61 Facts About Venezuela

1.

Venezuela is a federal presidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District and federal dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands.

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2.

Territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from indigenous peoples.

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3.

Venezuela is a developing country and ranks 113th on the Human Development Index.

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4.

Venezuela is a charter member of the UN, Organization of American States, Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), ALBA, Mercosur, Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) and Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI).

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5.

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.

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6.

Spain's colonization of mainland Venezuela started in 1522, establishing its first permanent South American settlement in the present-day city of Cumana.

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7.

Between one-quarter and one-third of Venezuela's population was lost during these two decades of warfare, which by 1830, was estimated at 800, 000.

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8.

Discovery of massive oil deposits in Lake Maracaibo during World War I proved to be pivotal for Venezuela and transformed the basis of its economy from a heavy dependence on agricultural exports.

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9.

Venezuela remained the most powerful man in Venezuela until his death in 1935, although at times he ceded the presidency to others.

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10.

Election in 1973 of Carlos Andres Perez coincided with an oil crisis, in which Venezuela's income exploded as oil prices soared; oil industries were nationalized in 1976.

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11.

Venezuela was preparing for the decentralization of its political system and the diversification of its economy, reducing the large size of the State.

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12.

Venezuela was elected for another term in December 2006 and re-elected for a third term in October 2012.

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13.

Venezuela devalued its currency in February 2013 due to rising shortages in the country, which included those of milk, flour, and other necessities.

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14.

In 2017, Venezuela experienced a constitutional crisis in the country.

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15.

Venezuela is located in the north of South America; geologically, its mainland rests on the South American Plate.

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16.

Venezuela has territorial disputes with Guyana, formerly United Kingdom, largely concerning the Essequibo area and with Colombia concerning the Gulf of Venezuela.

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17.

Animals of Venezuela are diverse and include manatees, three-toed sloth, two-toed sloth, Amazon river dolphins, and Orinoco Crocodiles, which have been reported to reach up to 6.

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18.

Venezuela is among the top 20 countries in terms of endemism.

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19.

Venezuela is one of the 10 most biodiverse countries on the planet, yet it is one of the leaders of deforestation due to economic and political factors.

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20.

Venezuela had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.

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21.

Venezuela was one of the few countries that did not enter an INDC at COP21.

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22.

Relief of Venezuela has the following characteristics: coastline with several peninsulas and islands, adenas of the Andes mountain range, Lake Maracaibo (between the chains, on the coast); Orinoco river delta, region of peneplains and plateaus (tepui, east of the Orinoco) that together form the Guyanas massif (plateaus, southeast of the country).

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23.

Basin of the lake and the plains of the Gulf of Venezuela make up two plains: the northern one, drier, and the southern one, humid and with swamps.

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24.

Venezuela has a great diversity of landscapes and climates, including arid and dry areas.

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25.

Supreme Court president Luisa Estela Morales said in December 2009 that Venezuela had moved away from "a rigid division of powers" toward a system characterized by "intense coordination" between the branches of government.

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26.

In 2015, Venezuela was declared a national security threat by U S president Barack Obama.

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27.

Venezuela seeks alternative hemispheric integration via such proposals as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas trade proposal and the newly launched Latin American television network teleSUR.

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28.

Venezuela is one of five nations in the world—along with Russia, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria—to have recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

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29.

Venezuela was a proponent of OAS's decision to adopt its Anti-Corruption Convention and is actively working in the Mercosur trade bloc to push increased trade and energy integration.

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30.

Venezuela is involved in a long-standing disagreement about the control of the Guayana Esequiba area.

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31.

The president of Venezuela is the commander-in-chief of the national armed forces.

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32.

All male citizens of Venezuela have a constitutional duty to register for the military service at the age of 18, which is the age of majority in Venezuela.

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33.

Venezuela is especially dangerous for foreign travelers and investors who are visiting.

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34.

Corruption in Venezuela is high by world standards and was so for much of the 20th century.

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35.

Venezuela has been ranked one of the most corrupt countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index since the survey started in 1995.

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36.

In 2006, the government's agency for combating illegal drug trade in Venezuela, ONA, was incorporated into the office of the vice-president of the country.

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37.

Venezuela is divided into 23 states, a capital district (distrito capital) corresponding to the city of Caracas, and the Federal Dependencies (Dependencias Federales, a special territory).

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38.

Venezuela is further subdivided into 335 municipalities; these are subdivided into over one thousand parishes (parroquias).

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39.

Venezuela has the least expensive petrol in the world because the consumer price of petrol is heavily subsidized.

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40.

The president of the Central Bank of Venezuela serves as the country's representative in the International Monetary Fund.

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41.

The U S -based conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, cited in The Wall Street Journal, claims Venezuela has the weakest property rights in the world, scoring only 5.

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42.

Since the discovery of oil in the early 20th century, Venezuela has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil, and it is a founding member of OPEC.

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43.

In early 2013, Venezuela devalued its currency due to growing shortages in the country.

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44.

Venezuela's outlook was deemed negative by most bond-rating services in 2017.

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45.

Shortages in Venezuela have been prevalent following the enactment of price controls and other policies during the economic policy of the Hugo Chavez government.

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46.

Venezuela has the largest oil reserves, and the eighth largest natural gas reserves in the world.

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47.

Besides the largest conventional oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere, Venezuela has non-conventional oil deposits approximately equal to the world's reserves of conventional oil.

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48.

The electricity sector in Venezuela is one of the few to rely primarily on hydropower, and includes the Guri Dam, one of the largest in the world.

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49.

Venezuela is connected to the world primarily via air and sea (with major sea ports at La Guaira, Maracaibo and Puerto Cabello).

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50.

Venezuela has a limited national railway system, which has no active rail connections to other countries.

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51.

Venezuela has a road network of nearly 100, 000 kilometres in length, placing the country around 45th in the world; around a third of roads are paved.

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52.

Ethnic minorities in Venezuela consist of groups that descend mainly from African or indigenous peoples; 2.

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53.

These influences on Venezuela have led to the nation being called the 8th island of the Canaries.

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54.

Venezuela is home of the largest Druze communities outside the Middle East, the Druze community are estimated around 60, 000, and concentrated among persons of Lebanese and Syrian descent.

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55.

Venezuela has a number of universities, of which the most prestigious are the Central University of Venezuela founded in Caracas in 1721, the University of Zulia (LUZ) founded in 1891, the University of the Andes (ULA) founded in Merida State in 1810, the Simon Bolivar University (USB) founded in Miranda State in 1967, and the University of the East (UDO) founded in Sucre State in 1958.

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56.

Venezuela was enriched by immigration streams of Indian and European origin in the 19th century, especially from France.

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57.

Indigenous musical styles of Venezuela are exemplified by groups like Un Solo Pueblo and Serenata Guayanesa.

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58.

Venezuela has always been a melting pot of cultures and this can be seen in the richness and variety of its musical styles and dances: calipso, bambuco, fulia, cantos de pilado de maiz, cantos de lavanderas, sebucan, and maremare.

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59.

Origins of baseball in Venezuela are unclear, although it is known that the sport was being played in the country by the late 19th century.

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60.

Venezuela hosted the 2012 Basketball World Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the 2013 FIBA Basketball Americas Championship, which took place in the Poliedro de Caracas.

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61.

Venezuela is home to former Formula 1 driver, Pastor Maldonado.

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