A former Spanish colony, Venezuela was a leader in the struggle for independence in South America. In the 19th century the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar freed his land and other South American colonies from Spanish rule. In the second half of the 20th century Venezuela established a stable and long-lived democracy. It became a model for other countries in Latin America with much less stable governments. The capital of Venezuela is Caracas. GeographyVenezuela lies at the north end of South America. It has coastlines on the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest. Venezuela borders Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the west. Some Caribbean islands are part of the country. Altogether, Venezuela covers an area of 353,841 square miles (916,445 square kilometers). - Plateaus rise behind Hacha Falls on the Carrao River in eastern Venezuela.
The landscape of Venezuela includes high mountains, tropical rain forests, broad plains, and many rivers. In the north are both high mountains and low plains along part of the coast. Ranges of the great Andes Mountains rise in the northwest. They reach a height of 16,427 feet (5,007 meters) at Pico Bolívar. Lake Maracaibo in this region is the largest lake in South America, with an area of 5,150 square miles (13,300 square kilometers). It is surrounded by swampy lowlands. - The Orinoco River runs near Ciudad Guayana, in eastern Venezuela. One of the major rivers of South …
Another major geographical feature of Venezuela is the Orinoco River. It begins in the south and makes a wide curve to flow through the center of the country. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast. Along the course of the Orinoco lies the Llanos, a huge grassland region. Llanos is a Spanish word meaning “plains.” Southeast of the Orinoco River are the rugged Guiana Highlands. In this region is Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall. The falls carry the waters of the Churún River through a drop of 3,212 feet (979 meters). - Angel Falls, in southeastern Venezuela, is the world's highest waterfall.
Angel Falls was unknown to the outside world until 1935, and parts of Venezuela's interior still have not been mapped. Incomplete knowledge of the land has been a factor in several long-standing border disputes. Since the early 19th century, for example, Venezuela has claimed territory in Guyana west of the Essequibo River. Venezuela is not far from the equator. For this reason the country has a generally tropical climate with warm temperatures all year. The climate is cooler high in the mountains. Most parts of Venezuela have a rainy season that lasts from May to October and a dry season that lasts from December to March. Plants and animalsTwo fifths of Venezuela is covered with forest. Half of the country is grassland. Near the mouth of the Orinoco River are swamps with mangrove trees. Tree ferns and orchids are common at higher elevations. The highest parts of the Andes have only shrubs and lichens. Like other South American nations, Venezuela has a wide variety of tropical animals. The forests are home to jaguars and other cats, tapirs, armadillos, deer, monkeys, and snakes. Turtles and flesh-eating piranhas live in the country's waters. The Orinoco crocodile can reach a length of 20 feet (6 meters). Many of Venezuela's animals are endangered. People and cultureThe majority of Venezuelans are mestizo, which means that they have both American Indian and European ancestors. About 20 percent of the people are of European descent, and 10 percent are of African descent. Indians make up only a small part of the population. Spanish is the main language, but more than 25 Indian languages are still spoken. English is widely used as a second language. Almost all Venezuelans are Roman Catholic in religion. In the 20th century many Venezuelans moved from rural to urban areas. Today the country has one of the most urban societies in Latin America. Almost 90 percent of the people live in cities and towns. The largest city in Venezuela is Caracas. It lies in a mountain valley near the Caribbean coast. The next three largest cities—Maracaibo, Valencia, and Barquisimeto—are also in the north and northwest. Few people live in the area south of the Orinoco River. Venezuelan art, music, and literature are well known and respected throughout Latin America. Venezuela's best-known writer, the novelist Rómulo Gallegos, was elected president of the country in 1948. EconomyVenezuela's economy is based mainly on the production of oil and natural gas. The country ranks among the top oil producers in the world, and until 1970 it was the world's leading oil exporter. Today oil accounts for about three quarters of Venezuela's exports. Since the 1940s Venezuela has used earnings from the oil industry to expand other parts of the economy. Along with oil and natural gas, the mining industry also develops the country's large deposits of iron ore, coal, bauxite (the ore from which aluminum is made), gold, diamonds, and other minerals. Factories produce iron and steel, aluminum, textiles and clothing, processed foods, and chemicals. Service industries such as finance, trade, and tourism have developed into some the country's largest employers. Agriculture became less important to Venezuela's economy as the oil industry grew. Today less than 10 percent of the country's labor force works in agriculture. The main crops include sugarcane, corn (maize), bananas, rice, plantains, and cassava. Most of these foods are used within the country. Cattle raising is especially important on the grasslands of the Llanos. HistoryAmerican Indians had lived in what is now Venezuela for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Arawak and Carib Indians lived in the area when Christopher Columbus reached the coast in 1498. Later European explorers saw houses that the Indians had built on stilts along the swampy shores of Lake Maracaibo. This reminded them of Venice, the Italian city built on islands. They named the land Venezuela, which means “Little Venice.” The Spanish began establishing settlements in the area in the 1520s. For the next three centuries the land remained under Spanish rule. Venezuelans boldly began to resist Spanish rule in the late 18th century. In 1811 revolutionary forces led by Francisco de Miranda declared Venezuela independent. The Spanish crushed the revolution, but Simón Bolívar continued the fight. His troops defeated the Spanish in 1821. Dictatorship to democratic ruleAfter gaining independence from Spain, Venezuela became part of a new republic called Gran (Great) Colombia. The republic also included Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. Venezuela broke away from the republic in 1829. The next year it proclaimed itself an independent country. For more than a century afterward Venezuela was ruled almost continuously by military dictators. Oil production began in the country around the time of World War I (1914–18). The government used some of the money made in the oil industry for public works. But most of the country's people continued to live in poverty. In the mid-20th century Venezuelans became increasingly opposed to dictatorship. In response to public pressure, Venezuela's navy and air force joined together to overthrow the country's military ruler in 1958. After that date the country was led by presidents who were democratically elected. Recent decadesIn the later 20th century Venezuela's economy was greatly affected by changes in world oil prices. In the mid-1970s the country enjoyed an extraordinary oil boom. But when oil prices began to fall later in the decade, Venezuela's economy suffered. Serious drops in oil prices also hurt the country's economy in the late 1980s and 1990s. In late 1999 Venezuela experienced one of the deadliest natural disasters in its history. A severe rainstorm caused mud slides and floods along the northern coast. Hundreds of thousands of structures were damaged or destroyed. Estimates of the dead ranged from a few thousand to tens of thousands. In the early 21st century the nation focused its efforts on reconstruction projects and emergency aid. Population (2001 estimate), 24,632,000. |