FALCON, the most northern State of Venezuela, with an extensive coast-line on the Caribbean sea and Gulf of Venezuela. Pop. (1926) 178,642. It lies between the Caribbean on the north and the State of Lara on the south, with Zulia and the Gulf of Venezuela on the west. Its surface is much broken by irregular ranges of low mountains, and extensive areas on the coast are sandy plains and tropical swamps. The climate is hot, but, being tempered by the trade winds, is not considered unhealthy except in the swampy districts. The State is sparsely settled and has no large towns, its capital, Coro (pop. 1926, 10,932), being important chiefly because of its history, and as the entrepot for an extensive inland district. The only port in the State is La Vela de Coro, on a small bay of the same name, 7 m. E. of the capital, with which it is connected by railway. In recent years petroleum has been discovered in the State and is being extracted.