Monagas

Monagas, estado (state), northeastern Venezuela. It is bounded on the northeast by the Gulf of Paria, on the southeast by the Orinoco River, and on the north and west by the states of Sucre and Anzoátegui. It is named for José Tadeo Monagas, a native of the region who served (1847–51, 1855–58) as Venezuela’s president.

Except for a coastal range in the north and the marshes of the Orinoco delta, Monagas is a land of savannas and is typical Llanos (plains) country. Cattle raising is dominant, although cacao, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, yams, sorghum, corn (maize), coffee, cotton, rice, tobacco, wheat, and cassava are grown in the northern uplands. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Venezuela, the Guácharo Cave, is in Monagas. The largest known cave in Venezuela, it is named for the oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis, also known as Guácharos) that nest within it. The Chaima Indians considered the cave to be sacred and practiced divination by interpreting the birds’ cries.

The discovery of petroleum in 1928 brought profound changes to Monagas. Quiriquine—in the jungle near the state capital, Maturín—was the first field opened, and it has been among the richest in the Orinoco basin. There are more than 100 oil camps stretching over an enormous area; by the early 1970s those in Monagas accounted for about 5 percent of Venezuela’s oil production. The oil of the eastern Llanos is pumped through several pipelines north to Caripito and to Puerto La Cruz, on the Caribbean, for refining and shipping. Most of the natural gas from the wells, formerly flared off, is now sent to Caracas, La Guaira, and Valencia for use in homes and industry. Area 11,158 square miles (28,900 square km). Pop. (2001) 712,626; (2011) 905,443.