santo Domingo River
• Squares: Student's Square, Bolivar Square, Zamora Square, Francisco de Miranda Square, Poet's Square
• Walk of the Trujillanos
• The Federation Park
• Los Mangos Park
• Business Centers: C.C. Cima, C.C. El Dorado, C.C. Forum, C.C. Vemeca.
• Olympic Stadium Agustin Tovar "La Carolina"
• Botanical Garden of Unellez
• Punto Fresco Roundabout
• The house of Brutalis

External links

• Portal of Barinas state