Colonia Tovar (English: Tovar Colony) is a town of Venezuela, capital of the municipality Tovar in Aragua state. Founded in 1843 by a group of immigrants from the then independent state of the Grand Duchy of Baden (later incorporated into Germany), is characterized by maintaining the cultural imprint of their origin, so it is called "the Germany of the Caribbean". The economy depends primarily on agriculture and tourism; and the town is located 42 km (26 mi) from Caracas. The Colonia is known for its temperate crops (peaches, strawberries, beets, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, chard, broccoli, lettuce, onions and potatoes) and their derivatives. Since 1990 has shown a high rate of population growth, rising from 3,373 to 21,000 inhabitants in 2016.