City (pop., 2000 est.: 875,790), northwestern Venezuela.
The capital of Lara state, it is located at the northern end of the Cordillera Mérida, at an elevation of 1,800 ft (500 m). Founded in 1552 as Nueva Segovia, it is one of the country's oldest cities. It was almost destroyed by an earthquake in 1812 and was further damaged in 19th-century civil wars. It is a hub of transport and commerce and the centre of an agricultural region.