Barinas, the capital, is not very prosperous. Formerly there was here a flourishing tobacco district.
Apure, farther south than the other llano States, is west of Bolívar; with Guárico, Cojedes, Zamora, on the north, and a bit of Táchira at the west; it has Colombia for a long distance on its southern boundary.
San Fernando, the capital, with a mean annual temperature of 91°, and Calabozo, are distinguished as the two hottest places in the country.
The Andine States
These have been called attractive and interesting, but lacking good means of locomotion have been little visited. Residents, perhaps returning from Europe, have been obliged to ride several days on muleback to reach their homes. Clean, pleasant towns, fine climate and scenery, mineral wealth, rich forest lands on the upper slopes of the mountains, people hospitable and energetic, characterize the three States, but with poor facilities for travel progress was impossible. Improvement has now begun in this direction, as the need is realized.
Táchira, the most southern of these States, has Zulia and Mérida north, Zamora and Apure east, and Colombia south and west.
San Cristóbal, the capital, at an altitude of 3000 feet is a considerable commercial town. With roads from the llanos, by which cattle are brought, and others, to San Antonio on the Colombian frontier, to Uracá, terminus of the Táchira Railway from Encontrados, and to Mérida, it is evidently quite a centre of trade.
Mérida, preëminently the Mountain State, borders on Zulia, Trujillo, Zamora, and Táchira. Here are elevated plains, deep valleys, bleak paramos or high passes, one reaching 14,500 feet, and loftier snowclad mountains; the last are east of the capital, Mérida.
Mérida, situated on a plateau a mile above the sea, has another and lower range of mountains on the west. These mountain States have the variety of products found in some States of Colombia: tropical and temperate fruits, with coffee, cacao, cotton, wheat, wool, etc.; in Mérida, gold and silver also.
Trujillo, with lower mountains, borders on Zulia, Lara, Portuguesa, Zamora, and Mérida. The fertile valleys produce the finest cacao, there are large sugar estates; wheat grows higher, cattle and goats find suitable pasturage. Northwest are forests largely unexplored; oil springs give promise of future wealth.