La Guayra, Or Laguaira, a seaport of Venezuela, on the Caribbean sea, 5 m. N. E. of Caracas, of which it is the port; lat. 10° 36' N., lon. 66° 57' W.; pop. about 6,000. It comprises only two streets running E. and W., and occupies a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the sea; the houses are well built, and there are one or two good public edifices. The port is a deep bay with several creeks, the principal of which is that of Ma-cuto to the east. The bottom is regular, and there is 15 ft, of water at a cable's length from the shore; but there being no shelter against the prevailing easterly winds, the anchorage is unsafe, and landing is often attended with great danger. Although La Guayra is the most extensively frequented port on the coast, ships after discharging their cargo commonly go to Puerto Cabello in search of safer anchorage and for repairs. The fort of Cerro Colorado commands the town; and the coast is lined at intervals with numerous batteries, most of which are, however, without armament. The principal commercial houses are branches of establishments in Caracas. The shipping averages about 200 vessels annually, with an aggregate of 40,000 tons.

The chief articles of export are coffee, cacao, indigo, hides, and sarsaparilla; the imports include machinery, manufactured goods, flour, and wine; and the total annual value of both exports and imports is estimated at $8,000,000. There is besides an extensive coasting trade in the various productions of the country for Caracas, with which communication is carried on by a carriage road 12 m. long. The climate is healthy, although the heat, the greatest on the Caribbean shores, except that of Maracaibo, is excessive, ranging from 100° to 110° F.