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Venezuela
Relevant information about Venezuela.The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is located in the northern coast of South America, bordered by Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the west. Its capital is Caracas. Venezuela disputes with Guyana the Essequibo Area (they claim all Guyanese territory west to the Essequibo River), and with Colombia, the Gulf of Venezuela. The country is divided into 23 states: Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Barinas, Apure, Carabobo, Aragua, Bolívar, Mérida, Monagas, Táchira, Sucre, Portuguesa, Cojedes, Miranda, Nueva Esparta, Vargas, Falcón, Lara, Zulia, Delta Amacuro, Guárico, Trujillo and Yaracuy; and the Federal Districts; and is subdivided into 335 municipalities. Venezuela’s total area is 916,445 km². The independence was declared on 5 July 1811 by Francisco de Miranda. This led to the Venezuelan War of Independence. Nevertheless, due to an earthquake in Caracas and the rebellion of the “llaneros”, the first republic was brought down. The second Venezuelan republic was proclaimed on 1813, but it only lasted a few months. Simón Bolívar, with the help of José Antonio Páez and Antonio José de Sucre, was the responsible for obtaining sovereignty after winning the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821. Hugo Chávez is the current president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, after winning elections in the year 1998. Despite the overturn he suffered in April 2002, he returned to power two days later thanks to the popular demonstrations in his favor. In December 2006, he was reelected. The democratic institutions have weakened since his election, the army has been politicized, the drug consumption has increased and the mining activities are endangering the rain forest and indigenous people.
Venezuela has a population of 27,223,228 citizens, estimated in 2010, and is one of the most urbanized countries in South America: the largest and most populated city is Caracas with a population of 3,276,000 inhabitants; it is followed by Maracaibo (2,063,670 citizens), Valencia (1,385,202), Barquisimeto (960,000) and Maracay (850,000). Approximately, 60% of the population is mestizo (mixture of European and Amerindians), 30% are whites, mainly descendents of Italians, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabs, and 1% are indigenous. The Wayuu and the Timotocuicas are the main Amerindian tribes. Regarding religions, Roman Catholicism represents 96% of the population, Protestantism 2% (Evangelical Protestantism), and other religions the remaining 2%. Spanish is the official language. However, 31 indigenous languages are spoken: Guajibo, Warao, Wayuu and Pemon are some of them. Venezuela’s birth rate is of 20.29 births per 1,000 people, making the country the owner of one of the highest birth rates in South America, after Bolivia, Paraguay and French Guyana. The infant mortality rate is of 21, 07 deaths per 1,000 live births and the total fertility rate is of 2, 45 children born per woman, calculated in 2010. The life expectancy at birth is in women, 77 years, whereas in men is of 70.76 years. There are a vast number of museums, which reflects the national artistic production: the Museum of Fine Arts (founded in 1938), the Museum of Colonial Art (18th century), and the Museum of Natural Sciences (it has over 15,000 exhibits), all located in Caracas. In the area of cuisine, arepas are thick disks of precooked cornmeal and are the most striking Venezuelan food: they are large arepas, which can be filled with a variety of ingredients (ham and cheese the most delicious), and small arepas. Empanadas and cachapas are also distinctive dishes, as well as the “pabellón criollo” (black beans, fried sweet plantains, white rice and “carne mechada”), “pernil” (roasted pork), “bistec a caballo” (steak with fried egg), “asado” (roasted beef) and pork chops. Among the many traditions of Venezuela, the Carnival is one of the liveliest ones: it falls on the three days previous to Ash Wednesday. The city of Trinidad is well-known for its carnivals, which in coastal cities it often means parties with lots of drinking and dances, or parades with costumes and drums. In regards to sports, baseball is tremendously popular among Venezuelans. Football is also popular, since many young people have shown interest in this sport thanks to the Venezuela National football team. Canyoning is also practiced, as an adventure sport.
Venezuela’s mixed economy is highly dependant on oil revenues, petroleum, which account for 90% of exports and 50% of the government revenues. The Gulf of Venezuela, Lake Maracaibo and in the Orinoco River basin, are located the main crude deposits. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the owner of one of the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the planet (it is among the top ten producers). Chávez, in the years 2008 and 2009 has nationalized firms of agribusiness, banking, tourism, oil, cement, and steel, in order to gain control over the economy. The main agricultural products are corn, vegetables, sugarcane, bananas, sorghum, rice, coffee, milk, beef, eggs, pork and fish. The industrial sector is represented mainly by petroleum, food processing, construction materials, textiles, steel, iron mining, aluminum, and motor vehicle assembly. The unemployment rate, estimated in 2009, is of 10.9%, whereas the population below the poverty line stands in 37.9%. The labor force by occupation is, in agriculture 13%; in industry sector 23%, and in services 64%.
Venezuela receives a vast number of tourists every year: Puerto La Cruz is one of the tourist’s center most visited. Caracas, Maracaibo, Barquisimetro, Mérida, and Valencia also attract many tourists. Venezuela has beautiful beaches: Playa Córdoba, Margarita, Coche, Morrocoy, Cata and Choroní. In the north of Caracas one can visit the Archipielago of Los Roques and enjoy the white sand beaches and crystalline waters. If one prefers mountains rather than beaches, the Gran Sabana is the place to go: it has flat top mountains and the highest cataracts in the world, Angel Falls. The Venezuelan forests and rainforests are extremely rich: one can appreciate more than 25,000 species of orchids. The national flower is the “flor de mayo”, and the national tree is the Araguaney. The country is the home for a varied fauna: tropical birds such as toucans, guacamayas and flamingos; more than 1,1417 bird species; fishes; reptiles like crocodiles and snakes; mammals such as the giant anteater, jaguars, capybaras (the largest roder). More than 50% of mammals in Venezuela mainly inhabit in the Amazonian forests. Aquatic species include manatees, Boto river dolphins and Orinoco crocodiles.
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