CIUDAD BOLVAR

city, capital of Bolvar estado (state), southeastern Venezuela. It lies on a small hill on the south bank of the Orinoco River, opposite Soledad on the north. Its elevation ranges from 85 to 246 feet (26 to 75 m) above sea level; the average annual temperature is 85 F (29 C). The town was founded in 1764 as San Toms de la Nueva Guayana de la Angostura. In 1846 the name was changed to honour the Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolvar. Ciudad Bolvar has long been the commercial centre of the Llanos (plains), the huge, sparsely settled grassland region drained by the Orinoco. The limited commerce of the Llanos came to be concentrated in a few river ports, the chief of which was Ciudad Bolvar, lying at the head of navigation for large vessels, about 260 miles (420 km) from the delta. Principal exports include gold, diamonds, cattle, horses, hides, skins, and some timber. With the completion in 1967 of the Angostura Bridge, Venezuela's first span across the Orinoco, Ciudad Bolvar became a gateway to the rapidly growing industrial complex around Ciudad Guayana, 67 miles (108 km) downstream. Pop. (1990 est.) 266,561.