Venezuela

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela República Bolivariana de Venezuela  (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Dios y Federación ("God and Federation")
Anthem: Gloria al Bravo Pueblo  (in Spanish) Glory to the Brave People
Venezuela on the globe. Disputed lands are shown in light green.
Capital and largest city	Caracas
National language	Spanish
Ethnic groups	65% Multiracial 20% White 10% Black 5% Native American
Demonym(s)	Venezuelan
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President	Edmundo Gonzales
• Vice President	Delcy Rodríguez
Independence
• from Spain	5 July 1811
• from Gran Colombia	13 January 1830
• Recognized	30 March 1845
• Current constitution	20 December 1999
Area
• Total	916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi) (33rd)
• Water (%)	0.32
Population
• 2011 estimate	27,150.095 (43rd)
• 2001 census	23,054,985
• Density	30.2/km2 (78.2/sq mi) (181st)
GDP (PPP)	2010 estimate
• Total	$346.973 billion
• Per capita	$11,889
GDP (nominal)	2010 estimate
• Total	$285.214 billion
• Per capita	$9,773
Gini (2010)	39 medium
HDI (2011)	0.735 high · 73rd[4]
Currency	Bolívar (VES)
Time zone	UTC– 4 (VET)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+58
ISO 3166 code	VE
Internet TLD	.ve
^ The "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" has been the full official title since the adoption of the new Constitution of 1999, when the state was renamed in honor of Simón Bolívar. ^ The Constitution also recognizes all indigenous languages spoken in the country. ^ Area totals include only Venezuelan-administered territory.

Venezuela is a country in northern South America. Its official name is República Bolivariana de Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela). The official language is Spanish, and the capital city is Caracas.

Other languages spoken in Venezuela include Carib, Guahibo, Warao, Wayuu, Pemon, and Piaroa.

Geography

The country has a wide range of geography that includes islands in the Caribbean Sea, coastal areas, highlands, and parts of the Andes Mountains. Venezuela is famous for being the home of Angel Falls, the world's tallest waterfall, in the Bolivar state.

Economy

Venezuela's economy is based on oil, cotton, cocoa, sugar, coffee, and tobacco.

Venezuela has one of the largest oil supplies in the world, and it produces a large amount of oil. It also has a very large supply of fossil fuels, gasoline, and minerals.

People and history

Ancient Venezuelans came from the east, west, south, and north. Christopher Columbus was the first European to enter Venezuela, but there had been indigenous people living there for a long time.

European colonialism

Also see: Colonialism and Atlantic slave trade

When white Europeans (like the British, Spanish, and French colonial empires) conquered territory in the Americas, they took their black African slaves to America to work. The Spanish Empire conquered Venezuela and brought in slaves from Africa.

At this time, black people had no rights; they just worked for food. Because of the colonial period, Venezuela's population today is very racially mixed.

The Spanish taught Roman Catholicism, and many native people converted. Today, almost all Venezuelans (96%) are Catholics; just 2% are Protestant.

For a long time, society was headed by white creoles: people in Venezuela who were descended from Spaniards, but considered Venezuela home. Other Venezuelans did not like that, and they started thinking about independence. On July 24, 1823 Venezuela won its independence, led by Simón Bolívar.

Modern history

Venezuela's modern history was shaped by a number of people, including President Romulo Betancourt, who replaced a military dictatorship with a democracy.

By the 1970s, Venezuela had become rich from oil revenue, but it had problems in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999 Hugo Chávez became president and tried to remake Venezuela into a socialist state. While popular at first, the economic changes made by Chavez and the next president, Maduro, caused a massive economic depression in the mid-2010s. The current president is disputed.

Demographics

The population of Venezuela is about 28,000,000 people. The ethnicities of the population are:

• 65%: Multiracial.
• 20%: European.
• 10%: African.
• 5%: Amerindian.

Gallery

• 
  Los Próceres, Caracas - Distrito Capital
• 
  Plaza Francia – Miranda state
• 
  Coin
• 
  Humboldt planetary (Caracas)
• 
  Cattleya mossiae
• 
  Stamp 1893
• 
  Puerto Ayacucho – Amazonas state
• 
  Puerto Nutrias – Barinas state