Venezuela

Caracas is Venezuela’s capital and its political and administrative heart, home to the Miraflores Presidential Palace, National Assembly, and Supreme Tribunal. Located in a valley beneath El Ávila (Waraira Repano) and close to the Caribbean coast, it’s also the country’s largest urban center. Founded in 1567, Caracas is the birthplace of independence leader Simón Bolívar, whose legacy permeates Venezuelan identity. To distinguish it from the other options: Maracaibo is the oil-rich city on Lake Maracaibo, Valencia is a major industrial hub, and Barquisimeto is famed for music and culture—none are the seat of government. Memory tip: “Caracas carries the country”—the city that carries Venezuela’s government, culture, and history.