Falcón

Falcón
State of Venezuela
Flag
Motto: Dios y Federación (English: God and Federation)
Location within Venezuela
Country	Venezuela
Created	1864[c]
Capital	Coro
Government
• Governor	Stella Lugo (2012–2016)
Area
• Total	24,800 km2 (9,600 sq mi)
Area rank	10th
	2.71% of Venezuela
Population (2011 census)
• Total	902,847
• Rank	11th
	3.45% of Venezuela
Time zone	UTC-04:30
ISO 3166 code	VE-I
Emblematic tree	Cují yaque (Prosopis juliflora)
Website	www.falcon.gob.ve
^[c] As Coro State; in 1874, it was renamed as Falcón State.

Cayo Sombrero, Morrocoy National Park, Falcón state.

Médanos de Coro, Falcón state.

Falcón State (Spanish: Estado Falcón, IPA: [esˈtaðo falˈkon]) is one of the 23 states (estados) that constitute Venezuela. The state capital is Coro.

Demographics and geography

Falcón State covers a total surface area of 24,800 km² and, in 2011 had a census population of 902,847. The Paraguaná Peninsula is connected to the rest of the state by the Médanos Isthmus. It borders with the ABC islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire on the north, Zulia state on the west, and both Lara state and Yaracuy state on the south. The island of Aruba is 27 km off the northern coast of Paraguaná Peninsula. The other two ABC Islands (Bonaire and Curaçao) are a little further off the coast of the state.

National parks

There are four national parks in the state: the Médanos de Coro National Park, the Cueva de la Quebrada del Toro, Morrocoy, and Juan Crisóstomo Falcón National Park.

History

The area was first explored in 1499 by Juan de la Cosa and Amerigo Vespucci, as part of an expedition overseen by Alonso de Ojeda.^[1] The State is named after President Juan Crisóstomo Falcón.

Infrastructure

The region is mostly coastal lowlands and the northern Andean mountain hills, and is mostly dry with limited agriculture production.^[1] Farming mostly occurs in river valleys and mountainous areas, and includes maize, coconut, sesame, coffee and sugar cane.^[1]

Coro, the state capitol and the Paraguaná Peninsula have had significant amounts of industrialization and growth.^[1] Large oil refineries such as the Paraguana Refinery Complex in the city of Punto Fijo are located on the southwestern shore of the Paraguaná Peninsula, and approximately two-thirds of Venezuela’s total oil production occurs in this area, much of which is exported via tanker ships^[1] that ship internationally through the port of Amuay.

Municipalities and municipal seats

Population

Race and ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, the estimated racial composition of the population was:^[2]

See also

• States of Venezuela

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falcón.

•  "Falcón". New International Encyclopedia. 1905. 

Administrative divisions of Venezuela Capital District Caracas States Amazonas Anzoátegui Apure Aragua Barinas Bolívar Carabobo Cojedes Delta Amacuro Falcón Guárico Lara Mérida Miranda Monagas Nueva Esparta Portuguesa Sucre Táchira Trujillo Vargas Yaracuy Zulia Dependencies Los Monjes Archipelago Las Aves archipelago Isla Aves Los Hermanos Archipelago Islas Los Frailes Los Roques archipelago La Sola Island La Tortuga Island La Orchila Blanquilla Island Los Testigos Islands Isla de Patos Regions Andean Capital Central Central-Western Guayana Insular Llanos Eastern South-Western Zulian Claimed Guayana Esequiba

Coordinates: 10°03′N 60°48′W / 10.05°N 60.8°W / 10.05; -60.8