Guarenas, Venezuela

Guarenas is a city in Miranda, Venezuela. It was established in 1621 as Nuestra Señora de Copacabana de los Guarenas. It is part of the Guarenas-Guatire conurbation On February 27, 1989, a morning protest in this city over the recent nationwide hike in bus fares, spread to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, which resulted in several days of rioting known today as the Caracazo. Today, Guarenas has virtually merged with its neighbor, Guatire. As of 2006, its population has been estimated at 185,010. The Curupao Power Plant, which was inaugurated in 1933, still provides electricity to Guarenas and Guatire. The state also owned movie production facilities, as the Villa del Cine is situated in the city.