1. Bryan Navarro
BSTM 3Y1-6
Mrs. Velasco

2.  Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of
South America with diverse natural attractions.
Along its Caribbean coast are tropical resort
islands including Isla de Margarita and the Los
Roques archipelago. To the northwest are the
Andes Mountains and the colonial town of
Mérida, a base for hiking Sierra Nevada
National Park. Caracas, the capital, is to the
north.

3. Spanish Language - Spanish is one of the official
languages in Venezuela
Indigenous languages
Wayuu
Warao
Pemon
Mapoyo
Panare
Puinave
Pémono
Sapé
Sikiana
Yabarana
Yaruro

4. Venezuelan bolívar

5. History
 The bolívar was adopted by the monetary law
of 1879, replacing the short-
lived venezolano at a rate of five bolívares to
one venezolano. Initially, the bolívar was
defined on the silver standard, equal to 4.5g
fine silver, following the principles of
the Latin Monetary Union. The monetary law
of 1887 made the gold bolívar unlimited legal
tender, and the gold standard came into full
operation in 1910.

6. Exchange rates
Venezuelan Bolivar 1.00 VEF
inv. 1.00 VEF
US Dollar 0.158718
6.300500
Euro 0.139443
7.171379
British Pound 0.104048
9.610980
Indian Rupee 10.332478 0.096782
Australian Dollar 0.220077
4.543861
Canadian Dollar 0.206662
4.838822
Singapore Dollar 0.222756
4.489208

7. Caracas
Capital

8. Caracas officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the
capital, the center of the Greater Caracas Area, and
the largest city of Venezuela. Caracas is located in the
northern part of the country, following the contours of the
narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain
range Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and
910 m (2,490 and 2,990 ft) above sea level. The valley is
close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a
steep 2,200 m (7,200 ft) high mountain range, Cerro El Ávila;
to the south there are more hills and mountains.
The Metropolitan District of Caracas is made up of five
municipalities: Libertador Municipality which is the only
administrative division of the Venezuelan Capital District, and
four other municipalities, which are within in Miranda
State: Chacao,Baruta, Sucre, and El Hatillo. Libertador holds
many of the government buildings and is the Capital

9. Venezuela Flag
Venezuela's flag is a
yellow, blue, and red
horizontal tricolor with
eight white stars in a
semicircle in the center
and the coat of arms on
the yellow stripe on the
hoist side. The
Venezuelan independence
leader Francisco de

10. 19th-century changes
1810–1812 1813-1814 1817–1819
1830–1836
1836–1859 1859 1859–1863
1863–1905

11. Venezuela is a federal
presidential republic. The
chief executive is
President
of Venezuela who is both
head of state and head
of government. Executive
power is exercised by the
President. Legislative
power is vested in the
National Assembly.

12.  Venezuela is home to the world's highest
waterfall, Angel Falls and the second longest
river in South America, the Orinoco. It also
has the longest coastline on the Caribbean sea.
Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil
exporter and also has vast untapped reserves of
natural gas. Ecologically, Venezuela is
considered among the 20 Megadiverse
countries of the planet; more than 40% of its
national territory is covered by protected areas.

13. By air
The main international airport is Simon Bolivar International
Airport located in the Vargas state. It is approximately a 30-
minute ride from Caracas. Buses are available during the day,
departing from Parque Central next to Calle del Sur. Buses run
from 7AM-6PM, and cost 18BsF per passenger. A taxi ride
from the airport will cost Bs. 150,000/ US$70 and during the
day, or Bs. 200,000 / US$93 and US$37) at night. There are
international flights to Maracaibo and Valencia from cities
such as Miami, but the choices are very limited.
You can travel non stop from the US and most major
European cities.
United Airlines links Caracas to Houston and Newark
(Seasonal) weekly. American Airlines offers daily flights from
Miami, San Juan, Dallas and New York JFK. Delta Airlines
offers a daily flight from Atlanta. Air Canada offers a direct
flight from Toronto four times a week. Santa Barbara offers

14. By Land
Venezuela has road links with Colombia and Brazil. The road
crossing to Brazil, not far from the frontier town of Santa Elena de
Uairén, is a long way from most tourist destinations in Venezuela
and so not a common point of entry. Border controls are tight and all
travelers arriving from Boa Vista are expected to have visas. The
Venezuelan consulate in Boa Vista is on Av Benjamin Constant.
Venezuela's main connection with Colombia is from Cúcuta to
Venezuela's frontier town of SanAntonio del Táchira, which itself is
about 50 km from the busy Andean city of San Cristóbal. For a day
visit to Cúcuta no visa documents are required but border controls
are otherwise very tight with frequent searches. The border area can
be dangerous and visitors are advised to pass through quickly. JUL
2012: the border controls are now very relaxed and nobody even
stopped me on my way from Venezuela to Colombia nor searched
my luggage. It is possible to take a local bus directly from San
Cristobal to Cucuta for 25 BSF, but note that locals do not need to
stamp their passports, and the bus will not wait for you while you
are undertaking the migration procedures. If you are leaving
Venezuela by land from San Antonio to Cucuta, you are obliged to
pay the annoying BSF 90 departure tax, so do not change all your
bolivares in Venezuela. Actually, you will get better rates in Cucuta.
You may also leave Venezuela by way of the Paraguachón-

15. Los llanos
Los Llanos, or The
Plains, is a vast
grassland that straddles
Venezuela and
Columbia. The Orinoco
River that runs through
it forms the border
between the two
countries, and is the
main river in

16. Los Roques Los Roques Archipelago
National Park was created
in 1972 by the Venezuelan
government to protect a
marine ecosystem of
exceptional beauty and
ecological . It is the
largest marine park in the
Caribbean Sea. The
almost untouched coral
reefs host some of the
most beautiful underwater
fauna and flora of the

17. Angles Falls
Angel Falls is one the
most popular tourist
attractions in Venezuela
as it is the highest
uninterrupted waterfalls
in the world. It is 978
meters (3,208 feet) tall,
and drops off the side of
Auyantepui Mountain in
Canaima National Park
in Bolivar State.

18. Choroni
Choroni is generally
known as one of
Venezuela’s best
Caribbean beaches,
though the town itself
actually sits slightly
inland, boasting some
fine colonial houses
around a quiet central
plaza.

19. Isla Margarita
Isla Margarita, the
largest island off the
northeastern coast of
Venezuela, is a great
place to do some
beachcombing. With 50
beaches strung out over
the coastline, popular
activities include wind-
and kite-surfing,
especially at Playa el

20. Mochima National Park
ochima National Park
is located on the
northeastern coast and
is designed to protect
the marine
environment as well
as the forests of the
Turimiquire
mountains.

21. Mount Roraima
Mount Roraima is a
tabletop mountain (or
tepuy) than sits at an
elevation of 2,810
meters (9,220 feet).
While most of Roraima
lies in Venezuela, it also
marks the point where
Brazil and Guyana join
that country. The only
way visitors can climb
to the plateau however is

22. Unique Culture
People
Venezuela has a rich cultural heritage. From the
original Venezuelan natives to the Spanish and Africans
who arrived after the Spanish conquest, the 17th century
waves of immigration brought many Italians, Portuguese,
Arabs, Germans, Moroccan Jews, and others from the
bordering countries of South America. About 93% of
Venezuelans live in urban areas in the northern part of the
country. Even though almost half of the land area is south
of the Orinoco River, only 5% of the population live in that
area. More than 96% of the population call
themselves Catholic. The rest belong to other churches,

23. Since the 1920s the Venezuelan
state has invested in developing
and maintaining a national
culture through the arts. The
two areas that have most
benefited from this support
have been literature and music.
Caracas features a publicly
financed symphony orchestra
that plays not only classical
genres but also the more
nationalistic genre
of joropos. The state also
supports several museums that
house some of the national
artistic production. The three
prime ones are: the Museum of
Fine Arts, which was founded
in 1938; the Museum of
Colonial Art, which is located
in an eighteenth century house;
Art

24. Music music of Venezuela is exemplified by
the groups Un Solo
Pueblo and Serenata Guayanesa. The
national musical instrument is
the cuatro. Typical musical styles and
pieces mainly emerged in and around
thellanos region, including Alma
Llanera (by Pedro Elías
Gutiérrez and Rafael Bolíva
Coronado), Florentino y el
Diablo (by Alberto Arvelo
Torrealba), Concierto en la
Llanura (by Juan Vicente Torrealba),
and Caballo Viejo
The Zulian gaita is also a popular
style, generally performed during
Christmas. The national dance is the

25. Venezuelan literature can be
traced to pre-Hispanic times with
the myths and ora literature that
formed the cosmogonic view of the
world that indigenous people had.
Some of these stories are still
known in Venezuela. Like
many Latin American countries, the
Spanish conquerors have had the
greatest effect on both the culture
and the literature. The first written
documents by the Spanish
colonizers are considered to be the
origin of Venezuela's written
literature. This has included
chronicles, letters, acts, etc.
Venezuela's first major writer
was Andrés Bello. Venezuelan
literature developed in the 19th
century with the formation of
Literature

26. Venezuela, like most South American
nations, is a predominantly Catholic nation.
The influence of the Catholic Church was
introduced in its colonization by Spain.
According to the 2011 census, 88 percent of
the population is Christian,
primarily Roman Catholic (71%), and the
remaining 17 percent Protestant.
The Venezuelans without religion are 8%
(atheist 2% and agnostic or indifferent 6%),
almost 3% of the population follow other
religion (1% of them are of Santeria).
There are small but
influential Muslim, Buddhist,
and Jewish communities. The Muslim
community of more than 100,000 is
concentrated among persons
of Lebanese and Syrian descent living
in Nueva Esparta State, Punto Fijo and
the Caracas area. Buddhism in Venezuela is
practiced by over 52,000 people. The
Buddhist community is made up mainly
of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. There
are Buddhist centers in Caracas, Maracay,

27. Los Tambores
de Barlovento
Los Tambores de
Barlovento is held to
mark the official start
of the wet season.

28. Held on 24 June, the Feast
of John the Baptist is one
of the Venezuela’s most
significant events with the
city of Caracas perhaps
featuring the most
enthusiastic celebrations.
The festival sees locals
take to the streets for an
uninhibited display of
dancing as African drums
are pounded and mantras
are chanted. The festival
lasts the entire day and is
Feast of
John the
Baptist

29. The feast of San Benito is
celebrated with enthusiasm
by the people of Lake
Maracaibo on account of
San Benito being the patron
saint of the region.
Celebrations are conducted
during Christmas week and
last up until New Year’s
Day.
San Benito
el Moro

30. Arepa is a flatbread made of
ground maize dough or cooked
flour prominent in the cuisine
of Colombia and Venezuela. It
is eaten daily in those countries
and can be served with various
accompaniments such as
cheese (cuajada), avocado, or
(especially in Venezuela) split
and used to make sandwiches.
Various sizes, maize types, and
added ingredients are used to
vary its preparation. It is
similar in shape to
the Mexican gordita and
the Salvadoran pupusa. Arepas
can also be found
in Panama,Puerto Rico,
Arepa

31. An empanada also
called pastel in Portugues
e and patein Haitian
Creole) is a
stuffed bread or pastry ba
ked or fried in many
countries in Latin
Europe, Latin America,
the Southwestern United
States, and parts
of Southeast Asia. The
name comes from
the Galician, Portuguese,
and Spanish
Empana
da

32. An hallaca is a dish
of beef, pork, chicken,
fish or other seafood's,
mixed
with raisins, capers,
and olives and wrapped
in cornmeal dough, all
folded within plantain
leaves, tied with strings,
and boiled or steamed
afterwards. It is typically
served during
the Christmas holiday.
In the Dominican
Hallaca

33. Originally inhabited by Carib and Arawak Indians, Venezuela was claimed as a
Spanish territory by Christopher Columbus in 1498. Spanish rule was administered
from a distance, leaving the various regions to develop separately from the
capital, Caracas. In the 18th century, an attempt to inject a measure of unification
by the Spanish was met with widespread resistance and uprisings led by Simón
Bolívar, national hero and revered independence ‘Liberator’. Bolívar’s dream
mega-territory – Gran Colombia – composed of present-day
Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, collapsed through violent in-fighting. Instead,
in 1830, Venezuela became a sovereign state, led by José Paéz. The precise
territorial limits were not, however, well defined, and Venezuela's borders have
since been the subject of periodic disputes with its neighbors.
The exploitation of the country's substantial oilfields began in 1918. The huge
deposits triggered an oil boom, similar to the cacao and coffee booms of the 17th
and 19th century respectively. In each case, the wealth was largely export driven,
making a small elite spectacularly rich but failing to develop the country’s wider
economy, leaving the majority poor and exploited. Widespread political corruption
and cronyism was the norm. Strong-arm military leaders ran the country throughout
most of the first half of the 20th century, until democracy was introduced in 1958.
In the 1980s, successive governments struggled to stabilize the country and the
economy in the face of persistent social and labor unrest. In 1992, a number of