BOLIVAR

department, northwestern Colombia, bounded northwest by the Caribbean Sea, west by the Ro Cauca, and east by the Ro Magdalena. Much of its area of 10,030 sq mi (25,978 sq km) consists of hot, humid, forested lowlands. The department produces livestock, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, cereals, coffee, and forest products. Mineral resources include gold, coal, and oil. Bolvar's main industries (textiles, petroleum refining, and beverages) and foreign commerce are centred in the departmental capital of Cartagena (q.v.). Transportation includes the Ro Magdalena, roads linking Bolvar with neighbouring departments and other areas to the south, and air services to all parts of Colombia. Pop. (1981 est.) 1,321,592. state, southeastern Venezuela, bounded to the north by the Orinoco River and the Venezuelan state of Delta Amacuro, to the south by Brazil and the Venezuelan territory of Amazonas, to the east by Guyana, and to the west by the Orinoco River and Colombia. It is the largest and potentially one of the richest states of Venezuela. Northern Bolvar consists of rolling hills; in the far south are groups of high plateaus and mesas, including the region of La Gran Sabana, the site of Angel Falls . In between is jungle, largely uninhabited and unexplored, pierced by the valleys of the Caron, Paragua, Caura, and many smaller rivers. The Caron River is one of the world's largest sources of hydroelectric power. A large power project is in operation at the Macagua Dam, near the mouth of the Caron; at Guri, 80 miles (130 km) upstream, is one of the world's largest hydroelectric projects. Other projects on the Caron have been planned. At the confluence of the Caron and the Orinoco lies the planned industrial and commercial city of Ciudad Guayana, which has a national steel mill, an aluminum plant, and several other mills. The city is the largest urban complex in the southern three-fourths of the country. Bolvar contains most of Venezuela's iron ore deposits (see Bolvar, Cerro). Other minerals exploited are diamonds, gold, coal, lime, manganese, nickel, bauxite, and kaolin. A small amount of farming is carried on in the north. Transportation is poorly developed in most of the state. The navigable waterways, railroads, and nearly all the first-class highways are in the north, near Ciudad Guayana and Ciudad Bolvar, the state capital. Area 91,892 square miles (238,000 square km). Pop. (1995 est.) 1,122,975.