Paraguaná

a peninsula in northern Venezuela extending into the Caribbean Sea and joined to the mainland by the narrow Isthmus of Médanos. It has an area of 2,400 sq km.

The terrain of Paraguaná is hilly plain, and the climate and vegetation are semiarid. The inhabitants engage in fishing and pearl diving. There are major petroleum refineries and petroleum-exporting facilities on the western coast at the end of a petroleum pipeline from the Maracaibo area. The most important petroleum-loading facility is at Punta Cardón.