Venezuela

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and a large number of small islands and islets￼ in the Caribbean Sea. It borders with Guyana,  Brazil, and  Colombia.

The country is currently not popular with the Countryhumans Fandom since its first appearance to the Fandom on January 30th, 2019,but its popularity is slowly growing.

Venezuela in real life is poor due to the Government and Political issues going around the country as of 2019.

Male
The flag of Venezuela is a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red with an arch of eight stars representing the provinces that supported Venezuela's Independence in the center of the blue stripe and the national shield located in the left corner of the yellow stripe. The character predominantly wears a red beret, while wearing a military-style shirt. In other versions,they are shown with a dark green jacket, a red shirt, black jeans with holes in the knees, and casual red shoes. In other designs,they are shown in "Liqui Liqui". Sometimes, we can see him with bumps or bruises on his face and/or body, as well as band-aids on his cheek and appendages on the arms (representing the issues of his country).

Female
The feminine appearance of Venezuela is very varied, they often share similar features with the male version, being in the same militaristic outfit. They can also be depicted with a green/pink T-shirt,shorts/skirt,sporty tennis shoes and a little flower called Orquidea on their head,and in other versions it also appears with their typical dresses or modeling clothes, this is due to the various beauty crowns that the country won. But some artists prefer to draw them with country style clothes or light clothes. They also get used to drawing Venezuela with Aesthetic clothes, which is considered the default outfit of them.

Personality
Venezuela, like the people in their territory, tends to be quite cheerful and outgoing, coming to laugh at their problems (in a moderate way). Still, some community fans who like this character describe or illustrate them as someone with some sort of mental illness. This is due to what has been mentioned before about the current critical situation.They constantly mention (regardless of whether it's a lie or not) that they are well and don't need the help of others. Other times, they're seen saying that they're fine, but with a mock smile and tears. They are often proud of themselves and their territory, despite their situation.They clarify tirelessly that one of their most famous meals, the 'arepa', is theirs and not from Colombia. In some moments, we can also see them as someone serious or distant toward other countries. Perhaps because of the few good relations of friendship that they entail with the other CountryHumans. They may be depressed maybe due to the government, this could be the same for the female one also.

Interests
Venezuela can have many interests:


 * Food - Venezuela loves their food and they are proud of that, from Arepa to Hallaca they like everything. Venezuela puts in all the love and dedication to their foods!
 * Sports - Venezuela have many sports, the football, in which they're improving more and more, basketball, which isn't not very typical of them to play but is very good at the sport, baseball, which is their favorite sport, since they're the best at baseball on South America.
 * Beauty - Venezuela isn't Venezuela without its beauty titles, we're talking about 28, is the country with the most beauty titles in the world and its women are often considered the most attractive and beautiful of the planet.

Nicknames

 * Ven
 * Vene
 * Marico
 * Veneco
 * The Little Venice
 * Country of Beauty and Contrasts
 * Land of Grace
 * The Eden of America
 * The Land of Black Gold
 * Where the dreams are reborn
 * The Latin American Saudi Arabia

Other Symbols

 * Araguaney - Proclaimed national tree on May 29, 1948 by joint resolution of the Ministries of Education and Agriculture and Breeding during the celebration of the first Arbor Day.This tradition was maintained until 1951, when on May 19 it was decreed that the last Sunday of May would be the week of the tree.The araguaney on average can measure between 6 and 8 meters. It has a straight and cylindrical trunk of 60 cm in diameter on average. It can go unnoticed for most of the year. However, at the end of the drought it drops its green leaves and, at the beginning of the rainy period - between February and April - this tree fills with large and showy flowers of an intense yellow color.
 * Orquidea - Declared national flower of Venezuela on May 23, 1951 by resolution of the Ministries of Education and Agriculture and Breeding.The scientist Willian Cattley was commissioned to name it, since he cultivated the first specimens of this variety in England through another species brought to him from Brazil in 1818. However, the first records of its presence in Venezuela date from the 1830s, specifically of the species «Mossiae», popularly known as the Flor de Mayo ( Cattleya mossiae ).This is a species that grows best in warm, humid environments. Therefore, it is easily found throughout the national geography.It is mostly lilac-violet in color, although it can have different colors: it changes from white to yellow, pink, and deep purple.
 * Turpial - It is the national bird of Venezuela. It was chosen through a contest sponsored by the Venezuelan Society of Sciences and officially decreed as a Venezuelan national bird on May 23, 1958.This bird is recognized by the yellow-orange tones that cover its entire body, except for the head and wings that tend to be black with white specks.It has an intense blue spot around the eyes and it is small in size: it measures between 15 and 20 cm. The mating cycle takes place between the months of March and September.The first record of the turpial in Venezuelan lands dates from the year 1839. It was then that the botanist Jhon Lindley assigned it its scientific name and classified it within the family of ichteridae, originally from the American continent.

Etymology
Venezuela got its name when in 1499, an expedition led by Alonso visited the Venezuelan coast. The stilt houses there reminded the navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who was Italian of the city of Venice in Italy. Because of this reason, he named the region Veneziola, or "Little Venice." This is the most accepted version of what happened.

Origin Of Languages
There are at least forty languages spoken or used in Venezuela, but Spanish is the language spoken by the majority of Venezuelans. The 1999 Constitution of Venezuela declared Spanish and languages spoken by indigenous people from Venezuela as official languages.

Pre Columbian Period
It is believed that the human being appeared in the territory that today is known as Venezuela approximately 30,000 years ago, from the Amazon, the Andes and the Caribbean.

The pre- Columbian era in Venezuela from that moment on can be divided into four periods: Paleoindian ( 30000 BC - 5000 BC ), Mesoindian ( 5000 BC - 1000 BC ), Neo-Indian ( 1000 BC). . C. - 1498 ) and Indohispano ( 1499 to the present ). The Paleoindian and Mesoindian periods were characterized by the elaboration of instruments to hunt large animals such as the megaterium, the mastodon and the glyptodon;as well as the subsequent development of fishing gear and navigation to the Caribbean islands.

During the Neo-Indian period there was an important development of autochthonous agriculture, architecture and ceramics : embankments , elevations, dams, terraces, channels and vaults for food were built;They also acquired experience and knowledge about the natural cycles of the local flora and fauna , and in this way they obtained a better use; Additionally, they practiced carving sculptures and ceramic works, where the series of the Venus de Tacarigua found around Lake Valencia stands out.. In the same way, ceramic ornaments were found in the Andean region, belonging to the Carache culture.

Among the most important tribes were the Timoto-Cuicas located in the Andes and culturally but not linguistically linked to the Chibchas ; for their part, the Caribs were distributed in the eastern and central regions of the country in Guayana,part of Zulia and the Llanos, who after territorial conflicts acquired the north coast of South America and spread to the Antilles ; the Arawaks , settled in part of the regions of what is now theAmazonas state , much of the west, central west and part of the coasts. Some peoples of Arawak descent are the Wayúu, located in the west of the country to the north, and the Caquetíos , who populated the north of the current Falcón state and were displaced by the conquerors towards the western plains. There were also small migrations of independent groups that populated the Orinoco river basin and other small areas of the country.

The indigenous people of Venezuela used mud, straw or palm leaves to build houses, such as stilt houses built with wood , reeds and straw. The Timoto-Cuicas, for their part, used rock as their main architectural material. Other materials such as seashells, were used for ordinary commercial exchange, or barter. The fauna of the prehistoric and pre-Columbian years consisted of tapirs, saber-toothed tigers , giant armadillos , among others. When the Spaniards arrived, there were numerous ethnic groups in Venezuela that spoke Caribbean languages, Arawak , Chibcha and Tupí-Guaraní. In addition, they were able to design a very rich mythology, and the cosmogony of tribes such as that of the maquiritare bear striking similarities to Biblical Genesis.

Excavations have found evidence of pre - Hispanic cultures settled on Venezuelan soil. Among the samples found, those found in the Unare river basin, near the town of Onoto , in Anzoátegui state, during the works for the construction of a dam stand out.There, dozens of large lithic spheres were discovered, some up to two meters in diameter. Investigations carried out have determined that such spheres are not of natural origin, since they show evidence of flaking and ornamentation, in addition to the characteristic percussion points of this type of sculpture.

Spanish Rule
Venezuela was sighted for the first time during the third voyage of Christopher Columbus,on August 1,1498,when he reached the mouth of the Orinoco River after having passed in front of Trinidad Island. was the first time that the Spanish had touched the mainland, taking into account that in the first two trips they reached island territories. Columbus observed the currents of the Orinoco and the jungles, and continued his journey through the Gulf of Paria , skirting the coast near the island of Margarita. In 1499,Alonso de Ojeda made a more extensive expedition along the coast,arriving at Cabo de la Vela on the La Guajira peninsula after passing through the Gulf of Paria, the Paraguaná peninsula and the Gulf of Venezuela.

Shortly after, the Spanish Empire undertook the colonization of the territory with the establishment of the ephemeral government of Coquibacoa and of cities and trade routes between the mainland and the metropolis. Demarcations were made in order to create a jurisdictional structure that materialized with the creation of the provinces of Margarita ( 1525 ), Venezuela ( 1527 ), Trinidad ( 1532 ), Nueva Andalucía and Guayana ( 1568 ) and later that of Maracaibo ( 1676).). In 1528, King Carlos I issued the Capitulation of Madrid , temporarily leasing part of the Province of Venezuela to the Welser family and the Fugger family , which led to the creation of the Klein-Venedig , one of the German governorates in America . However, the Spanish faced several rebellions by local indigenous people . The most prominent were the one commanded by the chief Guaicaipuro in 1560 and the uprising of the quiriquires in 1600, and even his own countrymen, such as Lope de Aguirre and his "marañones" from Peru.

The colonial order finished being implanted towards the end of the XVI century with the town hall and the Catholic Church. At the same time, a miscegenation was fostered among the inhabitants of the provinces, which would end up defining the social profile of the country. Trade and the extraction of mineral and natural resources flourished, with the profuse export of cocoa, indigo and tobacco standing out , at the same time that the provinces faced pirate attacks such as Henry Morgan's on Maracaibo in 1669. Faced with the rise of smugglingby the region in the following years, it was resolved to create in 1728 the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana to exercise the commercial monopoly.

The existing provinces, then ruled alternately by the Royal Audience of Santo Domingo and that of Santafé de Bogotá, became part of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada in 1717. With the rise to power of the Bourbon House, King Carlos III formed a single autonomous entity by creating the Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1777.This new political union would be consolidated with the creation of the Real Audiencia de Caracas in 1786.

On the other hand, territorial losses were experienced during this period: from 1615 the region west of the Essequibo River began to be invaded by the Dutch,who also took Aruba,Curaçao and Bonaire militarily due to the Eighty Years War, between 1634 and 1636.Later,the British seized the islands of Trinidad and Tobago after the signing of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802,towards the end of theFrench revolutionary wars.

Venezuelan Independence
At the end of the 18th century, a sum of factors such as the introduction of encyclopedism and the Enlightenment , the independence of the United States , the French Revolution , the antipathy towards political-economic centralism with the metropolis and the Napoleonic invasion of Spain , inspired the first independence attempts in Venezuela. Already in 1748 the cocoa farmer Juan Francisco de León had risen up with some success against the Compañía Guipuzcoana. . But perhaps the first massive armed rebellion was the one that unleashed, in 1795, the sambo José Leonardo Chirino , in the west of the country, in the town of Coro.

Another conspiracy was produced by Manuel Gual and José María España in 1797, this being the first with popular roots. Both attempts were unsuccessful, with their respective leaders executed. For his part, the Creole Francisco de Miranda, in 1806 twice tried to invade Venezuelan territory by La Vela de Coro with an armed expedition from Haiti , and supported by the British. His incursions ended in failures due to religious preaching against him and the indifference of the population. The posteriorConjuration of the Mantuans had the same fate.

The date of April 19, 1810 marked the beginning of the Venezuelan revolution. Vicente Emparan, at that time the Captain General of Venezuela , was dismissed by the Cabildo of Caracas. This gave way to the formation of the Supreme Board of Caracas, the first form of autonomous government. The Board ruled until 2 as March as 1811, the day settled the First National Congress , the organization that appointed a triumvirate composed of Cristóbal Mendoza , Juan Escalona and Baltasar Padrón. Months later,July 5 of that year, the Declaration of Independence was finally signed. But this First Republic collapsed due to the realistic reaction. In July 1812 Miranda, Commander in Chief of the newly created army, capitulated in San Mateo. According to Pedro Gual, Miranda thought that the capitulation would allow him to buy time to organize another front, possibly in New Granada , where the independence movement was already underway.

The movement would have a new impetus in 1813, when Simón Bolívar , after taking control of Cúcuta , undertook the Admirable Campaign , an armed expedition through the Andes and the western region, together with Atanasio Girardot and José Félix Ribas. After making public the controversial Decree of War to the Death, he faced the royalists in several battles along the route to the capital. At the end of the campaign, he triumphantly entered Caracas, where he was titled as Liberator , and where the Second Republic was proclaimed, although the fighting continued in other parts of the country. However, the following year a loyal rebellion to the Crown broke out under José Tomás Boves. The violent push of his troops forced the population to emigrate to the East, as well as the expulsion of the patriots from Tierra Firme, thus causing the Second Republic to fall.

From New Granada, Bolívar tried a reissue of the Admirable Campaign to rescue the republic, but due to lack of support he moved to Jamaica to get British support, and then to Haiti, where the rest of the patriotic leaders took refuge. There the expedition of the Keys to Tierra Firme was planned, which set sail in March 1816. After taking the island of Margarita, the republicans continued attacking Carúpano and Maracay , but were repulsed. In a second expedition, Bolívar took command of the republican troops stationed in Guayana, with which he managed to capture Angosturaand from where he re-established the institutions, creating the Third Republic. For his part, José Antonio Páez carried out very important military operations to liberate the central region of the country under the command of his llaneros.

The war in the plain continued until 1819. That year, Bolívar attempted the reorganization of the State with the installation of the Congress of Angostura, the result of which was the creation of Gran Colombia. In 1820, the Armistice and War Regularization Treaty was signed, ending the war to the death and ceasing hostilities until April 28, 1821. On June 24 of that same year, Bolívar confronted Miguel de la Torre in the battle of Carabobo, which resulted in the republican victory. This victory meant the liquidation of the royalist troops in Venezuela, leaving remnants that would be defeated in the naval battle of Lake Maracaibo.in 1823. With the taking of the stronghold of Puerto Cabello by the liberating army, independence was finally sealed.

First Republic
On July 5, 1811, the Board of Caracas declared the independence of the Venezuelan territory, which it called the American Confederation of Venezuela. This declaration was signed by Juan Antonio Rodríguez Domínguez as President, Luis Ignacio Mendoza as Vice President and Francisco Isnardi as secretary; and a persecution of royalists begins. In the royalist territories they act equally against the patriots.The Guayana, Coro and Maracaibo Provinces remained loyal to the King of Spain and Barinas, Trujillo, Mérida, Barcelona, Cumaná and Isla Margarita took off the yoke.

Special consideration deserved the attention of the patriots the province of Guayana, due to its abundant natural resources and strategic position of the Orinoco river. On April 5, 1811 the royalists obtained a first victory against the patriots by taking the garrison of Cabruto, retaliating against the civilian population affects the independence cause.

In September, the patriots counterattack Guayana, taking Santa Cruz, Soledad, Tabasca and Uracoa. They establish batteries on the banks of the Orinoco to harass Angostura, 10 which they subject to artillery fire for two months, until 300 inhabitants of the two cities cross the river in 26 boats, and, after three hours of close combat The corps seized the positions and the artillery of the royalists, who fought in retreat.Shortly after July 5, 1811, tempers were heated. Many royalists, Caracas and Canaries, planned a conspiracy to return to the state prior to April 19, 1810, in which several populations would rise, including Valencia, Caracas and Los Teques, with the support of the Puerto Cabello garrison and troops. Spanish women from Maracaibo that still remained realistic. This conspiracy was exposed to Congress and the government proceeded to carry out arrests. Meanwhile, when the complaint was learned, they rose up in Valencia and on July 11 they rose up in Los Teques.

In Los Teques a group of canaries, armed with blunderbuss, furiously shouted "Long live the king and death to the traitors," and had promised to free the blacks who joined the revolt. The authorities quickly put them down, aided by the population armed with sabers and knives, and no blacks joined the royalist cause.

In Valencia the uprising triumphed and Fernando VII was proclaimed. The royalists had insurrected the castes of the region with promises of freedom and social equality, the blacks were given freedom and equality to the pardos who joined the revolt, and arms were given to the insurrected people. The promises echoed in the nascent republic. The hatred cultivated over centuries by blacks, pardos and other castes towards white creoles, representatives of power and the aristocracy, originated multiple desertions both in the patriot army and from slavery on the haciendas, thus increasing the royalist forces.

In view of the Valencia uprising, the congress decided to send a large army after several days of discussion between patriots and royalists. They elected the Marquis Francisco Rodríguez del Toro at the head of the army, most likely to the detriment of Francisco de Miranda, since he was his enemy.The Marquis failed in his attempt to regain Valencia, for which the congress was forced to elect Miranda under pressure from the extremist patriots, who after taking control of the army, was the victim of intrigues and congressional counter-orders, but was able to put an end to the insurrection in Valencia in resolute action.

The city is declared the capital of the Republic by the National Congress on January 9, 1812, after the rebellion was put down. As of February 15, 1812, the headquarters of said congress became the Casa de La Estrella in Valencia, moving shortly after the other two powers created by the Constitution of the time; thus ensuring the attachment of the city and other important populations such as Puerto Cabello, to the independence interests.The First Republic lasted approximately 1 year from 1811 to 1812. On February 8, 1812, he landed in Coro Domingo de Monteverde who relieved Miyares. The royalists, under the command of the experienced officer, managed to defeat, in July 1812,Republican troops and take Francisco de Miranda prisoner.With the arrival in 1812 of Domingo de Monteverde, Spain began to reestablish its dominion over the province through the royalist troops, which dissolved the recently installed Congress in Valencia. This fact was taken advantage of by the Valencian supporters of the Crown to hide the action of Valencia during the events of April 19, 1810 and thus request the establishment of the provincial capital in Valencia, alleging the need to remove the royal institutions from the faithful Caracas to the independence ideals. In this way, a deep division is born among the Valencians that will be blurred during the events that marked the War of Independence, during which the city will take a firm position in the independence troops and become the scene of many of the most important events of the independence. To neutralize this offensive, the Republican government of Caracas had appointed General Francisco de Miranda as commander-in-chief of the Army, who established the bulk of his troops in Valencia and Puerto Cabello.Camino de Caracas, during the so-called Reconquista process, Monteverde was adding more and more volunteers to his army, producing a withdrawal of the patriotic forces, under the command of Miranda.On March 26, 1812, a terrible earthquake in Venezuela struck the country, especially affecting the cities in the hands of the patriots; Maracaibo and La Guaira were almost destroyed. Since it was Holy Thursday, a large number of people were in the churches therefore, there were many who were buried. The army also suffered casualties. Monteverde takes advantage of this event to take Cabudare without firing a single shot.For his part, Monteverde continued to advance, incorporating new combatants among the royalist sympathizers. On June 30, the royalists imprisoned in the castle of San Felipe de Puerto Cabello (which was commanded by Simón Bolívar), revolted under the command of Ensign Francisco Fernández Vinoni and handed over the square to the royalists.

The patriotic forces of Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda were unable to go on the offensive due to the constant desertions that occurred in their forces, a situation aggravated by the Earthquake of March 26, in addition to the unpopularity of the cause of independence in Venezuelan society. Miranda tried to resist the realistic attack but the fall of the Puerto Cabello square, the rebellion of the Barlovento slaves as well as the increasing number of the Spanish armies attacking him, Monteverde from Valencia and Yáñez from Calabozo, made it impossible for him to continue the fight.

Fearing a brutal and desperate defeat, Miranda signed the capitulation of the patriot army on July 25, 1812 in the city of San Mateo, marking the end of the First Republic.Monteverde triumphantly entered Caracas on the 30th of the same month, restoring the Captaincy General of Venezuela.

Second Republic
The American Confederation of Venezuela, which declares its independence from the Spanish Empire through the Declaration of Independence signed on July 5, 1811 in Caracas, comes to an end with the signing of the Capitulation of San Mateo by Francisco de Miranda in the city homonymous on July 25, 1812, due to the multiple military defeats suffered by the patriot side against Domingo Monteverde. Due to such an event, the main patriotic leaders, such as Simón Bolívar or Santiago Mariño, are forced to leave Venezuela, some going to Trinidad, the group that would later sign the Act of Chacachacare and undertake the East Campaign, and others, such as Simón Bolívar, to New Granada, which had recently declared its Independence before the Spanish Empire. It is these patriots who, in 1813, would establish the Second Republic.With the fall of the First Republic to the forces of Monteverde, Simón Bolívar went into exile, heading to Curaçao and then from there to the United Provinces of New Granada, which had recently declared its independence from Spain. In Cartagena, Bolívar wrote a Manifesto entitled Memory addressed to the citizens of New Granada by a man from Caracas, in which he summarizes the causes of the loss of the First Republic, the situation in which Hispanic America found itself, and sets out its prospects for the future of the region.After writing such a document, Bolívar asked the New Granada Congress to join the army and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier (equivalent to Brigadier General today), being assigned a garrison with which he would undertake the Admirable Campaign. After the fall of the First Republic, a group of 45 patriots led by Santiago Mariño went into exile in Trinidad, and met at the hacienda of Concepción Mariño, the sister of Santiago Mariño, on January 11, 1813, on Chacachacare Island,to determine the actions to be taken for the establishment of Venezuela.In it, they sign an act, later known as the Chacachacare Act, in which they designate Santiago Mariño as commander of an expedition to reestablish the republic, as established in the fragment of the letter.After signing the act, the expedition members set out for Güiria with only five muskets, successfully taking it and putting Commander Juan Gavazo to flight, in charge of defending the square, thus undertaking the East Campaign.The patriotic troops disembark at dawn on January 14, 1813 on the Paria peninsula to take the city of Güiria.With only five muskets and 45 soldiers, they managed to effectively take the city the next day, January 15, putting the royalist commander Juan Gavazo to flight and effectively taking the city, which had five guns.Santiago Mariño would refer to this event in a proclamation written with his partner Juan Bautista Bideau.After this event, the privateer Juan Gavazo took refuge in Irapa, from where he was expelled on January 15 by the patriotic forces of José Francisco Bermúdez, thus beginning to be successful in the East Campaign.On May 14, 1813, Bolívar entered the Venezuelan town of La Grita with his troops and faced a Spanish force in the Battle of Agua de Obispo, on June 18, 1813. The campaign continues with a series of skirmishes between Bolívar and the royalists with victories for Bolívar, who is increasing his prestige and his troops.

On July 2, 1813, Bolívar, who divided his army in two, one bound for Barquisimeto and the other bound for Barinas, obtained a resounding triumph in the Battle of Niquitao.

The subsequent Battles of Los Horcones and Taguanes, ensure the road to Caracas where Bolívar enters triumphantly on August 6, 1813. On June 15, 1813, he made a pause in the city of Trujillo, where he dictated his Decree of War to Death where he did not offer a quarter to any Spaniard, Canarian or Venezuelan who supported the royalists, this decree contrasts with the hesitant and tolerant attitude of the government of the First Republic and that according to Bolívar in the Cartagena Manifesto was one of the causes of the loss of this. As of February 1814, clashes began to occur between royalist groups and the patriot army. The royalist groups were commanded by José Tomás Boves, who raised the llaneros arguing that Bolívar and the others were going to create a republic for the whites and that the King of Spain Fernando VII had promised the freedom of the slaves.

The Second Republic then began its decline alternating victories and defeats, all very costly for both sides.

The Boves campaign cornered the patriots in the east, at the end of the year José Félix Ribas was captured and executed, Girardot in the Battle of Bárbula and Ricaurte in the Battle of San Mateo had died defending their places, but it was evident that the second republic it was doomed. Bolívar emigrated to Jamaica where he wrote his letter, the others emigrated to Trinidad or remained in isolated pockets of resistance. Boves died at the Battle of Urica in December 1814, which was a victory for the royalists anyway.

On February 12, 1814, General José Félix Ribas had to defend the town of La Victoria, and took the seminary students as reinforcements.Entrenched in front of the main square and in the area of El Calvario, they resisted Boves's forces throughout the day, at the cost of great sacrifices, until Vicente Campo Elías arrived with reinforcements.This action is remembered in Venezuela with the commemoration on February 12 of Youth Day.

After winning the first Battle of Carabobo and despite the victory in La Victoria, after the defeat in the second battle of La Puerta, the entry of the royalist troops to Caracas was imminent, so all citizens who could walk took what that they could take and they emigrated to Barcelona led by Bolívar, the march of women, the elderly and children was very painful, and it was no worse than the fate of those who waited for mercy from Boves, who were executed en masse, some for collaborating with the rebels, the others for allowing Caracas to fall into their hands.

The Second Republic begins to decline after the incessant fighting and the disunity of the republican nuclei of Caracas and Cumaná. The Fifth Battle of Maturín fought on December 11, 1814 and in which the Venezuelans were defeated, is considered the end of the Second Republic of Venezuela.

Gran Colombia
In 1816, Simón Bolívar, with the help of Generals Urdaneta, Piar, Páez, Mariño, Nariño, Monagas, among others, achieved a series of victories over the royalists. After liberating Guayana and Nueva Granada, it proclaimed its foundation on December 17, 1819 in Angostura (current Ciudad Bolívar). The last royalist contingents in Venezuela were defeated in the historic Battle of Carabobo on June 24, 1821. On November 28, 1821, the Independence of Panama was granted and it voluntarily joined Bolívar's dream by signing a non-aggression pact with Spain.

The resistance of Spain on the continent ended in Peru with the Battle of Ayacucho, on December 9, 1824, in which Antonio José de Sucre (1795-1830) was definitively consecrated as a hero. All Spanish power in the Viceroyalty of New Granada and in Peru was sunk under the blows of three men: Bolívar, Miranda and Sucre; deceased in different circumstances: Bolívar on December 17, 1830, in Santa Marta, Colombia; Francisco de Miranda in the Carraca jail, in Cádiz, in 1816; Antonio José de Sucre, assassinated in Beríritu, Nueva Granada (present Colombia), the 4 of June of 1830.

However, the political union of the territories of the former Viceroyalties of Nueva Granada, Quito and the Captaincy of Venezuela did not last due to regional tensions. Opponents of the Bolívar government came to consider the secessionist option. In 1830 Venezuela and Ecuador declared their independence from the Republic of Colombia, and Gran Colombia was finally dissolved in 1831, giving rise to three different state entities: Nueva Granada, Ecuador and Venezuela. The Venezuelan secession was led by General José Antonio Páez (1790-1875), who had already fought under Bolívar's orders and had virtual control of the Venezuelan part of the republic ever since. Páez became the first president of the new Venezuelan state and ruled intermittently until 1863. In Ecuador, Venezuelan General Juan José Flores took office. Reduced to New Granada, presided over by Rafael Urdaneta, who had originally carried out a coup d'état thinking of returning power to Bolívar, Gran Colombia was dissolved after the overthrow of Urdaneta. In New Granada after a time when a new structure and laws were given during a provisional government, José María Obando was elected as interim vice president. A year later Francisco de Paula Santander assumed as president and outlined the structure of the new State.

In Venezuela, a group of patriotic officers rose up in 1835 against President José María Vargas, in what is known as the Revolution of the Reforms, to demand the reconstitution of Gran Colombia, political reforms and the end of the economic power of the oligarchy. , strengthened with the import and export trade. They obtained a short-lived triumph, but then General José Antonio Páez resumed power, thus making the dissolution of Gran Colombia final.

Caudillismo And Federal War
The main political leader and strongman of Venezuela at its dawn as a republic was José Antonio Páez, who was sworn in as President in April 1831, and his Vice President was Diego Bautista Urbaneja. Páez represented the Conservative Party, made up mostly of military veterans of the War of Independence. There was relative peace and the economy showed a recovery stimulated by the Law of Freedom of Contracts of 1834 and the exports of coffee. In 1835 he delegated power to José María Vargas, the first civilian to lead the country. This was not to the liking of the liberal-minded military, who rebelled against the government in the Revolution of the Reforms. Vargas abdicated in 1836, and his term was terminated by Carlos Soublette.

Páez, after having defeated a liberal rebellion, was elected again in 1838. He faced the world economic crisis of that year, which hit Venezuela hard, and the growing liberal opposition represented by Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, at the same time that he initiated territorial disputes against the British over the Essequibo question. Soublette was again president in 1843, and in 1847 General José Tadeo Monagas was elected with great support, but then broke with the conservatives. Their attempt to depose him led to the attack on Congress in 1848. The General made sure that his brother José Gregorio Monagas was made president in 1851, who proclaimed the definitive abolition of slavery in 1854. José Tadeo returned to power in 1855, but his authoritarian regime saw its end in the March Revolution of 1858, led by Julián Castro. The latter was appointed as Provisional President of the Republic at the Valencia Convention and later as Interim President, making Valencia again the provisional capital of the country.

The decrees of the new government created discontent among liberals, and instability made the outbreak of an armed conflict known as the Federal War imminent. The Cry of the Federation marked its beginning, and it developed as a guerrilla war. The liberal federalists obtained important triumphs thanks to their leader Ezequiel Zamora, who died in San Carlos in strange circumstances, replaced by Juan Crisóstomo Falcón, after which they reduced the central forces. In 1863 the Treaty of Coche was signed, which meant the access to power of the liberals and the end of a war that decimated the population. Despite this result, new regional caudillismos with their own army were formed. Falcón assumed the presidency and promulgated his Decree of Guarantees, which abolished the death penalty. This provision, ratified in the new constitution, makes Venezuela the oldest modern state to implement it.

Falcón sowed a grudge among both conservatives and liberal dissent, causing both sides to unite to overthrow him in 1867 with the Blue Revolution. An army led by Miguel Antonio Rojas rose up in the central region, with former president José Tadeo Monagas in the eastern region. Given the difficult situation, Falcón delegated power to Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual. But when he surrounded the capital, Rojas signed the Treaty of Antímano, recognizing the government and assuming the military command of the country. The Orientals, seeing the treaty as a betrayal, continued their campaign towards Caracas, which they finally captured, thus establishing the government of the blues, Guillermo Tell Villegas and José Ruperto Monagas.Antonio Guzmán Blanco, son of Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, plotted together with his father the return to power of the Liberals. Fleeing because of the government's rejection, he organized an invasion in Curaçao supported by regional leaders such as Joaquín Crespo and Francisco Linares Alcántara. In 1870 he landed on the coast and took up positions in the center-west of the country while he was swelling his forces. He took Caracas in April, which is why his accession to power is known as the April Revolution.

Once he was made president, he implemented measures to modernize the country and establish the final order, on a platform known as "Yellow Liberalism." He created the Conservatory of Fine Arts, issued the Decree of Public and Compulsory Instruction, made the Venezuelan peso the national currency, promoted agriculture, organized the first population census in the country, 48 improved infrastructure and initiated an urban transformation of Caracas, the one that wanted to give it Parisian qualities, 49 without abandoning a centralist and authoritarian character. He fought several caudillista uprisings, managing to calm the turbulent panorama of insurrections. His policy was a promotion of the cult of heroes of the past, especially Simón Bolívar, as a strategy to unite the country. Likewise, it weakened the power of the Catholic Church, by passing to the State functions that were traditionally carried out by it.

In 1877, he passed command to Francisco Linares Alcántara, to continue his work and go to Europe. But Linares' break with him and the discontinuation of the progressive line, provoked the Reclamation Revolution that overthrew him in 1879. Guzmán Blanco had to return to the country and take over the reins of government again. On this occasion, he designated the bolivar as the national currency, and declared Gloria al Bravo Pueblo as the national anthem, in addition to continuing with the political-economic measures that had been successful. After five years the command passed to Joaquín Crespo, but the effects of the introduction of positivism and the growing opposition of the student sector that gained strength, for which Crespo closed the University, merited a second return for Guzmán. He was chosen by Congress to preside between 1886 and 1888, but he retired in 1887, appointing Hermógenes López for the transition.

He was followed by Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl, who moved away from the centralist line maintained so far. He created the National Academy of History and faced anti-Guzman riots. In 1890 Raimundo Andueza Palacio was elected. His attempt to extend his two-year term resulted in the Legalist Revolution of 1892 led by Joaquín Crespo, who gained power and established the four-year presidency and direct vote. In his leadership, public resources were embezzled [citation needed] and there was greater debt, although he remained popular among his soldiers. His candidate for successor, Ignacio Andrade, won the 1897 elections, but his rival José Manuel Hernández, alias El Mocho, accused fraud and rebelled in Queipa. Crespo perished in command of his troops, but the uprising was defeated. The final balance of the 19th century was one of economic recession, but of advances in culture, technology and urban planning.

The military man and ex-deputy Cipriano Castro accused Andrade of violating the 1893 constitution, for which he organized a restorative military uprising from Táchira together with Juan Vicente Gómez to overthrow him. Castro came to power in October. However, he ratified some ministers of the defeated government, including Andueza Palacio in the cabinet. In 1901, he was elected President by the National Constituent Assembly. Like his predecessors, because of his authoritarianism he fought seditions. The most outstanding of these was the Liberating Revolution, which culminated with the triumph of Castro in 1903, closing the chapter on the great caudillista rebellions. His management followed anti-imperialism, refusing to cancel the debt with the United Kingdom and Germany, which caused the naval blockade that these countries imposed.

Castro fell ill in 1908, and left the country to undergo treatment. Days later, his vice president and friend Juan Vicente Gómez carried out a coup and prohibited his return to Venezuela.51 From 1909 Gómez would exercise his government in the city of Maracay, even moving his official residence, which was in the city of Caracas. That is why with the Federal Constitution of 1909, ministers, diplomats, and all government employees had to go weekly to Maracay to render accounts. Gómez was officially president from 1910 and later appointed by seven-year terms established by a new constitution, interspersed with puppet governments that acted as a front. He was merciful to anyone who questioned him. Many political prisoners served as forced laborers, building roads across the country. To resist student protests, he closed the Central University of Venezuela for ten years. He promulgated the first Labor Law, created banks for workers, began oil exploitation, and canceled the foreign debt. The most remembered opposition movement of his time was led by university students in 1928, from which new political leaders would emerge. He also stopped a military coup and the invasion of General Román Delgado Chalbaud with the German steamship Falke in 1929. His greatest contribution was the definitive pacification of the country, by exterminating the caudillos and creating the Military Academy of Venezuela, as the base of a National Army consolidated. The economic dynamics marked by the beginning of oil exploitation in this period would be the cause of migrations of the rural population to the large urban centers since the 1930s.

Gómez died in 1935, and General Eleazar López Contreras was appointed in charge of the Presidency until 1936, and then president for seven years. With him, the transition to democracy begins: he decrees amnesty for political prisoners and restores freedom of the press. That year a large public demonstration in front of the Miraflores Palace demanded greater civil liberties, to which López agreed in part with his Program of February. He reduced the presidential term to 5 years, and focused his policies on the creation of public health assistance programs. In addition, he completed works of great importance such as the creation of the National Guard of Venezuela, the opening of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Sciences in 1938, and the creation of the Central Bank of Venezuela in 1939.

At the end of his term in 1941, Congress appointed Isaías Medina Angarita, a military man who promulgated a Hydrocarbons Law in 1943, which brought more monetary dividends to the country, limiting multinationals. During his administration, female suffrage and party legalization were decreed, the return of all exiles and the release of the remaining political prisoners were allowed. He created the first Venezuelan cedulation plan, activated an agrarian reform, supported the Allies of the Second World War, attempted the annexation of the Netherlands Antilles and signed the 1941 Boundary Treaty between Colombia and Venezuela. Although it accelerated the path to democracy, adversaries such as Rómulo Betancourt and his Acción Democrática party still existed. From its bosom a military coup was forged in 1945 with the help of a military group led by Lieutenant Colonels Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Luis Llovera Páez and Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, who disagreed with the type of presidential election used and with many of Medina's measures.

Adeco Triennium And Military Period
After the coup, a democratic government was organized although dominated by the Democratic Action party for the next three years. A new constitution was approved in 1947 that granted direct suffrage and female suffrage. In a new election, the famous writer Rómulo Gallegos turned out to be the first Venezuelan president elected in this way, taking office in 1948. Despite this, Gallegos did not complete his term after a coup, months later, a military junta came to power. made up of the same rebels three years ago, which repealed the constitution. Of the triumvirs, Delgado Chalbaud was a candidate to preside over the country after the Junta called elections, but was kidnapped and assassinated in 1950. After the incident, Germán Suárez Flamerich was appointed provisional president.

Pérez Jiménez remained as Minister of Defense until 1952, the date of the voting for a Constituent Assembly. During the day, when the opposition URD obtained the majority of votes, the ruling Independent Electoral Front did not know the results and suspended the elections. Two days later, Pérez Jiménez was proclaimed Constitutional President. His dictatorship, which promoted a constitution in 1953, outlawed the opposition and restricted civil liberties. Its main police body, the National Security Directorate, arrested and detained opponents in the Guasina concentration camp, and also executed them. Supported by the United States for being part of the oil distribution network and for its anti-communism, his regime also distinguished itself by a progress in visionary and technologically cutting-edge infrastructure unmatched for the country. This, the special promotion of European immigration and the completion of ambitious public works projects, were framed as the practice of a nationalist thought known as the New National Ideal, despite this, the antipathy generated by their repressive acts and their intentions to perpetuate himself in power, increased discontent against him.

In contrast, the economic indicators of Venezuela during the government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, showed a country in growth, with low inflation and high levels of employment. During his tenure under the doctrine of the "New National Ideal" he carried out the transformation of the country, going from having rural populations to being one of the references of modernism in Latin America. During this period, the main communication routes were built, which linked the west, center and east of the country, as well as industrial conglomerates and large monuments.

The 1950s is considered an economic boom that was based on oil production. This went from 1.8 million barrels a day (priced at 2.14 dollars) to 2.77 million barrels a day (priced at 2.65 dollars), according to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mines. In turn, according to the United Nations Statistics Division in its 1964 Statistical Yearbook, the growth of the Venezuelan economy from 1952 to 1958 was the highest in the Western Hemisphere, above powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, employment rose 21% between 1952 and 1956, while the highest inflation was 1.6% in 1954.60

In 1957 a plebiscite was organized to define his tenure for another five-year term in power. The official bulletins gave him the victory, although it was understood in all sectors of the country that it was a fraud, which produced a split in the Armed Forces, leading to a failed rebellion on New Year's Day 1958. But The consequent political crisis destabilized the bases of the regime, concluding with his deposition by a civic-military movement on January 23, forcing him to flee to the Dominican Republic to move to Spain. Once the rebellion triumphed, a Government Civic-Military Junta was organized, chaired by Rear Admiral Wolfgang Larrazábal. Months later, the Punto Fijo Pact was signed, which provided for the alternation in power of Acción Democrática, COPEI and URD, to guide the future politics of the country, excluding other left parties such as the PCV. The election to President ended up opting for Rómulo Betancourt.

The new democratic era brought changes at the political and economic level. During his government, no more concessions were granted to multinational oil companies, the Venezuelan Petroleum Corporation was established, and OPEC was created in 1960, at the initiative of Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo. An Agrarian Reform was finalized and a new constitution was enacted in 1961.

The new order had its antagonists. Betancourt suffered an attack planned by the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, and the leftists excluded from the Pact started an armed insurgency by organizing themselves in the Armed Forces of National Liberation, sponsored by the Communist Party and Fidel Castro. In 1962 they attempted destabilization via the military, with failed revolts in Carúpano and Puerto Cabello. At the same time, Betancourt promoted an international doctrine in which he only recognized governments elected by popular vote.

In the 1963 elections, Raúl Leoni was elected. Its platform consisted of a coalition of Broad Base parties, integrating AD, URD and the FND. Although his government was one of concord and general understanding, he had to deal with continuous guerrilla attacks. Among these, the invasion of the beaches of Machurucuto in 1967, in which Venezuelan and Cuban guerrillas participated, stands out. Seeing that it bore little fruit, most of the guerrillas abandoned the armed struggle that year. The Leoni government also stood out for public works and cultural development.

Rafael Caldera won the following elections. Before taking office in 1969, the Rupununi rebellion broke out in Guyana, representing an opportunity to annex the Essequibo, claimed by Venezuela. In this context, he signed the Protocol of Port of Spain in 1970. He agreed a definitive truce with the guerrillas and guaranteed his reinstatement to political life, legalizing the PCV. In 1974 Carlos Andrés Pérez took office. In those years, foreign exchange income increased enormously as a result of the 1973 oil crisis, when the price of a barrel of oil dropped sharply from $ 3 to $ 12, reaching the meaning of Saudi Venezuela, the title of a book by Sanín (Alfredo Tarre Murzi), although the name had previously been indicated by Rómulo Betancourt and Laureano Vallenilla Lanz, Jr. In 1975 the iron industry was nationalized and the following year the oil industry, creating Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA). Both Caldera and Pérez partially broke with the Betancourt Doctrine.

In 1979, Luis Herrera Campins was sworn in as President. It inaugurated multiple cultural and sports facilities. Although oil revenues continued to rise, indebtedness in international finance could not be prevented, forcing adherence to the IMF's advice. In 1983 the bolivar was devalued on Black Friday, unleashing a severe economic crisis. In the government of Jaime Lusinchi, little would be done to counter it. Corruption increased and economic policy maintained the rentier line. On the other hand, in 1987 the Corvette Caldas incident generated one of the greatest moments of international tension with Colombia, due to the dispute between the two nations for sovereignty over the Gulf of Venezuela.

Carlos Andrés Pérez was elected again in 1988 and during his tenure he sought to solve the recession by adopting measures that led to large social protests, the largest being the Caracazo in 1989. That same year the first direct elections of regional governors and mayors took place. Subsequently, there were two coup attempts in February and in November 1992 led by Hugo Chávez and Pérez was finally removed by Congress in 1993. Octavio Lepage was provisional President for a few days, until the historian and parliamentarian Ramón José Velázquez was designated as interim.

Caldera came to power for the second time in 1994, having to handle the severe banking crisis that occurred that year. The collapse and intervention of a dozen banks culminated in capital flight, causing the bankruptcy of companies. To curb the crisis, it initiated an economic privatization program called Agenda Venezuela, but the serious economic situation would continue with the decline of the political parties that had been active since the mid-20th century.

Bolivarian Revolution
The Bolivarian Revolution is the name given in Venezuela, by Hugo Chávez and his supporters, to the ideological and social project that began in 1999, with the election of Chávez as president of the country.

According to its supporters, the revolution is based on the ideology of Simón Bolívar, on the doctrines of Simón Rodríguez, who proposed that Latin America invent its own political system, and General Ezequiel Zamora "Free Lands and Men" and "Horror to the Oligarchy", who defended land tenure for the peasants who worked it. One of its first measures was to approve a new constitution by popular referendum in 1999 that, among other things, changed the name of the country to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Hugo Chávez won the 1998 presidential elections. He was supported by the partisan alliance «Polo Patriótico», which sought a government inspired by the renewal and modernization of the state. He promoted a new constitution, which was approved by referendum in December 1999, and which brought with it the renewal of the Public Power by a National Constituent Assembly made up of 95% of the ruling party, which called into question the independence of the powers of the State in some sectors of Venezuelan society.66 Through said referendum, the official name of the country changed from "Republic of Venezuela" to "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela", in homage to the Venezuelan liberator Simón Bolívar.

In 2001, Chávez promulgated 49 laws on land administration, thanks to the authorization of the National Assembly, within the framework of his platform called the Bolivarian Revolution, generating conflicts with the opposition. This led to a national strike called by the Venezuelan Workers' Confederation (CTV) and by the Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Fedecámaras).

In 2002 a large number of protests began against him. That year, after a massive demonstration in Caracas, what is known as the 2002 Coup d'état took place on April 11, 2002. Pedro Carmona, leader of Fedecámaras, proclaimed himself President with the support of the CTV and various political parties of opposition.67 According to an investigation carried out by Izquierda Unida, José Manuel Fernández says that "Powerful media, in Venezuela and abroad, directly and indirectly supported the coup." 68 69 70 As the first government action, Carmona disintegrated all the constituted powers and established a de facto government. That same night Chávez was reinstated, after being rescued in a commando action on the island where he had been imprisoned. The opposition then organized a general strike requesting Chávez's resignation, joined by many workers from Petróleos de Venezuela, causing great economic losses for the country. A recall referendum was then requested, finally held in 2004, and in it, Chávez was victorious.

Chávez's administration maintained a leftist line that sought to lead the country towards what he called Socialism of the 21st century. He created aid and social development programs - Bolivarian Missions. He expressed distaste for the political-economic imperialism that, in his words, was managed by the United States government. In turn, it strengthened relations with former rivals of the United States, such as Russia, China, and Vietnam, or ideological rivals, such as Cuba, Iran, Belarus, and Syria.

In 2005, the Chavista parties gained control of almost all the country's governorates and the National Assembly, elections to which the opposition did not attend, alleging a "lack of guarantees." The next presidential elections were held in December 2006, in the that Chávez was reelected against Manuel Rosales, his direct opponent. He later announced that he would promote his political project through reforms to the Constitution, including control of the Armed Forces, new economic controls, and indefinite reelection. In this process, the concession for an open signal to the RCTV television channel was not renewed, a measure that generated rejection in part of the population and that led to the activation of the Venezuelan student movement. In December 2007, a referendum was held on these proposals, which were finally rejected by the electorate, 73 maintaining the Constitution in its 1999 version.

In November 2008, regional elections were held, in which the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 17 of the 22 disputed governorships. The opposition, for its part, obtained the governorship of five of the eight most populous states in Venezuela. In February 2009, a new referendum was held on an amendment proposal proposed by Hugo Chávez that would allow the limits to be lifted on the re-election of all popularly elected positions, including the President of the Republic, which was approved by the electorate.

Venezuela Today
In the presidential elections of Venezuela for the period 2013-2019, President Chávez was reelected for a third consecutive term, but since he died in March 2013 due to complications from colon cancer, on April 14, 2013 a new election where the then vice president Nicolás Maduro obtained a narrow victory at the national level, giving continuity to the Bolivarian Revolution. In these elections, there were 14,988,563 valid votes, of which Maduro obtained 7,587,532 (50.61%), and Henrique Capriles Radonski 7,363,264 (49.1%). The political conflict of 2013 due to the results of the presidential election triggered in the demonstrations in Venezuela in 2014, together with the economic crisis, a sustained increase in crime rates at the national level and reports of corruption in public bodies.

The 2015 parliamentary elections, which were held on December 6, 2015, resulted in the victory of the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD), the main opposition movement to the government of President Nicolás Maduro, with 56.3% of the votes and 112 of the 167 deputies of the National Assembly (including 3 deputies for the Indigenous Representation to the National Assembly), corresponding to a qualified majority.However, since its installation on January 5, 2016, most of the laws passed by the new National Assembly were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and only one law came into force.88 89 90 In a sequence of several sentences since August 1, 2016, the Supreme Court declared in contempt of the Assembly and null and void all its acts for not disincorporating three deputies from the state of Amazonas, whose election is under precautionary suspension for alleged irregularities. The dismissal of January 9, 2017 was declared invalid by the Supreme Court. With the argument of contempt, the Supreme Court of Justice assumed several powers that according to the Constitution belong to the National Assembly, such as the approval and extension of the state of exception, budget control and the right to receive government accounts. In ruling 156 of March 29, 2017, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court warned in a general way "that as long as the situation of contempt persists ... the powers of the National Assembly will be exercised directly" by it. After an intervention by the Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Díaz, who spoke of "various violations of the constitutional order," the Supreme Court in a judgment of April 1, 2017 reversed its decision to assume all the functions of Parliament.100 101

At the request of 20 member countries, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) in a session on April 3, 2017 considered "the recent events in Venezuela" and urged "the Government of Venezuela to act to guarantee separation and independence constitutional powers and restore the full authority of the National Assembly. ”The session, in which only 21 members of the OAS were present, is considered illegal by the governments of Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua. On April 26, 2017 the Council The OAS Permanent Council with a majority of 19 votes agreed to convene a meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to consider the situation in Venezuela. The Maduro government maintains that the approved call for foreign ministers violates the OAS Charter and initiated the official process Venezuela's withdrawal from the OAS.

In 2019, the presidential crisis in Venezuela erupted around the legitimacy of who holds the presidency of the country, after on January 10, 2019, the National Assembly of Venezuela declared that Nicolás Maduro was usurping the position of president and Juan Guaidó -in As president of the National Assembly - he will be sworn in as president in charge of the country.After assuming the interim presidency, Guaidó proposed three central objectives for his political strategy: the end of the usurpation of the government of Nicolás Maduro, the establishment of a transitional government promoted by the National Assembly and the holding of free and transparent elections.Guaidó was recognized by more than fifty countries as president in charge of Venezuela, including the Lima Group, with the exception of Mexico, most of the countries of the European Union, the European Parliament, the United States, Australia, Japan and Israel, among others.In addition, seven countries recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly. On the other hand, twenty countries recognized Maduro, including some ALBA countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua, as well as allied countries such as China, Turkey and Russia.116 117 While seventeen countries have declared themselves neutral to this crisis, along with the Organization of United Nations and the Vatican.

Organizations And Affiliations

 * United Nations
 * Association of Academies of the Spanish Language
 * National Association of Merchants and Industrialists
 * Industrial Chamber of Caracas
 * National Confederation of Associations of Agricultural Producers
 * National Association of Metallurgical Industries and Mining
 * Federation of Chambers
 * OPEC

Government
Venezuela is a federal presidential republic. The chief executive is the President of Venezuela who is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly.

Africa:

 * Algeria
 * Angola
 * Egypt
 * Equatorial Guinea
 * Ethiopia
 * Nigeria
 * South Africa

Americas:

 * Antigua and Barbuda
 * Argentina
 * Bolivia
 * Belize
 * Brazil
 * Canada
 * Chile
 * Colombia
 * Costa Rica
 * Cuba
 * Dominican Republic
 * Ecuador
 * Guyana
 * Haiti
 * Honduras
 * Jamaica
 * Mexico
 * Nicaragua
 * Panama
 * Paraguay
 * Peru
 * Suriname
 * Trinidad and Tobago
 * United States
 * Uruguay

Asia:

 * China
 * India
 * Indonesia
 * Iran
 * Israel
 * Japan
 * Kuwait
 * Lebanon
 * Malaysia
 * North Korea
 * Pakistan
 * Palestine
 * Philippines
 * Saudi Arabia
 * South Korea
 * Syria
 * Taiwan
 * Turkey
 * Vietnam

Europe:

 * Austria
 * Belarus
 * France
 * Germany
 * Greece
 * Holy See (Vatican City)
 * Italy
 * Netherlands
 * Poland
 * Portugal
 * Romania
 * Russia
 * Spain
 * Sweden
 * United Kingdom

Oceania:

 * Australia
 * New Zealand
 * Solomon Islands

Geography
Venezuela is located on the northern coast of South America consisting of a continental landmass and a large number of small islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea.

It's Total Area is 352,295 mi2, 340,707mi2 (96.7%) in land area, and 11,588mi2 in Water area (3.3%).

It shares about 2.144% (11th) of land in the Americas, and 0,612% of the world's land.

It's the highest point is Pico Bolívar (16,332ft) a mountain located in the Mérida State, and it's lowest point is unknown, but the sea level (0ft) would be the answer.

The country currently borders with Colombia (44.4%), Guyana (15%), & Brazil (40.6%).

The nearby (Close Enough) countries are Aruba (to the Northwest), Caribbean Netherlands (to the Northwest), Caraçao (to the Northwest), Grenada (to the Northeast), and Trinidad and Tobago (to the Northeast).

States

 * Amazonas
 * Anzoategui
 * Apure
 * Aragua
 * Barinas
 * Bolivar
 * Carabobo
 * Cojedes
 * Delta Amacuro
 * Capital District
 * Falcon
 * Guarico
 * La Guaira
 * Lara
 * Merida
 * Miranda
 * Monagas
 * Nueva Esparta
 * Portuguesa
 * Sucre
 * Tachira
 * Trujillo
 * Yaracuy
 * Zulia

Family

 * Italy - grandparent
 * Greece - grandparent
 * Spain - parent
 * Portugal - pibling
 * Bolivia - sibling
 * Colombia - sibling
 * Costa Rica - sibling
 * Ecuador - sibling
 * Panama - sibling
 * Cuba - sibling
 * Mexico - sibling
 * Argentina - sibling
 * Brazil - cousin
 * Chile - sibling
 * Peru - sibling
 * El Salvador - sibling
 * Honduras - sibling
 * Nicaragua - sibling
 * Guatemala - sibling
 * Paraguay - sibling
 * Uruguay - half-sibling
 * United States - sibling
 * Western Sahara - step-sibling
 * Belgium - sibling
 * Philippines - step-sibling
 * Puerto Rico - sibling
 * Dominican Republic - sibling
 * Haiti - sibling
 * Jamaica - sibling

Optional
'WARNING: There is controversy about the type of relationship of countries that were former European colonies with the current Western countries. So the following countries are only optional:' Gran Colombia-Pictogram.png Gran Colombia - step-parent

Friends
Belarus-Pictogram.png Belarus - "A great friend and trading partner!" Cuba-Pictogram.png Cuba - "We're quite close (depends on the person) We are trading partners but they're a good person!" Ecuador-Pictogram.png Ecuador - "I did not forget about you little Ecua! We were great friends since the conquest and we still are! I'll try not to be so upset with your other twin. El Salvador-Pictogram.png El Salvador Nicaragua-Pictogram.png Nicaragua - "Mi amigo! We are very close, we have many things in common and we have a very strong relationship! Sri Lanka-Pictogram.png Sri Lanka - "Honestly, an amazing person" Turkey-Pictogram.png Turkey - "We are business partners, They're is a good person."
 * China - "We don't talk much, but they're a great friend!"
 * Iran - "GIVE ME MISSILES!!!"
 * Russia - "My mayor ally! We help each other, we have a very strong friendship, and also, he loves my culture and my traditions! Honestly I love you."

Neutral
Germany-Pictogram.png Germany - "They're less violent than them Third Reich-Pictogram.gif. You're more peaceful I think" Japan-Pictogram.png Japan - "He makes great anime that my people get addicted of! Also a great trading partner. My people go to his land as a best tourist spot and many job opportunities. For now we are neutral, I think that as we are now, everything is fine" Uruguay-Pictogram.png Uruguay - "We are just neutrals." Panama-Pictogram.png Panama - "He believes that our friendship would be assured if we were neutral. I hope he is right." Serbia-Pictogram.png Serbia - "We're neutral. I don't want to meddle in since he would go violent." Mexico-Pictogram.png Mexico - "We are neutrals, but they're a really good boy!"
 * Israel - "I remember when I received their people when that Third Reich-Pictogram.gif monster was chasing them in WW2, that time their people were suffering a lot; I do not regret what I did for him, although in the end I consider myself an enemy."
 * Italy - "They gave me a bit of his culture, I love his spaghetti and pizzas! For now we are neutral, we have a relationship so to speak "acceptable" for now."

Enemies

 * Argentina - "Pathetic, why you don't care if I were your ally in the Falklands War?! Stop bothering me by saying never qualify for a soccer cup!"
 * Brazil - "Could you stop saying I'm bad at soccer?!"
 * Canada
 * Chile - "Are you tired that I have better gastronomy than yours? Besides, why do you treat my people so badly in your territory?! You know very well that I support you and even received your people when you were in crisis! How cruel you are..."
 * Colombia - "You are a copion! You copied my flag, my food and even my cultures! Also you get along well with him"
 * Paraguay- "The countries without sea access are the worst! And you are not the exception."
 * Peru - "You are equal to Chile, so cruel to my people! Also, you get along well with him, but if you want to be my friend, stay away from that capitalist! Stupid Yankee."
 * Spain - "My gachupina/gringa mother, I don't care if you gave me my current culture or that you were the first to outlaw slavery in America! You will always be to blame for all my problems! Also, your dubbings are horrible! Give me back my glorious gold!"
 * United States - "I hate your penalties! Stop complaining about your problems that nobody cares about!"
 * Trinidad and Tobago - "You should be MY clay!"

Past Versions

 * Venezuela Province
 * Viceroyalty of New Granada
 * Captaincy General of Venezuela
 * First Republic of Venezuela
 * Second Republic of Venezuela
 * Third Republic of Venezuela
 * Gran Colombia
 * State of Venezuela
 * United States of Venezuela
 * Republic of Venezuela

Spain
– Venezuela's thoughts about Spain

Colombia
– Venezuela's thoughts about Colombia-Pictogram.png Colombia

Cuba
– Venezuela's thoughts about Cuba

Venezuela and Cuba, both being Socialist countries in South America, get along well, and trade often, though the trading has stagnated since the Venezuelan Oil Crisis.

Ecuador
– Venezuela's thoughts about Ecuador

Mexico
– Venezuela's thoughts about Mexico

Western Sahara
– Venezuela's thoughts about Western Sahara

Russia
– Venezuela's thoughts about Russia

United States
– Venezuela's thoughts about the [[United States{]

Trivia

 * The name of Venezuela comes from the Italian word “Veneziola”
 * Venezuela is the 33rd largest country in the world with a total area of 916,445 square kilometers.
 * Venezuela is located on the northeast coast of South America.
 * In the Countryhumans fandom, Venezuela is portrayed as a very distant and cold person towards their siblings. Similar to North Korea.
 * Venezuela is mostly shipped with Cuba, also on the Hispanic side of the community is shipped with  Russia.
 * The official currency of Venezuela is the Bolivar Fuerte.
 * Main exports of Venezuela include aluminum, steel, cement, and agriculture products.
 * Offal Soup or (Sopa de mondongo) is a very popular Venezuelan dish.
 * Venezuela is home of the largest national parks in the world, named the Canaima National Park.
 * Venezuela has six times Miss Universe winners and five times Miss World.
 * Baseball is the most popular sport in Venezuela.
 * Christopher Columbus was the first European to find the Venezuela.
 * The Joropo is the national dance of the country.
 * Electronics, chemicals, and food products are the major imports of Venezuela.
 * The country’s unemployment rate is around 8.1%.
 * 96% of the population of Venezuela are Roman Catholic.
 * Venezuela is divided into 23 states.
 * Venezuela shares a land border with Guyana to the east, Colombia to the west, and Brazil to the south.
 * They are home to the angel falls, the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall.
 * The cuatro is their national instrument.
 * ‘Arepas’ is their national dish.
 * A famous drink in Venezuela is the ‘Chi Cha Andina’, which is made from rice or corn flour.
 * Mothers have to carry their children’s birth certificate for buying baby products in Venezuela.
 * Coke Zero has been banned in Venezuela since 2009.
 * The total population of Venezuela is 33,551,103 as of 2020.
 * Venezuela gained independence from Spain in July 1811.
 * Capybara, the world’s largest rodent is found in the grassy plains of Venezuela.
 * Venezuela was listed as the most dangerous country on Earth in 2015, where one person was murdered every 21 minutes.
 * In 1863, Venezuela became the first modern country to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.
 * Venezuela is 7th country in the world with the highest number of wild species.
 * The Venezuela’s furthermost latest constitution was adopted in 1999.
 * Over 25,000 species of orchids can be found in Venezuela.
 * There are over 1,400 bird species found in Venezuela.
 * Venezuela is one of the 17 most biodiverse countries on the planet.
 * Venezuela’s gas prices are the cheapest in the world because of their oil reserves.
 * Lake Maracaibo is the largest and oldest lake of Venezuela.
 * Over 3,900 species of fungi have been discovered in Venezuela.
 * Their capital city is Caracas.
 * Venezuela is the eighth largest natural gas reserve.
 * The Guri Dam is the world’s largest dam, producing all the hydroelectric power the country relies upon.
 * Growth Frequently (For the Population): Every 77 Seconds (1:27)
 * Religion: Catholic Church (96%, 30.8 Million), Protestantism (2%, 641,889), Other (2%, 641,889)
 * Urbanization: 89% (28.6 Million)
 * Press Freedom Index: 46.0 Points (141st)
 * Tolerance for Homosexuals: 57% (2013)
 * GDP: $389 Billion
 * Unemployment: 26.4% (3.8 Million)
 * Labor Force: 44.3% (14.2 Million)
 * Telephones: 38.2 Million
 * Mobile Phones: 30.5 Million
 * Internet Users: 14.5 Million Users
 * ISO (International Organization for Standardization): VE, VEN