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.

It is located 385 km from the Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira, 172 km from Puerto Cabello, Carabobo and 86 km from San Felipe, Yaracuy. Barquisimeto is considered the main urban, cultural, economic, educational and industrial center of the Central Western Region with a population of 1,270,692 inhabitants. Its Metropolitan Area, Greater Barquisimeto, has an estimated population (2023) of 1,824,516 inhabitants and is made up of 7 parishes of the Iribarren Municipality and 3 of the Palavecino Municipality.