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Venezuela History, Culture & Government Type

Learn the history of Venezuela. Discover the capital of Venezuela, review the map and population size, and
explore the Venezuelan government type and culture. Updated: 03/10/2023

Table of Contents

 Venezuela: History and Overview

 What is the History of Venezuela?

 Venezuelan Government Type

 What is the Venezuelan Culture?
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Venezuela: History and Overview 

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country in South America. It has a
population of roughly 30.5 million and is about twice the size of the US state of California.

Where is Venezuela?
The country of Venezuela is located along the northern coast of South America. It is neighbored to
the west by Colombia, to the south by Brazil, and to the east by Guyana. To the north is the
Caribbean Sea.

Venezuela: Map
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Venezuela is located on the northern coast of

South America

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What is the History of Venezuela? 

The first humans to arrive in Venezuela did so about 15,000 years ago. These were nomadic
hunters, gatherers, and fishers who used stone tools. Eventually, various indigenous societies
arose, including:

The Kalina or Carib people, who developed agricultural communities in the coastal areas of Venezuela

The Timoto and Cuica people who inhabited the highland area south of Lake Maracaibo

The Caquetio people who lived along the northwestern coast

Between the years 1000 and 1500, these indigenous peoples lived various ways of life. Some were
farmers who raised potatoes and yuca, while others stayed as fishers, hunters, or gatherers. While
the Andean Mountains saw the rise of the gargantuan Inca Empire, no such large polity existed in
Venezuela.
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Conquest of Venezuela
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Christopher Columbus, employed by Spain, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. He soon landed in
Venezuela in 1498. Observing that the coastal peoples of the area lived in houses with stilts,
Spanish explorers named the region Little Venice, or Venezuela.

Over the next twenty years, European explorers did not travel deeply inland. Rather, they fished
along the northern coast and abducted slaves to work on Spanish sugar plantations in the
Caribbean. The first permanent Spanish settlement in Venezuela was Cumaná, on the northeastern
coast, which was founded in 1510.

Over the course of the 1500s, European colonists marched inland from the coast and established
farming estates labored upon by abducted indigenous people. Due to the spread of European
diseases and the superior military technologies possessed by the Spanish colonists, indigenous
resistance was ultimately unsuccessful. Two key aspects of the Spanish colonial regime were:

Roman Catholicism, which was the state religion of Spain

The caste system, which was a hierarchical social structure on the basis of race and birth, with
European-born Spanish people at the top

In 1527, a Spanish colonial government was established, the Province of Venezuela, which was part
of the broader Spanish colonial empire. It would take until 1777 for Spain to create the Captaincy
General of Venezuela, which controlled all of modern-day Venezuela as well as regions to the
south.

Independence of Venezuela

In the late 1700s, some Venezuelan leaders began to campaign for independence. They were
inspired by the successes of the American and French Revolutions. In the early 1800s, France
conquered Spain, disrupting the colonial governments of the Americas. This chaos drove Venezuela
to declare independence in 1811, creating the First Republic of Venezuela (in that day, it was called
various names, including the American Confederation of Venezuela). However, not everyone in
Venezuela wished for independence. War broke out between those who wished to stay part of the
Spanish Empire.

Though the First Republic was toppled, it was soon followed by the Second Republic of Venezuela
(which lasted until 1814) and the Third Republic of Venezuela (which lasted until 1819).

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Venezuelan Government Type
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Technically, Venezuela is a federal presidential republic. Legally, power should be shared between
the executive branch (headed by the president), the National Assembly legislative branch, and the
judicial branch. However, the recent presidents of Venezuela have centralized political power in
their hands so that today the country is run by an authoritarian government. Elections are still held,
but the votes are rigged so that the incumbent president always wins.

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What is the Venezuelan Culture? 

Venezuelan culture represents an amalgamation of Spanish, African, and indigenous cultures.

Roman Catholicism is the largest religion. Venezuelan art has many different movements, though
modernism is one of the largest ones in the modern day. The country has rich literary and musical
traditions. The novelist Rómulo Gallegos was so well-regarded that he was even elected president
in 1948 before promptly being overthrown by the military. Venezuelan music is significantly
diverse, ranging from indigenous folk music to the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

Language in Venezuela
The official language of Venezuela is Spanish. However, there are some other languages spoken
among indigenous communities, especially in the south, such as the Yanomamo language. Most
indigenous people speak Spanish or a dialect of that language, however.

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Lesson Summary 
Venezuela is a country located in South America. It has a population of 30.5 million and its capital
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is Caracas, close to the northern coast. Humans first arrived in Venezuela 15,000 years INSTALL
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developed societies that
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Google Play food through hunting, gathering, fishing, and eventually
agriculture. Christopher Columbus came to Venezuela in the year 1498. Over the course of the
1500s, the country was colonized by Spanish people, who intermarried with the locals and
introduced Roman Catholicism and the Spanish language.

Venezuela gained independence from Spain after years of fighting under the leadership of Simón
Bolívar. In the two centuries since then, Venezuela has had a troubled history, suffering through
coups, civil wars, and dictatorships. In 1999, the dictator Hugo Chávez rose to power. He ruled for
several years before being followed by his successor, Nicolás Maduro.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are some historical facts about Venezuela?

Venezuela has suffered a complicated and unstable history. One key fact about Venezuela is
that it was once part of Gran Colombia, a large country that included modern-day Colombia
too.

What was Venezuela called before?

Venezuela has had many names over the centuries, from the Province of Venezuela, the State
of Venezuela, and the United States of Venezuela. Today its full name is the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela.

Who colonized Venezuela first?

Venezuela was first colonized by Spanish settlers in the 1500s. Prior to this, the area was
inhabited by humans for ten thousand years.

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