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Plaza Venezuela Sunset-by Wilfredor-

10 Interesting Facts About Venezuela

While spotting all of the most beautiful places in the world could take a lifetime, Venezuela, located at the northern tip of South America, is one of the most beautiful naturally endowed countries to consider. The city boasts a diverse range of stunning environments, including Andes peaks, Caribbean shoreline, picturesque islands, wildlife-rich grasslands, the humid Orinoco Delta, and the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls. It is also home to some of the world’s most attractive ladies and the birthplace of Simon Bolivar, who freed numerous South American countries from Spanish oppression. Although there have been struggles with inflation and increased crime, Venezuela remains a popular tourist destination, and the rewards of visiting here are incredible it’s full of “once in a lifetime” experiences you can’t afford to miss.  Do you want to learn more about this beautiful and abundant South American country? Here are some of Venezuela’s most interesting facts.

Historical Facts about Venezuela

1. Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine explorer, gave the country of Venezuela its name

Amerigo Vespucci-by Unknown-

The name Venezuela is thought to have come from cartographer Amerigo Vespucci, who led a 1499 naval voyage along the northwestern coast’s Gulf of Venezuela alongside Alonso de Ojeda. When the group arrived on the Guajira Peninsula, they noticed the peculiar stilt villages (palafitos) built over the water by the indigenous Au people. This reminded Vespucci of Venice (Venezia in Italian), hence the region was named Veneziola or “Little Venice”. Venezuela is the Spanish equivalent of Veneziola. On the other hand, Martin Fernández de Enciso, a member of the Vespucci and Ojeda crew, told a different story. According to his work Summa de geografia, the team discovered indigenous people known as the Veneciuela and as a result, the term “Venezuela” may have derived from the indigenous word.

2. The country has been through a period of political upheaval

The country has been ravaged by political turbulence and bloodshed between pro- and anti-government factions since Hugo Chavez Frias was elected president in 1998 on a program of revolutionary transformation. Venezuela’s crisis is a continuing socioeconomic and political catastrophe that began under Chávez’s presidency and has been exacerbated throughout Nicolás Maduro’s presidency. It has been defined by hyperinflation, rising famine, disease, crime, and mortality rates, all of which have resulted in a significant departure from the country. The scenario is by far the worst in Venezuelan history, as well as the worst faced by a country in peacetime since the mid-20th century.

Read also; Top 10 Sensational Facts about Hugo Chavez

Venezuela Geographical Facts

3. The country has a stunning and diversified geography

The stones of San Martín – Muaco, Falcón (Venezuela)-by Bioparaguanero-

Venezuela is located in northern South America, with its landmass resting on the South American Plate. It is the world’s 33rd largest country, with a total area of 916,445 km2 and a land area of 882,050 km2. Venezuela is endowed with several natural endowments, including stunning rock formations carved millions of years ago, endemic species, mountains, long stretches of sugar-fine sand beaches, massive petroleum and natural gas reserves, rivers, marshlands, glaciers, highlands, wildlife-rich grasslands, deserts, canyons, mesas, forests, jungles, and the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls.

4. Catatumbo lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs in Venezuela

There are beautiful natural phenomena all around the world that you must see at least once in your life like the northern lights of the polar regions, halos, iridescent clouds, etc, yet there is one that probably much outnumbers them all. We’re talking about Catatumbo’s lightning bolts. The phenomenon is nothing more than a continuous discharge of thunder and lightning. It is caused by a cloud mass over surrounding mountains and happens 140 to 160 nights per year, 10 hours per day, and up to 280 times per hour. It is found in and around Lake Maracaibo, most commonly in the bog produced where the Catatumbo River drains into the lake. 

Cultural Facts about Venezuela

5. Venezuelans are of various ethnic backgrounds

Venezuela 2011 Moreno (Brown) population proportion map-by Gabriel Sanchez Davila-

The bulk of the population is thought to be of pardo, or mixed, ethnic background. Yet, the term pardo was eliminated from the replies in the 2011 census, when Venezuelans were asked to identify themselves based on their customs and ancestry. The majority identified as Moreno or white 51.6% and 43.6%, respectively. Over half of the population identified as Moreno, a term used throughout Ibero-America that means “dark-skinned” or “brown-skinned,” as opposed to having lighter complexion (this term connotes skin color or tone, rather than facial features or descent). Ethnic minorities in Venezuela are made up of persons who are mostly descended from African or indigenous peoples; 2.8% were categorized as “black,” 0.7% as afrodescendiente (Afro-descendant), 2.6% as indigenous, and 1.2% as other races.

6. The majority of Venezuelans speak Spanish

Venezuela’s 2011 census recorded 50 major Indigenous tribes, several of whom spoke their own languages. Although no exact data is available, Spanish, the official language of the government, is spoken by the majority of the people as a first or second language. The indigenous languages spoken in Venezuela are also recognized as official languages. According to the census, Wayuu is the most widely spoken Indigenous language (1% of the population, or little more than 348,000 individuals), mostly in Zulia State. This is followed by Warao (36,000), which is commonly used in Delta Amacuro State, and Pemón (22,000), which is mostly utilized in Bolivar State.

7. Venezuela is well-known throughout the world for its beautiful women

Queens of the Carnival during the festivities of San Juan Bautista (Nueva Esparta, Venezuela) 01-by WiloJedi-

In addition to its outstanding tourist sites, Venezuela is also gifted with stunning girls who have brought home the most crowns from various international beauty pageants. It has a large number of Miss Universe and Miss World winners. Venezuelan women have beautiful figures and gorgeous features. Venezuela is home to some of the world’s most gorgeous women.

Read also; 10 Most Famous People from Venezuela

Economical Facts about Venezuela

8.  The country has the most oil reserves

Venezuela has the world’s greatest oil reserves and the seventh-largest natural gas reserves. In comparison to the previous year, crude oil reserves increased by 40.4% in 2010, allowing Venezuela to surpass Saudi Arabia as the country with the highest reserves of this type. The country’s primary petroleum deposits are in and around Lake Maracaibo, the Gulf of Venezuela (both in Zulia), and the Orinoco River basin (eastern Venezuela), which contains the country’s greatest reserve. Venezuela possesses non-conventional oil deposits (extra-heavy crude oil, bitumen, and tar sands) that are about comparable to the world’s conventional oil reserves, in addition to the greatest conventional oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere.

Venezuela Tourism Facts

9. Venezuela is a country with incredible biodiversity

Animal diversity October 2007-by Justin-

According to Conservation International, Venezuela is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world and the seventh with the wildest species. Megadiverse countries have the highest biodiversity indices, including a huge number of indigenous species. This makes Venezuela one of the best nations in the world for animal and nature enthusiasts. The country is home to around 21,000 plant species, 38% of which are endemic to the country, as well as over 8,000 endemic animal species. Venezuela also has 1,417 bird species, 351 mammals, 315 amphibians, and 341 reptiles. It is also home to the Capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Mature capybaras can reach lengths of 106 to 134cm.

Venezuela Sports Facts

10. Football and basketball are among the most popular sports in Venezuela

Venezuela is unique among its South American neighbors due to the enormous popularity of baseball in the country. The 2012 Basketball World Olympic Qualification Tournament and the 2013 FIBA Basketball Americas Championship were both held in Venezuela, at the Poliedro de Caracas. Although football is not as popular in Venezuela as it is in the rest of South America, the Venezuelan national football team is gaining popularity. The sport is also known for having a greater emphasis during the World Cup.

Read also; Top 10 Venezuelan Football (Soccer) Players of All Time

Venezuela is one of the most urbanized countries in Latin America. It is also one of the most biodiverse countries in the world with a diverse range of environments to explore, including towering mountains, cloud forests, scrublands, plains, river deltas, lush rainforests, and beaches.