Venezuela is a country of striking natural beauty and dramatic contrasts.The territory that became Venezuela lay outside the geographical boundaries of the great pre-Hispanic civilizations of Central and South America. And although it was the first locale in which Christopher Columbus set foot on the mainland of the New World, Venezuela was of only marginal consequence within the Spanish American empire during most of the next three centuries. It was not until the late eighteenth century that the colonial region that encompassed present-day Venezuela provoked, thanks to growing agricultural and trading activity under the auspices of the Caracas Company, more than minor interest from the Spanish crown.
At the time of the Spanish Conquest of Venezuela, the region was inhabited by some 500,000 indigenous peoples belonging to three principal ethnolinguistic groups - the Cariban, Arawak and Chibcha. Columbus was the first European to set foot on the soil of what is now Venezuela, and the country was given its name (meaning 'Little Venice') a year later by the explorer Alonso de Ojeda. The first Spanish settlement on the mainland was established at Cumaná in 1521.
The indigenous tribes put up a strong struggle against the colonial depredations of both the Spanish and the Germans, who left a swath of death and destruction behind them as they pushed onward in search of the chimerical El Dorado. In the end, though, their resistance was subdued when many tribal communities fell victim to European diseases such as smallpox, which wiped out two-thirds of the population in the Caracas Valley alone.
The Spanish rulers were eventually thrown out by the young Simón Bolívar, known locally as 'El Libertador'. He seized Venezuela from Spain in 1821 with a decisive victory at Campo Carabobo, near Valencia, aided by British mercenaries and an army of horsemen from Los Llanos. Bolívar had already brought independence to Colombia, and went on, with his lieutenant Antonio José de Sucre, to liberate Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. His dream of a united state of Gran Colombia, which would unify Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, did not survive his death in 1830, when Venezuela declared full independence under a new constitution.
The dictatorship of Juan Vincente Goméz, between 1909 and 1935, was a period of rapid economic development. This was largely driven by the exploitation of the country’s substantial oilfields, which began in 1918. Venezuela is now essentially an oil economy and the national producer, PDVSA, is one of the world’s largest companies (see Economy). In 1936 and 1937, Venezuela held democratic elections for the presidency and National Assembly for the first time but the experiment in pluralism lasted only until 1945. The first of a rapid succession of military dictatorships lasted until 1961. That year, the current Venezuelan constitution came into force.
The postindependence period was marked by a succession of military dictators, political coups and economic instability, until the discovery of huge oil reserves in the Maracaibo basin in the 1910s brought some degree of prosperity to the country. By the late 1920s Venezuela had become the world's largest oil exporter, but little of this newfound wealth found its way to the common people. With poverty rife and educational and health facilities in a deplorable state, a series of popular uprisings took place, culminating in the country's first democratic elections in 1947.From then until the 1990s, Venezuelan politics were dominated by the struggle between the Partido Social Cristiano, known as COPEI, and the social democratic Acción Democrática (AD). Following the 1973 price hike, Venezuela had enjoyed the benefits of large oil revenues accruing throughout the 1970s, and ran up a substantial overseas debt (although not on the scale of those burdening other Latin American countries).Meanwhile, the leader of the 1992 coup attempt, Colonel Hugo Chavez, was seeking to establish himself as a national political figure, drawing on the support of millions of disaffected poor people, who had been disregarded during the oil boom.
Chavez’s problems now began in earnest. Always a controversial figure, as a result of the 1992 coup attempt and his courting such heads of state as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Chavez has attracted powerful enemies both inside and outside Venezuela. In April 2002, a right-wing alliance of dissident military officers and prominent businessmen led by Pedro Carmona failed in a coup attempt against Chavez. Many believe that the United States had a hand in the plot: while that remains unproven, there is no doubt that the Bush administration would be happy to see the back of Chavez.
In December 1998 Venezuelans signaled their impatience with the government's impotence, electing a fierce populist, Hugo Chávez, to the presidency with the largest vote margin in 40 years. Just six years earlier, Chávez had attempted a coup against the government and had spent two years in jail for his troubles. Chávez was reelected for a six-year term by a comfortable margin again in 2000.
In venezuela, the snowcapped peaks of the Andes in the west,steamy Amazonian jungles in the south, the hauntingly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, with its strange flat-topped mountains, in the east and 3000km (1860mi) of white-sand beaches fringed with coconut palms lining the Caribbean coast. South America's largest lake, Lake Maracaibo, and third-longest river, the Orinoco, are also here, and the country boasts the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls.
The government was certainly shaken by the coup. The economy was in serious difficulty following a currency collapse in February 2002 and remains so two years later (see Economy). In December 2002, the opposition tried a different strategy. With the support of key union leaders, especially in the all-important oil industry, Venezuela was brought to a virtual standstill by a general strike. However, after more than two months, the strike petered out. The anti-Chavez alliance now turned to a constitutional device, exploiting a clause which allows for a referendum requiring a presidential election, before the end of the normal six-year term, on the basis of a petition signed by at least 20 per cent of the electorate (about 2.5 million people). Such a petition was submitted in August 2003 but controversially rejected by the national electoral commission.
A ‘national constitutional assembly’ was convened in July 1999 to rewrite the country’s constitution. Executive power is vested in the president, who is popularly elected for a six-year term. The legislature is the unicameral Asemblea Nacional, whose 165 members are directly elected to serve a five-year term
Venezuela was a primarily agricultural country until the discovery and extraction of oil began in the 1920s. Oil is now dominant, providing one-quarter of GDP, one-third of government revenues and 80 per cent of export earnings. The national oil corporation, PDVSA, is one of the world’s largest companies. Venezuela has some of the largest known reserves in the world. There are long-term plans to introduce greater diversity into the economy but little change in its basic structure may be expected in the near future.
Venezuela was a prominent founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the current president, Hugo Chávez, has played a leading role in the revival of the organization’s fortunes since the late 1990s. Since the beginning of 2002, Venezuela’s recent economic performance has been severely affected by the turbulent political situation. After the currency crisis of February 2002 came an attempted coup. Then in December large parts of the economy – including the all-important oil industry – were affected by a two-month-long strike. This had a devastating impact: the economy is believed to have contracted by around 10 per cent during 2003. In 2004, this is estimated to have improved slightly, but is still forecasted as an annual contraction of 8 per cent.
Venezuela belongs to the Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI), which seeks to promote a common market for Latin America, and to the Inter-American Development Bank. The USA accounts for 40 per cent of Venezuela’s trade; Brazil and Colombia are its other key trading partners.
Cumin and saffron are used in many dishes but the distinctive and delicate flavor of most of the popular dishes comes from the use of local roots and vegetables. Some local specialties are tequenos, a popular hors d’oeuvres (thin dough wrapped around a finger of local white cheese and fried crisp), arepas (the native bread), made from primitive ground corn, water and salt and tostadas, which are used for sandwiches . Guasacaca is a semi-hot relish used mostly with grilled meats. Pabellón criollo is a hash made with shredded meat and served with fried plantains and black beans on rice. Hallaca is a local delicacy, eaten at Christmas and New Year.There is no good local wine, although foreign wines are bottled locally. There are several good local beers, mineral waters, gin and excellent rum. Coffee is very good and a merengada (fruit pulp, ice, milk and sugar) is recommended. Batido is similar but with water and no milk. Pousse-café is an after-dinner liqueur. Bars have either table or counter service. A lisa is a glass of draught beer and a tercio a bottled beer. Most bars are open very late and there are no licensing laws.
The climate varies according to altitude. Lowland areas have a tropical climate. The dry season is from December to April and the rainy season from May to December. During the rainy season, there is the possibility of flooding in certain low-lying areas, such as the Llanos and in some valley of the Andes. Various parts of Venezuela, including Caracas and the eastern part of Sucre, are vulnerable to earthquakes, although there have been no serious earthquakes for many years. The best time to visit is between January and April.
Country name: República Bolivariana de Venezuela
Capital: Caracas
Area: 916,445 sq km
Population: 25,549,084
Population Density: 27.9 per sq km.
Language: official language; Spanish ;
other language; English, French, German and Portuguese
Religion: 96% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant
Independence Day: Jul 5
Location: South America
Country dialing code: 58.
Currency: bolivar (VEB)
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