Caracas

Caracas, founded in 1567 at the foot of the Cordillera de la Costa, is the capital and economic center of Venezuela, set in a narrow highland valley at roughly 900 meters elevation. The Ávila massif — now a national park — frames the city to the north and separates it from the Caribbean coast just 40 kilometers away. Little colonial-era architecture survives; the cityscape is dominated instead by mid-20th-century modernist towers and dense informal barrios climbing the surrounding hillsides. Caracas is internationally known as the birthplace of El Sistema, the publicly funded classical music education program that has produced musicians including Gustavo Dudamel. Street life centers on arepas, local mercados, and a vibrant salsa and nightlife scene.