Caracas

Caracas
Capital city
Santiago de León de Caracas
(From top, left to right) Plaza Venezuela; Plaza Francia; Parque Cristal in Los Palos Grandes; Nuestra Señora de Lourdes Church; Parque Central Complex
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  La Sucursal del Cielo La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera La Odalisca del Ávila La Sultana del Ávila
Motto:  Seguid El Ejemplo Que Caracas Dio. (Then Follow the Example that Caracas Gave.)
Caracas Location in Venezuela and South America
Coordinates: 10°28′50″N 66°54′13″W / 10.48056°N 66.90361°W / 10.48056; -66.90361
Country	Venezuela
State	Capital District
Founded	25 July 1567
Founded by	Diego de Losada
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Government of the Capital District
• Chief of Government	Jacqueline Faría
Area
• Capital city	433 km2 (167 sq mi)
• Metro	4,715.1 km2 (1,820.5 sq mi)
Elevation	900 m (3,000 ft)
Highest elevation	1,400 m (4,600 ft)
Lowest elevation	870 m (2,850 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Capital city	3,242,000
• Metro	8,956,813
Demonyms	Caraquenian (Spanish: caraqueño (m), caraqueña (f))
Time zone	UTC−4 (VET)
Postal codes[1]	1000–1090, 1209
Area code	212
ISO 3166 code	VE-A
Website	www.caracas.gob.ve
The area and population figures are the sum of the figures of the five municipalities (listed above) that make up the Distrito Metropolitano.

Caracas (/kəˈrækəs, -ˈrɑːk-/, Spanish: [kaˈɾakas]), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas).^[2] Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern part of the country, within the Caracas Valley of the Venezuelan coastal mountain range (Cordillera de la Costa). The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2,200-meter-high (7,200 ft) mountain range, Cerro El Ávila; to the south there are more hills and mountains. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an estimated population of almost 5 million inhabitants.

The center of the city is Catedral, located near Bolívar Square,^[3] though some consider the center to be Plaza Venezuela, located in the Los Caobos area.^[2][4][5] Businesses in the city include service companies, banks, and malls. Caracas has a largely service-based economy, apart from some industrial activity in its metropolitan area.^[6] The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) are headquartered in Caracas. Empresas Polar is the largest private company in Venezuela. Caracas is also Venezuela's cultural capital, with many restaurants, theaters, museums, and shopping centers. Caracas has some of the tallest skyscrapers in Latin America,^[7] such as the Parque Central Towers.^[8] The Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas is one of the most important in South America.^[9]