Arauca, Arauca

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Arauca is the capital city of Colombia’s Arauca Department. It sits on the Arauca River, which forms the border with Venezuela. The town, officially named Villa de Santa Bárbara de Arauca, was founded on December 4, 1780 by Juan Isidro Daboín on land once lived on by the Guahibo people. The area is flat and prone to flooding from the river. In 2018, about 85,600 people lived in the municipality. Most residents are White or Mestizo (around 92%), with smaller Black and Indigenous communities. The economy began with cattle ranching and has shifted since 1984 to oil extraction as a main income source. The Puente José Antonio Páez bridge connects Arauca to Venezuela and boosted trade, along with the highway to Bogotá known as La Ruta de los Libertadores. Historically, Arauca was the capital of the larger Casanare province in the old New Granada.