Barinas () is a city in west central

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. According to the 2011 census, its population is 353,442. It is the capital of the Barinas Municipality and the State of Barinas. The city of Barinas is known as the capital of the

Llanos The Llanos ( Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) 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 tropical and subtropical grasslands, ...

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

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

in 1576. In 1786 Barinas state was established in the territories of the existing states of Barinas and

Apure Apure State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida (state), Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas (state), Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations ...

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

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. Cristóbal Mendoza, the first

President of Venezuela The president of Venezuela (), officially known as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (), is the executive head of state and head of government of Venezuela. The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan go ...

, 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 and 525 km from

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

. 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, officially Villa de Todos los Santos de Calabozo, is a city in Venezuela located in Guárico state, capital of the Francisco de Miranda Municipality and former capital of the state. It has a population of 168,605, according to the Nat ...

Acarigua Acarigua (), founded as San Miguel de Acarigua in 1620, is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa (state), Portuguesa and its former capital. It encompasses the Páez municipality. It is a major commerc ...

- Araure, Guanare and

San Fernando de Apure San Fernando de Apure () is a city in Apure State in Venezuela. The population of the municipality area is 165,135 (2011 census). The 18th century exports included heron feathers (for pens) and animal hides. The “Maria Nieves” bridge across ...

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

Climate

Barinas experiences a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Aw'') characterized by consistently hot temperatures throughout the year and a distinct wet and dry season pattern. Barinas experiences a

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

from April to November, with rainfall peaking in June, and a

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

from December to March. The total annual precipitation is . March, before the onset of the rainy season, is the hottest month, with an average high temperature above , while June through August in the wet season are the coolest months, with high temperatures close to .

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, an airline, had its headquarters on the grounds of Barinas Airport in Barinas."Directory:World airlines." ''

Flight International ''Flight International'', formerly ''Flight'', is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", i ...

''. 23–29 March 2004
97

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 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

Gallery

File:Siembra de Girasol, Via Boca De Anaro, Pedraza, Edo Barinas..JPG, Sowing Sunflower in Barinas File:Casa de la Cultura Napoleon Sebastian Artega en Barinas.jpg, House of Culture Napoleon Sebastian Arteaga File:IglesiaCalderasBarinasVenezuela.jpg, Calderas Church File:Plaza del estudiante (José Félix Rivas).jpg, El Estudiante Square File:Sendero de Chigüires.jpg, Sendero de Chigüires File:Plaza Ezequiel Zamora, Barinas, Venezuela.jpg, Ezequiel Zamora Square

Notable residents

* Ronald Hernández, professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

* Jorge Linares, Multiple-weight world boxing champion. * Darwin Matheus, professional

References

External links

Portal of Barinas state
{{Authority control Populated places in Barinas (state) Populated places established in 1577 Barinas, Venezuela