Los Llanos Region, Venezuela

In colonial times Apure was part of the Province of Merida del Espiritu Santo de la Grita.

The lower plains, basically below 100 meters above sea level, are flooded during the rainy season or winter and have many rivers, parallel to each other and that change course frequently, due to the action of the dunes (sand mountains) that are moved by the winds during the drought (summer).

However, later on and because of the rural exodus, the primary sector lost importance at a national level, but it maintains a relative boom in the region.

It is located in the center of the country, in the region of Los Llanos, bordering Carabobo, Aragua and Miranda to the north, Anzoátegui State to the east, Bolivar and Apure to the south, and Barinas and Cojedes to the west.

With almost 65 000 km² it is the fourth largest state - behind Bolivar, Amazonas and Apure - with 746 174 inhabitants in 2011, the ninth least populated.

The state is crossed by numerous rivers of great length and width, all of which are part of the Orinoco basin.

The Apure, the most important of these, is also the main Venezuelan tributary of the Orinoco from its left bank, and the second longest in the country: it runs for about 1000 km between its source and its mouth.