Lara is one of the twenty-three states that, together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, make up Venezuela. Its capital is Barquisimeto. It is located in the Central Western Region of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, bordered to the north by Falcón, to the east by Yaracuy, to the south by Portuguesa, to the southeast by Cojedes, to the southwest by Trujillo and to the west by Zulia. With 2,142,583 inhabitants in 2023, it is the fourth most populated state, after Zulia, Miranda and Carabobo. It has 9 autonomous municipalities and 57 civil parishes. Its main cities are: Barquisimeto, Carora, El Tocuyo, Quíbor and Cabudare.
Barquisimeto is the capital of the state of Lara, located in the central-western region of Venezuela. Barquisimeto is the musical capital of Venezuela. It is the fourth most populated city in the nation after Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia, the most populated city in Lara State and the Central-Western Region.