BARINAS

city, capital of Barinas estado (state), western Venezuela. The city lies along the Santo Domingo River and is situated on the Llanos (plains) at the foot of the Cordillera de Mrida in the northwestern part of the state. The city's cathedral, museums, and other cultural and educational institutions are set among the colonial-era buildings of the centre. Barinas is the regional centre for a large cattle-raising area, and livestock products are its main commodities. Cacao and tobacco are cultivated in the hinterland. Barinas lies along the highway that skirts the southern flanks of the Andes, 170 miles (270 km) northeast of San Cristbal, capital of Tchira state, and 60 miles southwest of Guanare, capital of Portuguesa state. The city has an airport. Pop. (1971) 61,693; (1981) 118,847; (1990) 153,630. estado (state), western Venezuela. It is bounded on the north by Trujillo, Portuguesa, and Cojedes states, east by Guarico, south by Apure, and west by Tchira and Mrida. It lies mainly in the Llanos (plains), although there are highlands in the northwest. The state is plagued by alternate drought and flood; wide stretches of savanna are inundated during the rainy season, from May to October. With the control of malaria, the rapid growth of the petroleum industry and of manufacturing, and the government's investment in the Llanos, especially in irrigation works in the northwest, the economy of Barinas has developed and diversified beyond its original base of cattle raising. Barinas has long ranked among Venezuela's most important states in cattle production, but agriculture is also important. The leading crops are beans, cotton, corn (maize), coffee, plantains, sesame, tobacco, and rice. The greatest changes have resulted from the discovery of oil in the state in 1948. A pipeline moves the oil some 200 miles (320 km) northward to refineries at Morn, near Puerto Cabello. The state's network of roads focuses on Barinas (q.v.), the state capital. Sierra Nevada National Park (q.v.) in the northwest is shared with Mrida state. Area 13,600 square miles (35,200 square km). Pop. (1971) 231,046; (1981) 326,166; (1990) 456,246; (1995 est.) 516,789.