Venezuela
Intro to Spanish Culture – Class 51963 Geazul Olivares Viniegra
Due: Monday, March 12th, 2012

A Country Research By:
Corey Tallevi-Keller, Erlenys Correa, Micheal Coates, Manpreet Fatrha, & Keren Argueta

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction to the Country (Erlenys Correa) 1
II. Locations and Geographical Divisions (Corey Tallevi-Keller) 2
III. Capital (Keren Argueta) 3
IV. Other important cities (Erlenys Correa) 4
V. Languages (Manpreet S. Fartha) 5
VI. Traditions, legends, and/or myths (Keren Argueta) 6
VII. Art before colonization, and modern times (Manpreet S. Fartha) 8
VIII. Prominent people, painters, Nobel prices (Mike Coates) 10
IX. Type of government (Erlenys Correa) 12
X. Tourist attractions (Mike Coates) 13
XI. Food (Keren Argueta) 14
XII. Music and dance (folklore and modern) (Erlenys Correa) 15
XIII. Currency (Corey Tallevi-Keller) 16
XIV. Economy, production and natural resources (Corey Tallevi-Keller) 17
XV. Current events (Mike Coates) 18 Reference List
Appendices

Introduction to Venezuela
The tropical Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, situated in the northern portion of South America, is a country rich in history, natural resources, and culture. Venezuela owes its name to explorer Amerigo Vespucci who was reminded of the Venetian homes in his native land by the stilted huts that indigenous people had built along the shore of the Maracaibo River, so he named the land Venezuela which in Spanish means "Little Venice."
Spain ruled the country for about 300 years but in 1811, Venezuela declared its independence.
The country is bounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the North, Guyana to the East, Brazil to the South, and Colombia to the Southwest and West.
The national capital, Caracas is the primary centre of industry, commerce, education, and tourism.
Once primarily a food exporter, Venezuela has transformed from a relatively poor agrarian society into a rapidly urbanizing one in the 20th century, a condition brought about by the wealth and prosperity derived from the exploitation of the country’s huge petroleum reserves.
This mythical land of El Dorado is the birthplace of Simon Bolivar, a political leader who is considered by many as Latin America’s liberator. In addition, this modern republic is home to the second oldest lake (Lake Maracaibo), the tallest waterfall (Kerepakupai Vená) and one of the largest petroleum reserves; Venezuela also produces what many consider to be the finest cacao in the world.

Location and Geographical Divisions

The country of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (or just Venezuela for short) is located on the northern coastline of South America. It lies just above the equator with Colombia to its west, Guyana to its east, Brazil to its south, and the Caribbean Sea to its north. It is close to many Caribbean islands as well, including: Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Leeward Antilles.
Venezuela is a moderately sized country with a total land (mainland and islands) area of ~916,000 km2. It is divided up into a total of 23 states, the majority of them being in the North West portion of the country, and capital district. Below is a chart of each state, its capital city and state flag.
Within these states exists 335 municipalities, which are further divided into parishes.

State
Capital City
1
Amazonas
Puerto Ayacucho
2
Anzoátegui
Barcelona
3 Apure
San Fernando de Apure
4
Aragua
Maracay
5 Barinas
Barinas
6 Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
7
Carabobo
Valencia
8 Cojedes
San Carlos
9
Delta Amacuro
Tucupita
10 Falcón
Coro
11 Guárico
San Juan de los Morros
12
Lara
Barquisimeto

13 Mérida
Mérida
14 Miranda
Los Teques
15
Monagas
Maturín
16 Nueva Esparta
La Asunción
17
Portuguesa
Guanare
18 Sucre
Cumaná
19 Táchira
San Cristóbal
20
Trujillo
Trujillo
21 Vargas
La Guaira
22
Yaracuy
San Felipe
23
Zulia
Maracaibo

Taken from source: