Puerto Ayacucho

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Puerto Ayacucho
Orinoco Avenue in Puerto Ayacucho
Flag
Puerto Ayacucho Location in Venezuela
Coordinates: 5°39′47″N 67°37′35″W / 5.66306°N 67.62639°W / 5.66306; -67.62639
Country	Venezuela
State	Amazonas
Municipality	Atures Municipality
Founded	1924
Area
• City	281.02 sq mi (727.85 km2)
Population  (2008)
• Metro	41,000
Time zone	UTC−4 (VET)
Climate	Am

Puerto Ayacucho (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweɾto aʝaˈkutʃo]) is the capital and largest city of Amazonas State in Venezuela. Puerto Ayacucho is located across the Orinoco River from the Colombian village of Casuarito.

The city was founded to facilitate the transport of goods past the Atures Rapids on the Orinoco River in the late 19th century (mostly rubber). Now the economy is supported by both national and international tourism. Also based here is the Venezuelan army and navy, conducting a continuous low level campaign against incursions and drug-runners from nearby Colombia. The climate is equatorial and the surrounding rainforests are some of the world's least explored and most untouched. The nearby forested mountains (tepuis) contain some of the world's least investigated microsystems.