Venezuela
Land of oil, arepas, and the Bolivarian Revolution
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and various islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of 916,445 km² (353,841 sq mi), including disputed territory with Guyana, with a population of approximately 28.2 million according to the latest UN estimates (2023). The capital and largest urban agglomeration is Caracas. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea, on the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Paria, on the west by Colombia, on the south by Brazil, on the east by Guyana, and across the sea to the northeast by Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuela consists of 23 states, the Capital District, and the Federal Dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America, with an estimated urbanization rate of 88.4% in 2022. The vast majority of Venezuelans live in urban areas in the north, including in the capital.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Caracas
- Region
- South America
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Venezuelan bolívar soberano
- Major geography
- Andes Mountains
- Orinoco Delta
- Amazon Rainforest
- Caribbean Coast
Lore & Background
The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522, amid resistance from Indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish American territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part of the first federal Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia). It separated as a fully sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. From 1958, the country had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to major political crises and widespread social unrest, including the deadly Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of a president for embezzlement of public funds charges in 1993. Confidence in the existing political parties collapsed during the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election, in which Hugo Chávez was elected and which became the catalyst for the Bolivarian Revolution. During the 1999 Constituent Assembly, a new Constitution of Venezuela was written and ratified. The government's populist and social welfare policies were temporarily bolstered by soaring oil prices, temporarily increasing social spending and reducing economic inequality and poverty in the early years of the Chávez government. Poverty began to rapidly increase, however, in mid- to late 2014. The 2013, 2018 and 2024 presidential elections were all widely disputed, with opposition candidates being arrested or exiled. This led to widespread protest and international condemnation, which triggered another nationwide crisis. In 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president. Since this intervention, the country has been described as a puppet state of the U.S. in terms of its finances and domestic policy. Venezuela is officially a federal presidential republic, but has experienced democratic backsliding into an authoritarian state under the Chávez and Maduro administrations. It ranks poorly on international measurements of freedom of the press, civil liberties, and control of corruption.
Reader's Guide
The name Venezuela likely comes from the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who named the region Veneziola (Little Venice) after seeing stilt houses in Lake Maracaibo. An alternative account from Martín Fernández de Enciso states the name may have evolved from an Indigenous word Veneciuela. The official name has changed over time: Estado de Venezuela (1830–1856), República de Venezuela (1856–1864), Estados Unidos de Venezuela (1864–1953), República de Venezuela (1953–1999), and currently Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Pre-Columbian history shows human habitation from about 15,000 years ago, with tools found on the Rio Pedregal and spear tips from 13,000 to 7,000 BC. An estimated one million people lived in the region before Spanish conquest, including groups such as the Kalina, Auaké, Caquetio, Mariche, and Timoto–Cuicas. The Timoto–Cuica culture was the most complex, with planned villages, irrigated terraced fields, and crops including potatoes and ullucos. They are credited with inventing the arepa. After conquest, the population dropped markedly due to European diseases. Colonization began in 1522 with Spain's first permanent South American settlement at Cumaná. German colonization under the Welser family occurred from 1528 to 1546, establishing Maracaibo in 1529. Indigenous leaders Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco resisted Spanish incursions.
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