Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" redirects here.

For the period when it was known

as the "Republic of Venezuela" from 1953 to 1999, see Republic of Venezuela.
This article is about the country. For other uses, see Venezuela (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 7°N 65°W

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

República Bolivariana de Venezuela (Spanish)
Flag of Venezuela
Flag
Coat of arms of Venezuela
Coat of arms
Motto: Dios y Federación
("God and Federation")
Anthem: Gloria al Bravo Pueblo
("Glory to the Brave People")
Land controlled by Venezuela shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled land
shown in light green.
Land controlled by Venezuela shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled land
shown in light green.
Capital
and largest city
Caracas
10°30′N 66°55′W
Official languages Spanish[b]
Recognized regional languages
26 languages
Other spoken languages English
German
Portuguese
Italian
Chinese
Arabic
Ethnic groups (2011)[1]
51.6% Moreno (mixed Indigenous, Black and White)
43.6% White
3.6% Black
1.2% Indigenous
Religion (2020)[2]
92.6% Christianity
—80.5% Roman Catholic
—11.2% Protestant
—0.9% Other Christian
5.5% No religion
1.1% Spiritism
0.8% Other
Demonym(s) Venezuelan
Government Federal presidential republic
• President
Nicolás Maduro (disputed)
• Vice President
Delcy Rodríguez
Legislature National Assembly
Independence from Spain
• Declared
5 July 1811
• from Gran Colombia
13 January 1830
• Recognized
29 March 1845
• Current constitution
20 December 1999[3]
Area
• Total
916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi) (32nd)
• Water (%)
3.2%[d]
Population
• 2022 estimate
29,789,730[4] (50th)
• Density
33.74/km2 (87.4/sq mi) (144st)
GDP (PPP) 2022 estimate
• Total
Increase $191.329 billion[5] (81st)
• Per capita
Increase $7,108[5] (159th)
GDP (nominal) 2022 estimate
• Total
Increase $82.145 billion[5] (94th)
• Per capita
Increase $3,052[5] (145th)
Gini (2013) Negative increase 44.8[6]
medium
HDI (2021) Decrease 0.691[7]
medium · 120th
Currency Venezuelan bolívar (VED)
Time zone UTC−4 (VET)
Date format dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
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 Constitution of 1999, when the state was renamed in honor of Simón
Bolívar.
^ The Constitution also recognizes all indigenous languages spoken in the country.
^ Some important subgroups include those of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian,
Amerindian, African, Arab and German descent.
^ Area totals include only Venezuelan-administered territory.
^ On 1 October 2021, a new bolivar was introduced, the Bolívar digital (ISO 4217
code VED) worth 1,000,000 VES.
Venezuela (/ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə/; American Spanish: [beneˈswela] (listen)), officially the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela),[8]
is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental
landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It has a territorial
extension of 916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 29
million in 2022.[9] The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of
Caracas.

The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago
to the north-east and on the east by Guyana. The Venezuelan government maintains a
claim against Guyana to Guayana Esequiba.[10] Venezuela is a federal presidential
republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District and federal dependencies
covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized
countries in Latin America;[11][12] the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the
cities of the north and in the capital.
The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from
indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish-American
territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part, as a
department, of the first federal Republic of Colombia (historiographically known as
Gran Colombia). It separated as a full sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th
century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by
regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has
had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region
was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic
prosperity. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to major political crises
and widespread social unrest, including the deadly Caracazo riots of 1989, two
attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of a President for embezzlement of
public funds charges in 1993. The collapse in confidence in the existing parties
saw the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election, the catalyst for the Bolivarian
Revolution, which began with a 1999 Constituent Assembly, where a new Constitution
of Venezuela was imposed. The government's populist social welfare policies were
bolstered by soaring oil prices,[13] temporarily increasing social spending,[14]
and reducing economic inequality and poverty in the early years of the regime.[15]
However, poverty began to increase in the 2010s.[16] The 2013 Venezuelan
presidential election was widely disputed leading to widespread protest, which
triggered another nationwide crisis that continues to this day.[17] Venezuela has
experienced democratic backsliding, shifting into an authoritarian state.[18] It
ranks low in international measurements of freedom of the press and civil liberties
and has high levels of perceived corruption.[19]

Venezuela is a developing country and ranks 113th on the Human Development Index.
It has the world's largest known oil reserves and has been one of the world's
leading exporters of oil. Previously, the country was an underdeveloped exporter of
agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa, but oil quickly came to dominate
exports and government revenues. The excesses and poor policies of the incumbent
government led to the collapse of Venezuela's entire economy.[20][21] The country
struggles with record hyperinflation,[22][23] shortages of basic goods,[24]
unemployment,[25] poverty,[26] disease, high child mortality, malnutrition, severe
crime and corruption. These factors have precipitated the Venezuelan migrant crisis
where more than three million people have fled the country.[27] By 2017, Venezuela
was declared to be in default regarding debt payments by credit rating agencies.
[28][29] The crisis in Venezuela has contributed to a rapidly deteriorating human
rights situation, including increased abuses such as torture, arbitrary
imprisonment, extrajudicial killings and attacks on human rights advocates.
Venezuela is a charter member of the UN, Organization of American States (OAS),
Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), ALBA, Mercosur, Latin American
Integration Association (LAIA) and Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI).

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Pre-Columbian history
2.2 Colonization
2.2.1 German colonization
2.3 Late 15th century to early 17th century
2.4 Independence and 19th century
2.5 20th century
2.6 Bolivarian government: 1999–present
2.6.1 Hugo Chávez: 1999–2013
2.6.2 Nicolás Maduro
2.6.2.1 2013–2018
2.6.2.2 Since 2018
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
3.2 Biodiversity and conservation
3.3 Hydrography
3.4 Relief
3.5 Valleys
3.6 Deserts
4 Government and politics
4.1 Suspension of constitutional rights
4.2 Foreign relations
4.3 Military
4.4 Law and crime
4.5 Human rights
4.6 Corruption
5 Administrative divisions
5.1 Largest cities
6 Economy
6.1 Tourism
6.2 Shortages
6.3 Petroleum and other resources
7 Transport
8 Demographics
8.1 Ethnicity
8.2 Languages
8.3 Religion
8.4 Health
8.5 Education
9 Culture
9.1 Architecture
9.2 Art
9.3 Literature
9.4 Music
9.5 Sport
9.6 Cuisine
10 See also
11 References
12 Bibliography
13 External links
Etymology
According to the most popular and accepted version, in 1499, an expedition led by
Alonso de Ojeda visited the Venezuelan coast. The stilt houses in the area of Lake
Maracaibo reminded the Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, of the city of Venice,
Italy, so he named the region Veneziola, or "Little Venice".[30] The Spanish
version of Veneziola is Venezuela.[31]

Martín Fernández de Enciso, a member of the Vespucci and Ojeda crew, gave a
different account. In his work Summa de geografía, he states that the crew found
indigenous people who called themselves the Veneciuela. Thus, the name "Venezuela"
may have evolved from the native word.[32]

Previously, the official name was Estado de Venezuela (1830–1856), República de

Venezuela (1856–1864), Estados Unidos de Venezuela (1864–1953), and again República
de Venezuela (1953–1999).

History
Main article: History of Venezuela
Pre-Columbian history

Cult image sculpted in ceramic, Los Roques Archipelago.

Petroglyph in the Waraira Repano National Park.
Evidence exists of human habitation in the area now known as Venezuela from about
15,000 years ago. Leaf-shaped tools from this period, together with chopping and
plano-convex scraping implements, have been found exposed on the high riverine
terraces of the Rio Pedregal in western Venezuela.[33] Late Pleistocene hunting
artifacts, including spear tips, have been found at a similar series of sites in
northwestern Venezuela known as "El Jobo"; according to radiocarbon dating, these
date from 13,000 to 7,000 BC.[34]

It is not known how many people lived in Venezuela before the Spanish conquest; it
has been estimated at around one million.[35] In addition to indigenous peoples
known today, the population included historical groups such as the Kalina (Caribs),
Auaké, Caquetio, Mariche, and Timoto–Cuicas. The Timoto–Cuica culture was the most
complex society in Pre-Columbian Venezuela, with pre-planned permanent villages,
surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. They also stored water in tanks.[36]
Their houses were made primarily of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were
peaceful, for the most part, and depended on growing crops. Regional crops included
potatoes and ullucos.[37] They left behind works of art, particularly
anthropomorphic ceramics, but no major monuments. They spun vegetable fibers to
weave into textiles and mats for housing. They are credited with having invented
the arepa, a staple in Venezuelan cuisine.[38]

After the conquest, the population dropped markedly, mainly through the spread of
new infectious diseases from Europe.[35] Two main north–south axes of pre-Columbian
population were present, who cultivated maize in the west and manioc in the east.
[35] Large parts of the llanos were cultivated through a combination of slash and
burn and permanent settled agriculture.[35]

Colonization
Main articles: Spanish colonization of the Americas, German colonization of the
Americas, and Colonial Venezuela

The German Welser Armada exploring Venezuela.

In 1498, during his third voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus sailed near
the Orinoco Delta and landed in the Gulf of Paria.[39] Amazed by the great offshore
current of freshwater which deflected his course eastward, Columbus expressed in a
letter to Isabella and Ferdinand that he must have reached Heaven on Earth
(terrestrial paradise):

Great signs are these of the Terrestrial Paradise... for I have never read or heard
of such a large quantity of fresh water being inside and in such close proximity to
salt water; the very mild temperateness also corroborates this; and if the water of
which I speak does not proceed from Paradise then it is an even greater marvel,
because I do not believe such a large and deep river has ever been known to exist
in this world.[40]

Spain's colonization of mainland Venezuela started in 1522, establishing its first

permanent South American settlement in the present-day city of Cumaná.

German colonization
Acap.svg
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In the 16th century, the king of Spain granted a concession in Venezuela to the
Welser family of German bankers and merchants. Klein-Venedig [41] became the most
extensive initiative in the German colonization of the Americas, from 1528 to 1546.
The Welser family of Augsburg and Nuremberg were bankers to the Habsburgs and
financiers of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also King of Spain and had
borrowed heavily from them to pay bribes for his Imperial election.[42]

In 1528, Charles V granted the Welsers the right to explore, rule and colonize the
territory, as well as to seek the mythical golden town of El Dorado.[43][44][45]
The first expedition was led by Ambrosius Ehinger, who established Maracaibo in
1529. After the deaths of first Ehinger (1533), then Nikolaus Federmann, and Georg
von Speyer (1540), Philipp von Hutten persisted in exploring of the interior. In
absence of von Hutten from the capital of the province, the crown of Spain claimed
the right to appoint a governor. On Hutten's return to the capital, Santa Ana de
Coro, in 1546, the Spanish governor Juan de Carvajal had Hutten and Bartholomeus
VI. Welser executed. Subsequently, Charles V revoked Welser's concession. The
Welsers transported German miners to the colony, in addition to 4,000 African
slaves as hard work to paintings sugar cane plantations. Many of the German
colonists died from tropical diseases, to which they had no immunity, or through
frequent wars with the indigenous inhabitants.

Late 15th century to early 17th century

Native caciques (leaders) such as Guaicaipuro (c. 1530–1568) and Tamanaco (died
1573) attempted to resist Spanish incursions, but the newcomers ultimately subdued
them; Tamanaco was put to death by order of Caracas' founder, Diego de Losada.[46]

In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization, indigenous peoples such as
many of the Mariches, themselves descendants of the Kalina, were converted to Roman
Catholicism. Some of the resisting tribes or leaders are commemorated in place
names, including Caracas, Chacao and Los Teques. The early colonial settlements
focused on the northern coast,[35] but in the mid-18th century, the Spanish pushed
farther inland along the Orinoco River. Here, the Ye'kuana (then known as the
Makiritare) organized serious resistance in 1775 and 1776.[47]

Spain's eastern Venezuelan settlements were incorporated into New Andalusia

Province. Administered by the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo from the early 16th
century, most of Venezuela became part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in the
early 18th century, and was then reorganized as an autonomous Captaincy General
starting in 1777. The town of Caracas, founded in the central coastal region in
1567, was well-placed to become a key location, being near the coastal port of La
Guaira whilst itself being located in a valley in a mountain range, providing
defensive strength against pirates and a more fertile and healthy climate.[48]

Independence and 19th century

Main article: Venezuelan War of Independence

El Libertador, Simón Bolívar.

After a series of unsuccessful uprisings, Venezuela, under the leadership of
Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan marshal who had fought in the American
Revolution and the French Revolution, declared independence as the First Republic
of Venezuela on 5 July 1811.[49] This began the Venezuelan War of Independence. A
devastating earthquake that struck Caracas in 1812, together with the rebellion of
the Venezuelan llaneros, helped bring down the republic.[50] Simón Bolívar, new
leader of the independentist forces, launched his Admirable Campaign in 1813 from
New Granada, retaking most of the territory and being proclaimed as El Libertador
("The Liberator"). A second Venezuelan republic was proclaimed on 7 August 1813,
but lasted only a few months before being crushed at the hands of royalist caudillo
José Tomás Boves and his personal army of llaneros.[51]

The end of the French invasion of homeland Spain in 1814 allowed the preparation of
a large expeditionary force to the American provinces under general Pablo Morillo,
with the goal to regain the lost territory in Venezuela and New Granada. As the war
reached a stalemate on 1817, Bolívar reestablished the Third Republic of Venezuela
on the territory still controlled by the patriots, mainly in the Guayana and Llanos
regions. This republic was short-lived as only two years later, during the Congress
of Angostura of 1819, the union of Venezuela with New Granada was decreed to form
the Republic of Colombia (historiographically Republic of Gran Colombia). The war
continued for some years, until full victory and sovereignty was attained after
Bolívar, aided by José Antonio Páez and Antonio José de Sucre, won the Battle of
Carabobo on 24 June 1821.[52] On 24 July 1823, José Prudencio Padilla and Rafael
Urdaneta helped seal Venezuelan independence with their victory in the Battle of
Lake Maracaibo.[53] New Granada's congress gave Bolívar control of the Granadian
army; leading it, he liberated several countries and founded the Republic of
Colombia (Gran Colombia).[52]

Revolution of 19 April 1810, the beginning of Venezuela's independence, by Martín

Tovar y Tovar
Sucre, who won many battles for Bolívar, went on to liberate Ecuador and later
become the second president of Bolivia. Venezuela remained part of Gran Colombia
until 1830, when a rebellion led by Páez allowed the proclamation of a newly
independent Venezuela, on 22 September;[54] Páez became the first president of the
new State of Venezuela.[55] Between one-quarter and one-third of Venezuela's
population was lost during these two decades of warfare (including perhaps one-half
of the Venezuelans of European descent),[56] which by 1830, was estimated at
800,000.[57]

The colors of the Venezuelan flag are yellow, blue, and red: the yellow stands for
land wealth, the blue for the sea that separates Venezuela from Spain, and the red
for the blood shed by the heroes of independence.[58]

Slavery in Venezuela was abolished in 1854.[57] Much of Venezuela's 19th-century

history was characterized by political turmoil and dictatorial rule, including the
Independence leader José Antonio Páez, who gained the presidency three times and
served a total of 11 years between 1830 and 1863. This culminated in the Federal
War (1859–1863), a civil war in which hundreds of thousands died in a country with
a population of not much more than a million people. In the latter half of the
century, Antonio Guzmán Blanco, another caudillo, served a total of 13 years
between 1870 and 1887, with three other presidents interspersed.

The signing of Venezuela's independence, by Martín Tovar y Tovar.

In 1895, a longstanding dispute with Great Britain about the territory of Guayana
Esequiba, which Britain claimed as part of British Guiana and Venezuela saw as
Venezuelan territory, erupted into the Venezuela Crisis of 1895. The dispute became
a diplomatic crisis when Venezuela's lobbyist, William L. Scruggs, sought to argue
that British behavior over the issue violated the United States' Monroe Doctrine of
1823, and used his influence in Washington, D.C., to pursue the matter. Then, U.S.
president Grover Cleveland adopted a broad interpretation of the doctrine that did
not just simply forbid new European colonies, but declared an American interest in
any matter within the hemisphere.[59] Britain ultimately accepted arbitration, but
in negotiations over its terms was able to persuade the U.S. on many of the
details. A tribunal convened in Paris in 1898 to decide the issue and in 1899
awarded the bulk of the disputed territory to British Guiana.[60]

In 1899, Cipriano Castro, assisted by his friend Juan Vicente Gómez, seized power
in Caracas, marching an army from his base in the Andean state of Táchira. Castro
defaulted on Venezuela's considerable foreign debts and declined to pay
compensation to foreigners caught up in Venezuela's civil wars. This led to the
Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903, in which Britain, Germany and Italy imposed a naval
blockade of several months before international arbitration at the new Permanent
Court of Arbitration in The Hague was agreed. In 1908, another dispute broke out
with the Netherlands, which was resolved when Castro left for medical treatment in
Germany and was promptly overthrown by Juan Vicente Gómez (1908–1935).