city, capital of Falcón state, northwestern Venezuela. It lies 200 miles (320 km) west-northwest of Caracas, at the southern end of the isthmus linking the Paraguaná Peninsula to the mainland. It is 105 feet (32 metres) above sea level. Coro and its Caribbean port, La Vela, 7 miles (11 km) to the east-northeast, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

The city exhibits a unique blend of architectural styles; Spanish, Dutch, and local traditional influences are apparent in more than 600 historic buildings. Some cobblestone streets still run through the city, and mud-brick homes dot the region surrounding the port. Many colonial-era churches are there, and Coro was the seat of the first bishopric (1531) in Venezuela. The city's cathedral, erected in 1583, is one of the two oldest churches in Venezuela; its tower walls include gun slits for defense against pirate attacks. Drastically remodeled in 1928, the cathedral was returned to near-original condition after it was designated a national monument in 1957. The Convent of the Salcedas, built by 1620, was later used as a school; the convent was restored in 1978, and it now houses an ecclesiastical museum. Among other notable structures are the Arcaya House and the House of the Iron Windows, both 18th-century, and the Bishop's House, now privately owned. On the isthmus connecting the mainland to the peninsula lies Médanos de Coro (Coro Dunes) National Park (1974), which includes the only extensive area of sand dunes (sand dune) in South America.