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General information

Population : 31.56 milion people (44th in the World, 5th in South America)
Total Area : 916,445 km^2 (32nd in the World, 6th in South America)
Official languages : Spanish
Official currency : Bolivar fuerte(VEF)
Capital : Caracas
Population density : 33,7 people/km^2 (189th in the World, 3rd in South America)
Top 5 biggest cities : Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracay


The Venezuelan president is elected by a vote, with direct and universal suffrage, and is both head of state and head of government. The term of office is six years, and (as of 15 February 2009) a president may be re-elected an unlimited number of times. The president appoints the vice president and decides the size and composition of the cabinet and makes appointments to it with the involvement of the legislature. The president can ask the legislature to reconsider portions of laws he finds objectionable, but a simple parliamentary majority can override these objections.

Venezuela is divided into 23 states (estados), a capital district (distrito capital) corresponding to the city of Caracas, and the Federal Dependencies (Dependencias Federales, a special territory). Venezuela is further subdivided into 335 municipalities (municipios); these are subdivided into over one thousand parishes (parroquias). The states are grouped into nine administrative regions (regiones administrativas), which were established in 1969 by presidential decree.



National sport : Baseball

Football



National animal : Venezuelan troupial(Icterus icterus)



National plant : Easter Orchid (Cattleya mossiae)



National Instruments : Arpa Criolla



Furruco



La bandola, Mandolina







The significance of the 5th of July

On July 5, 1811, the Venezuelan Independence Act was signed, in which the authority imposed by the Spanish empire is ignored, ending the three hundred years of Spanish domination. However, the signing of the Act of Independence was really the beginning of the battle to concretize Independence.

Venezuela is consecrated as a free people, when the representatives of the provinces of Caracas, Cumaná, Barinas, Barcelona, ​​Margarita, Mérida and Trujillo proclaimed the nation free from Spanish rule.

This brought venezuelians out of slavery and the subjugation of the kingdom of Spain. The jubilation reigned in the streets that filled with joyful criollos, while the tricolor decorated Caracas. General Francisco de Miranda and members of the patriotic society, filled the streets full of joy.

With this event, the nation became the first country in Latin America and the third in America to declare its independence, after the United States (1776) and Haiti (1804).










Let’s continue with some scary legends.. Enjoy (I am starting to feel like I am presenting a show with Ghost stories) !


La Sayona is a legend from Venezuela, represented by the vengeful spirit of a woman that shows up only to men that have love affairs out of their marriages. The name "Sayona" refers to the cloth the ghost wears which is a long white dress similar to a medieval undergarment. It also refers to the French term "sayon" that means executioner.

The legend says that "La Sayona" was a young woman named Casilda. She lived in a small town in the plains of Venezuela and was the most beautiful girl there. She was married to a great man, caring and loving. Casilda and her husband had a baby boy. One day, Casilda was swimming naked in a nearby river, when a man from the village saw her. After that, the man would always follow her and watch her bathe in the river. One day Casilda saw him and told him to leave her alone; he ignored her, and instead told her that he was there to warn her: "Your husband is having an affair with none other than your mother," he said. Casilda ran home and found her husband asleep with the baby in his arms. Blind with anger, she burned the house with them inside. Villagers could hear their screams while Casilda ran to her mother's house. She found her on the patio and attacked her with a machete, striking her in the stomach. As the mother bled to death, she cursed Casilda by saying that from then on she would have to avenge all women by killing their unfaithful husbands. And from that day forward Casilda became "La Sayona".
In other versions of the tale, it appears to lone men working in the jungle when they are thinking of women they left behind in their hometown or simply when they talk to their work mates about wanting to be with a woman. Later on, a woman would appear to them in the likeness of an unknown, beautiful and desirable woman, or a loved one, and try to lure them into the forests so it could then reveal their animal-like features and devour them or just mangle them, leaving their wretched bodies for their companions to find.

It is important to note that there are many versions of the La Sayona story, with greatly different characters, names, and plot points. La Sayona is often related to La Llorona.



Very similar to la sayona this tale is more widespread in Hispanic culture.
In most versions of The Weeping Woman, a beautiful woman finds out that her husband left her for a younger woman and as revenge she throws her children into a river; after realizing what she has done she drowns herself. In the afterlife she is not allowed to enter heaven until she has found her lost children. Forced to wander the earth for all eternity, searching without avail the lost offspring, she weeps constantly.

In Venezuelan tradition, the woman lived during the colonial period; a Spanish woman had children with an indigenous man. Her brother found out of the children and consider them aberrations, as indigenous people were mere soulless animals to them, from diabolic origin without religion.

The brother killed the son and forced her into marriage to a Spanish man, but the woman went mad and run away in the night in search of her lost children. Roaming the fields in her white night attire, she wept constantly for the lost children. Soon after she died peasants could hear her cry until our days.


All I can say is.. be carefull where you go at night and who you meet in Venezuela..





Top 5 places visited by tourists


Angel 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 tall, and drops off the side of Auyantepui Mountain in Canaima National Park in Bolivar State. Located on the Gauja River, the falls were originally known as Kerepakupai Vená, or “fall from the highest point” by the local natives. The name was later changed to Angel Falls to honor Jimmie Angel, a U.S. aviator who was the first to fly over the falls. The waterfall is at its highest June to December.



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 Venezuela. Los Llanos generally floods during the rainy season (May to October), turning into a birdwatcher’s paradise. Sometimes called the Serengeti of South America, it’s the place to see wildlife in the dry season, when animals flock to the areas that do have water. Besides being the last stronghold for the Orinoco Crocodile, Los Llanos is also home to anacondas, capybaras, jaguars and caimans.


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 Caribbean. The park has exceptionally beautiful beaches of white sand and multicolor, crystalline warm waters which make it a diving, sailing and fishing paradise. The main island is Gran Roque, which has a few small villa-style hotels that are small but comfortable.



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. Choroni also makes a good base for bird-, plant- and wildlife-watchers who want to explore the cloud forest and lowland jungles of Henri Pittier National Park. Besides monkeys, snakes and deer, the park has 500 bird species and 200 kinds of butterflies. Venezuela’s first national park was originally known as Rancho Grande but the name was later changed to Henri Pittier, in honor of the scientist who proposed it.



Merida Cable Car









Riding the Merida Cable Car (called the Teleférico) is something that every visitor to Venezuela simply must do. Why? Because it’s the world’s longest and highest cable car. The cable car route is almost 12 km (7.5 miles) and soars more than 4,700 meters (15,600 feet) in the air. The cable car stops along the way, so visitors can get out and maybe do a little trekking; the stops are named after the views and other sights that are seen along the way. December to February is the best time to make the ride because there’s no fog.



Top 3 locations suggested by the locals


Fortin Solano






Fortín Solano is an eighteenth-century colonial fortification overlooking Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. With the Castillo San Felipe, an earlier fort built at sea level, it formed part of a complex of fortifications designed to protect Puerto Cabello and its important harbour from naval attacks. It was constructed in 1766 by order of Don José Solano y Bote on behalf of the King of Spain. It has been described as the last military construction built in Venezuela during the colonial era.


El Ávila National Park








The El Ávila National Park (or Waraira Repano, from an indigenous name for the area) protects part of the Cordillera de la Costa Central mountain range, in the coastal region of central-northern Venezuela.
El Ávila National Park is located along the central section of the Cordillera de la Costa mountain system, in the Cordillera de la Costa Central mountain range.The area's highest elevation is Pico Naiguatá, at 2,765 meters (9,072 ft) above sea level.



Birthplace of Simón Bolívar








The Birthplace of Simón Bolívar is a seventeenth-century house in the Venezuelan capital city Caracas where the hero of Venezuelan and Latin American independence, Simón Bolívar, was born. Now a significant tourist attraction, the building is located in a little street off the Plaza San Jacinto, a block east of the Plaza Bolívar. It is one of only a few houses from the colonial era which survive in central Caracas.






Inventions Venezuela gave to the world!


*Diamond Knife!
*by Humberto Fernández Morán in 1954


*Vaccine againts Leprosy!
*by Jacinto Convit in 1988


*The Air Motor!
*by Luis Solórzano in 2012


*Precooked corn flour!
*by Luis Caballero Mejías in 1954








Famous people from Venezuela


Simón Bolívar - was a Venezuelan military and political leader who played a leading role in the establishment of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama as sovereign states, independent of Spanish rule.


(1783 - 1830)



Francisco de Miranda - was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spanish American colonies failed, he is regarded as a forerunner of Simón Bolívar, who during the Spanish American wars of independence successfully liberated much of South America. He was known as "The First Universal Venezuelan" and "The Great Universal American".

The director of the Center for Sephardic Studies in Caracas, José Chocrón Cohén, has suggested that Miranda could be related to the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza, Isaac Miranda and Jacob Rodríguez Rivera. The surname Miranda appears twenty-eight times in "The Book of Blame" rescued by Anita Novinsky to study the surnames demanded by the Inquisition. In the National Archive of Venezuela can be found the statute of the blood cleaning of the father of Francisco de Miranda (book nine).


(1750 - 1816)


Andrés Bello - was a Venezuelan humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an important part of Spanish American culture. Bello is featured on the old 2,000 Venezuelan bolívar and the 20,000 Chilean peso notes. There is also a decoration, the Venezuelan Order of Andrés Bello.


(1781 - 1865)



Jacinto Convit - was a Venezuelan physician and scientist, known for developing a vaccine to fight leprosy and his studies to cure different types of cancer. He played a significant role in founding Venezuela's National Institute of Biomedicine and held many leprosy-related positions. Among Convit's many honors for his work on leprosy and tropical diseases was Spain's Prince of Asturias Award in the Scientific and Technical Research category and France's Legion of Honor. In 1988, Convit was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his experimental anti-leprosy vaccine.


(1913-2014)


Simón Díaz - was a Venezuelan singer and Grammy Award-winning composer of EBV music.


(1928 - 2014)


Luis Aparicio - nicknamed "Little Louie" is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (ML😎, for the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and the Boston Red Sox. He was the first Venezuelan player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1984.


(born 1934)






Traditional food


Arepa



Cornmeal bread that can be grilled, fried, baked or steamed is stuffed with a filling of beef, pork or eggs. It is not only a common staple food in the Venezuelan cuisine but has become a rage throughout the world.

Hallaca



Hallaca, is a traditional Venezuelan dish prepared mostly during Christmas. It is cornmeal dough wrapped in plantain, filled with a stuffing of beef, olives, pork and capers and then cooked.


Pabellon Criollo



This is a traditional Venezuelan dish in which spicy shredded beef is served over hot rice and is accompanied by black beans. Sometimes, even fried eggs and fried plantain slices are served with it.


Cachapas



Traditional Venezuelan dish made from corn. Like arepas, they are popular at roadside stands. They can be made like pancakes of fresh corn dough, or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled (cachapa de hoja). The most common varieties are made with fresh ground corn mixed into a thick batter and cooked on a budare, like pancakes; the cachapa is slightly thicker and lumpier because of the pieces from corn kernels.

Patacón



Green (unripe) plantains are peeled, sliced length-wise, diagonally, or width-wise, and then fried twice. The raw slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted to remove excess cooking oil. You can see one way they can be served.


Pisca Andina



This traditional Venezuelan breakfast pick is chicken broth soup cooked with diced potatoes, eggs, carrots, pepper; thickened with either milk or cheese.


Asado Negro



Shredded beef slow-cooked in a broth of beef stock, onion, bay leaf, oregano, and carrots, served in a light brown sauce.


Polvorosa de Pollo



Popularly known as Venezuela’s chicken pot pie, this is mainly reserved for special occasions. The filling generally consists of chicken and vegetables, topped with tomatoes, olives, cumin, and chilies.




Traditional desserts

Quesillo



This Venezuelan dessert is very similar to flan. It is made with eggs, caramel and condensed milk.


Dulce de leche



A very thick caramel liquid prepared by heating sweetened milk. An authentic Venezuelan recipe, it can be consumed in a number of ways.


Bien Me Sabe



A Venezuelan dessert which is actually a spongy coconut cake filled with layers of cream and meringue.


Besitos de coco



Venezuelan cookie made with a mixture of coconut and vanilla extract.


Marquesa de Almendras



A spongy cake with layers of almonds dipped in caramel.


Pionono



Jelly and dulce de leche filled in a spongy roll.



Traditional drinks

Chicha Criolla

Chicha criolla is a non-alcoholic beverage from Venezuela. It is a drink made from rice and cow's milk, usually condensed milk and cinnamon is added to taste, it is a very thick drink that is taken cold, with ice.


Ron Cacique







Interesting facts about Venezuela


1.The petroleum sector is the dominating force in Venezuela’s economy. It accounts for approximately 80% of their exports. In Venezuela, the citizens enjoy the cheapest petrol in the world due to major government subsidizing of the oil industry.
2.Women from Venezuela have won Miss Universe six times and Miss World five times.
3.The Red Devils of Yare festival is held each year. Beautiful costumed red devils play out a traditional battle on Corpus Christi Day. The battle always ends with virtue winning over the devils, which signifies Christianity’s win over Satan.
4.In Eastern Venezuela, the Warao Indians live in thatched roof huts along the river. Their people have lived this way for over 100 years.
5.96% of the people of Venezeula are Roman Catholic.
6.In 2015, inflation rose over 141% -- and this continues to be an ongoing problem within the country.
7.Venezuela was the first country to do away with the death penalty. This was abolished in 1863.
8.Venezuela is the 7th country with the highest number of species.
9.On the Venezuelan flag, yellow represents land wealth, blue represents the sea, and red represents the blood shed by heroes.
10.Over 25,000 species of orchids can be found in Venezuela




My 5 words when I hear about Venezuela:
#HotWeather,#MissWorld,#Caracas,#AngelsFall,#Oil

What are your 5?



Special thanks to LuisaElena and Joam02 and I will leave you with the national motto:








I leave you with some Venezuelean memes:



















Waiting for feedback , comments , opinions and if there is anyone that thinks I missed something , I could do something better or just wants to help me with this project , PM me !

Special thanks to Kariky for the spacers !!




Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

P.S. Article 60/74!







P.S.2. Don't forget to push the flags !