Places / South America / Venezuela
Mérida
Visited in March 2016
At a glance
- Country
- Venezuela
- Region
- Libertador
- Population
- 248,192
- Type
- City in Venezuela
- Coordinates
- 8.58°N, 71.17°W
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Overview
Mérida, officially known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the main cities of the Venezuelan Andes. It was founded in 1558 by Captain Juan Rodríguez Suárez, forming part of Nueva Granada, but later became part of the Captaincy General of Venezuela and played an active role in the War of Independence. The capital city's population is 199,878 inhabitants, and the metropolitan area (including the municipalities of Libertador, Campo Elías, Sucre, and Santos Marquina) reaches 392,751 people (2011 census).
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.