VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA’S GEOGRAPHY• Venezuela is 352,144 square miles, that

makes it about twice the size of California.

• Venezuela is a country in Northern South America

• It is part of Caribbean South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean

• The country has a 2,800-kilometer coastline

• It is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Guyana, on the south by Brazil, and on the west by Colombia

• The temperate zone ranges between 800 and 2,000 meters with averages from 12°C to 25°C; many of Venezuela's cities

• The country has a vast difference in climate depending on the elevation

• Although the country lies mainly in the tropics it can average below 8°C in the high mountain areas known as the páramos, this results in snowfields all year long.

• Most of the country has a distinct rainy season which is May through November and is commonly referred to as winter

• June through October is known as their summer

• Average yearly rainfall in the lowlands and plains range from 430 millimeters in the western part of the Caribbean coastal areas to around 1,000 millimeters in the Orinoco Delta

VENEZUELA’S GEOGRAPHY

VENEZUELA’S GEOGRAPHY• Flowing more than 2,500 kilometers to

the Atlantic from its source in the Guiana highlands at the Brazilian border, the Orinoco is the world's eighth largest river and the largest in South America after the Amazon

• Angel falls, the picture in the upper left is the largest Waterfall in world

• Its flow varies substantially by season, with the high water level in August and the low levels in March

• The other major Venezuelan river is the fast-flowing Caroní (lower left), which originates in the Guiana highlands and flows northward into the Orinoco upstream from Ciudad Guyana

• The Caroní is capable of producing as much hydroelectric power as any river in Latin America

• It has contributed significantly to the nation's electric power production

VENEZUELA’S PEOPLE

• Population: 25,017,387 (July 2004 est.)

• Ethnic Make-up: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people

• Religions:• Roman Catholic 96%,

Protestant 2%, other 2%

VENEZUELA’S PEOPLE• Venezuelans pride themselves

on their hospitality• In villages it is common for

members of the extended family to live close to one another, often on the same block

• Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Venezuelan constitution

• Venezuelans often speak less formally than people in most other Spanish-speaking countries

VENEZUELA’S CULTURE

• In the years that followed the conquest, the Spanish colonists came to entirely shape the national culture of Venezuela.

• Pre-Columbian art in Venezuela consisted mainly of rock carvings and cave paintings in the form of petroglyphs

• The music of Venezuela was the product of intermingling of the African, Spanish and native music

• Gaita is one of the important traditional music of the country which is mainly performed during the festival seasons

• Joropo is the national dance of Venezuela. Salsa is one of the most popular dance forms in this country.

VENEZUELA’S CULTURE• Venezuela Culture has been greatly

influenced by its history. • The indigenous people and the Spanish

conquest have all had considerable influence in the culture of the land.

• Spanish is spoken by majority. However, native languages are prevalent in certain parts of the country

• Folk music of Venezuela also forms an important part of Venezuela Culture.

• There are four separate public holidays that commemorate independence, during which time flags are flown outside private houses as well as public buildings and there are street parades

VENEZUELA’S HISTORY• Venezuela is officially titled Bolivarian

Republic of Venezuela • Venezuela was first colonized by Spain in

1522 in what is now Cumaná• under the leadership of Francisco de

Miranda, a Venezuelan marshal who had fought in the French Revolution—declared independence on July 5, 1811, which began the Venezuelan War of Independence

• Sovereignty was only attained after Simón Bolívar, aided by José Antonio Páez and Antonio José de Sucre, won the Battle of Carabobo on June 24, 1821

• Venezuela has been an independent republic since 1821

• This is a picture of Simón Bolívar, who helped Venezuela gain independence.

VENEZUELA’S HISTORY• In ancient times, Venezuela was paradise

for the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on the gentle grasslands of the llanos

• There were three main groups: the Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha.

• Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Venezuela

• He came in 1498 during his third voyage to the New World, and landed on the Peninsula de Paria

• More explorers came a year later, and it was Alonso de Ojeda who gave the country its name.

• He admired the stilted houses that the Indians had build above the lake and called the place Venezuela, which means "Little Venice."

Websites used for PowerPoint• http://1001arabian.net/tourist/Angel%20Falls,%20Orinoco%20Basi

n,%20Canaima%20National%20Park,%20Venezuela.html• http://www.sgi.org/venezuela.html•

http://www.noticiasdot.com/stilo/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/miss-venezuela-2007.jpg

• http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/venezuela/index.html

• http://birminghamrespet.wordpress.com/•

http://balafria.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/venezuelan-news-round-up/

• http://wikipedia.com• http://www.venezuela.org.my/images/venezuela-pemon.jpg• www.kwintessential.co.uk/.../venezuela-country-profile.html• www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108140.html• www.geographia.com/venezuela/history.html• www.think-venezuela.net/culture.html