Apure - Toponymy

Toponymy

The origins of the name Apure have not been unanimously accepted: certain sources point to a shrub called apure as inspiration; others to an ancient aboriginal chief named Apur. However, in this specific case, it is not about the name of the Apure River but the name of the State, and obviously the name of the State of Apure comes from the name of the Apure River. The work of friar Jacinto de Carvajal (1648) makes reference to the discovery of the Apure River and this name was already known between the Spanish from the first half of the sixteenth century, that is, well before the Venezuelan name of the region, province, or state.

One of the most comprehensive works about Venezuelan etymology, which refers exhaustively to the toponymy of the river and the state of Apure, is that by Tulio Chiossone. It states that, "The state of Apure as a federal entity takes its name from the Apure River." ("El estado Apure como entidad federal, toma su nombre del Río Apure."