VENEZUELA

Venezuela: Its Features and Tourist Attractions

Richard Awino

VENEZUELA Venezuela: Its Features and Tourist Attractions Officially referred to as Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Venezuela is a country found in the Northern part of South American continent. It was the first Spain colony in South America to gain independence. It borders Colombia to the west and Guyana to the east. Venezuela is bordered to the south by Brazil while to the north it borders Caribbean ocean. It covers

approximately 916, 450 square kilometers. Currently, its population is estimated to be around 29 million persons. Being a Spanish colony, the official language in Venezuela is Spanish. English, French and Italian, are other foreign languages that are most commonly spoken in Venezuela. In addition to the foreign languages, several indigenous languages are also spoken in Venezuela. These include yabarana, panare, yaruro and mapoyo just to mention a few. In total, about forty different languages are spoken in Venezuela. Caracas is the capital city of Venezuela. It is the largest Venezuelan city. It is a metropolitan city and has a population of about five million persons. Besides Caracas, other principal cities in Venezuela include Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracay, Ciudad Guayana and Barcelona. These cities play crucial roles ranging from commercial to industrial functions. They also serve as social and educational centers. There are several other smaller cities and towns spread out through Venezuela. The peace and political stability of Venezuela in the recent past have significantly favored its economic growth. Bolivar fuerte is the currency that is currently used in Venezuela. This new currency was introduced on 7th March, 2007. Though Venezuela experienced a lot of political turmoil in the past, it is currently enjoying relative peace and sound governance. Venezuela is a federal republic. It is comprised of twenty three states which are under presidential leadership. The current president of Venezuela is

VENEZUELA Hugo Chavez. Venezuela is a country endowed with a lot of resources. Petroleum resources are the most valuable resources in Venezuela. These resources account for a third of the countrys

total Gross domestic Product. The petroleum also forms a crucial source of government revenue. In addition to the petroleum resources, Venezuela also has large amounts of mineral deposits. Main mineral resources in Venezuela are iron ore, coal gold and bauxite deposits. Venezuela also boasts of rich biological resources. The extensive savanna vegetation of Venezuela boasts of diverse species, which form main tourist attraction, in Venezuela. Tourism industry in Venezuela earns the country significant amount of revenue. Venezuela is also blessed with abundant water resources. This has made the country self-sufficient in electricity production. Venezuelas exports range from agricultural products to manufactured products. The manufacturing sector also contributes significantly to Venezuelas economy. Venezuela exports manufactured steel and aluminum implements. In addition to the manufactured products, Venezuela also exports cement and other construction materials. Venezuelas principal agricultural exports are mainly rice, corn and fish. With the rich petroleum resources, Venezuela is also one of the leading exporters of petroleum products. Just like in any other society, in Venezuela sports form an integral part of peoples social lives in Venezuela. For a long time, baseball has been the leading national sport in Venezuela. Venezuelas baseball team is one of the most competent teams in the world. Football has also gained popularity in the recent past in Venezuela. Tennis and volleyball are also much loved in Venezuela. Other attractive sport events in Venezuela include Para-gliding, horse riding, canyoning and the risky bull fighting.

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Being a diverse country, Venezuela has varied meals depending on the region. Along the coastal regions, one will get a fair treatment of delicious and high quality fish. Pargo and dorado are the most commonly eaten fish species along the coast. Off the coastline, wide ranges of traditional meals are observed. The most popular traditional dish is the arepa, a deliciously prepared corn pancake. Fried meat is also common in the western states. A wide range of foreign meals is also available in Venezuela. There are various personalities that are held with high esteem in Venezuela owing to their contributions in building the state of Venezuela. One of such personalities is the current President, Hugo Chavez. The former coup leader has been particularly instrumental in redefining the politics, and leadership of the country which for long was marred with dictatorship and corruption. Baruj Benacerraf was also a famous Venezuelan immunologist who shared the 1980 Nobel Prize for his contribution to medicine and physiology. Ozzie Guillen and Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado is also among some of the most famous people in Venezuela. Venezuela has a wide range of explicit tourist attractions. It has beautiful sceneries. For instance, the Andes Mountains has exceptionally attractive features. The climate in the mountain ranges has also favored development of diverse species of flora and fauna. Some of the native plant species in Venezuela include araguaney, moriche palm and frailejon. The Andean lupine flower also forms a remarkably spectacular scene in the Andean basin. Golden arrow is also a beautiful flower species found in the lowland forests. More than 300 species of mammals and 1300 bird species have been identified in Venezuela. Its many beautiful cities have world class hotel facilities which make it ideal to tourists (Brushaber & Greenberg, 1998). The many sporting events such as bull fighting and baseball also add to its many tourist attractions. Having

VENEZUELA people of diverse origins, Venezuela is also rich in cultural diversity. The coastal regions also have several tourist attractions (Murphy & Green, 2002) With all the attractions, Venezuela is a place to visit. The Venezuelans are exceedingly friendly and hospitable. Besides, with the political stability, tourists are assured of their safety.

VENEZUELA Reference list Brushaber, S. & Greenberg, A. (1998). Venezuela Alive: Alive Guide Series. Madison: Hunter Publishing Inc. Murphy, A. & Green, D. (2002). Venezuela Handbook. Bath: Footprint Travel Guides.