Trujillo

Trujillo, estado (state), northwestern Venezuela. It is bounded on the west by Lake Maracaibo and by the states of Portuguesa on the east, Mérida on the southwest, Barinas on the south, and Zulia on the north.

Covered with mountains over most of its area, Trujillo is one of the truly Andean states of Venezuela and ranks high agriculturally despite the restriction of cultivation largely to narrow valleys and alluvial terraces. It ranks at or near the top of Venezuelan states in ther production of plantains, bananas, peas, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and pineapples. Other important crops include coffee, sugarcane, corn (maize), beans, cassava, celery, cauliflower, string beans, and garlic. The state capital, Trujillo, is a regional market centre for the agricultural products of the surrounding area, although in the 20th century Valera became more important commercially and is the state’s largest city. Trujillo is the site of the Monumento a la Virgen de la Paz, a statue of Mary that is one of the tallest monuments in Latin America, reaching a height of 150 feet (46 metres) and located at about 5,600 feet (1,700 metres) above sea level. The state is served by both the Trans-Andean and Pan-American highways. Area 2,900 square miles (7,400 square km). Pop. (2001) 608,563; (2011) 686,367.