Venezuela
Venezuela: Political System
Venezuela is a federal republic with a multi-party system and 23 states. The
1999 constitution stipulates that the state is headed by a president who is
elected directly by the people every 6 years. Re-election is only possible one
more time. Parliament is a unicameral system. The Senate was abolished in
1999. The Chamber of Deputies with 189 members exercises the law. The states are
not directly involved. Members are elected every five years in a free, equal and
secret ballot for a maximum of three legislative periods. The President appoints
the Vice-President and the ministers of his government. The president can
dissolve parliament and force new elections, or he can be recalled by means of a
referendum.

Hugo Rafael Chavez Frías (born 1954) was President of the
country from February 2, 1999 until his death on March 5, 2013. He was one of
the left-wing socialist nationalists and had reshaped the country considerably
since taking office. He won his first election on December 6, 1998 with 56% of
the vote and the second on July 30, 2000 with 60%. On August 15, 2004, there was
a referendum on his impeachment. Around 40.7% voted in favor and around 59.35
against - with a participation of around 70%. In the third election in 2006 he
was elected president for the third time with around 62.8%. The last referendum
took place on February 15, 2009. In the course of this referendum, around 54% of
the electorate voted in favor of changing the constitution so that he and other
elected officials could be re-elected as often as they wanted - a majority had
rejected this in 2007.
According to Digopaul.com,
the official name of the country is:
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
República Bolivariana de Venezuela |
National anthem
Based on flag descriptions by
Countryaah.com, the national anthem of Venezuela was written by Vicente Salias (1776
- 1814) in 1810 and set to music by Juan Jose Landacta in the
same year. Both were executed as insurgents in 1814. The anthem was endorsed as
the country's official anthem in 1881 by later President Antonio Guzmán Blanco.

In spanish language
Gloria al bravo pueblo
que el yugo lanzó,
la ley respetando
la virtud y honor. (Refrain)Abajo cadenas!
abajo cadenas!
gritaba el señor
gritaba el señor;
y el pobre en su choza
libertad pidió.
A este santo nombre
tembló de pavor
el vil egoismo
que otra vez triunfó.
A este santo nombre
a este santo nombre
temblo de pavor
el vil egoismo
que otra vez triunfó
el vil egoismo
que otra vez triunfó.refrainGritemos con brio
gritemos con brio
Muera la opresión!
Muera la opresión!
Compatriotas fell
la fuerza es la union
y desde el Empireo
el supremo autor
un sublime aliento
al pueblo infundió
y desde el Empireo
y desde el Empireo
el supremo autor
un sublime aliento
al pueblo infundió
un sublime aliento
al pueblo infundió. refrain
Unida con lazos,
unida con lazos,
que el cielo formo,
que el cielo formo,
la America toda
existe en Nación;
y si el despotismo
levanta la voz
seguid el ejemplo
que Caracas dió
y si el despotismo
y si el despotismo
levanta la voz
seguid el ejemplo
que Caracas dio
seguid el ejemplo
que Caracas dio.
refrain |
The English translation of the refrain
Glory to the brave nation that
shook off the yoke,
that
respects law and virtue and honor. |
Venezuela: Known People
Politicians and activists
Ignacio Andrade (1839-1925)
politician, officer. Ignacio Andrade was born in Mérida in 1839 as the son of a
general and also decided to pursue military training. First he acted as
President of Falcón, and later as State Senator. As President of Venezuela, he
also served from 1898-1899, even if he had to defend himself against much
resistance. Andrade died in Macuto in 1925 after he had been reinstated as
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Interior of Venezuela.
Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi (1799-1866)
fighter in the war of independence against the Spaniards. Luisa Cáceres de
Arismendi was born in Caracas in 1799 as the daughter of a Latin
professor. Between 1814 and 1818 she was held in various prisons in Venezuela
and later transferred to Spain. But she managed to escape to America. De
Arismendi, who was married to General Juan Bautista Arismendi, finally died in
1866 in her native city. Her likeness is shown on a Venezuelan banknote.
Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829-1899)
The soldier, lawyer and politician was President of Venezuela three
times. Antonio Guzmán Blanco was born in Caracas in 1829 to an aristocratic
family and studied law. Afterwards he devoted himself to diplomatic affairs in
the USA. He went down in Latin American history as the dictator of Venezuela
during the years 1870-1888. He was said to have corruption and an excessive
tendency towards wealth. Blanco died in Paris in 1899.
Simón Bolívar (1783-1830)
The independence fighter with the nickname "El Libertador" (The Liberator) is
the national hero for many South American countries. His struggle, inspired by
the French Revolution, led to the independence of today's states Venezuela,
Colombia, Panamá, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia from the Spanish colonial power. As
a figurehead for Latin American independence movements, he is still of great
importance today. Bolìvar was born in Caracas in 1783. He dreamed of the
Confederation of all States of America, but had to fail. Bolívar died in
Colombia in 1830.
Hugo Chávez (1954-2013)
officer, revolutionary and politician. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was born in
Sabaneta in 1954 and had been President of Venezuela since February 2, 1999. He
was re-elected three times in total. He is one of the left-wing socialist
nationalists who have already reshaped the country considerably since taking
office and who also repeatedly mess with the USA. Chavez had completed military
training in Caracas. After a series of operations and chemotherapy in Cuba, he
died of cancer on March 5, 2013 in Caracas.
Francisco de Miranda (1750-1816)
revolutionary. Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Rodríguez was born in Caracas in
1750 and fought in vain for the independence and unification of the South
American colonies. He is considered to be the pioneer of the liberator Simón
Bolívar. After studying various languages and mathematics in Caracas, he
completed military training. Nevertheless, he was considered a romantic. De
Miranda died in Cádiz in 1816.
José Vicente Rangel (born 1929)
politician, lawyer, journalist. José Vicente Rangel was born in Caracas in 1922
and studied law. The left-wing politician was Venezuela's Vice President between
2002 and 2007. He also held the office of Minister of Defense for a time. Rangel
later devoted himself to journalism, published columns and analyzed the
political events of his country in his television show "José Vicente Today"
(from 1998).
Simón Rodríguez (1769-1854)
The philosopher and educator, who also called himself Samuel Robertson, was the
tutor of the independence hero Simón Bolívar. He was born in Caracas in
1769. After his published school review, the socialists were expelled from the
country. He crossed Europe with Bolívar and worked as a teacher in various
countries. Simón Rodríguez, who had always fought for the abolition of class
society and equal educational opportunities for all, died in Peru in 1854.
Writer and poet
Rafael Cadenas (born 1930)
poet and essayist. Rafael Cadenas was born in Barquisimeto in 1930 and now
teaches at the Central University of Venezuela. The multiple award-winning
author (National Literature Prize of Venezuela, Guggenheim Scholarship, Pérez
Bonalde Prize) has a flair for experimental poetry. He made his poetry debut in
1946 with the band "Cantos iniciales". Fourteen years later he would write his
most popular work to date - "Los Cuadernos del destierro".
Rómulo Gallegos (1884-1969)
One of the most important literary prizes in Spanish-speaking countries is named
after the writer and politician: the Venezuelan "Premio Rómulo Gallegos". From
February to November 1948, Gallegos was President of Venezuela until he was
overthrown in a coup. After exile in Cuba and Mexico, he returned to Venezuela
in 1958. In the same year he received the National Literature Prize. One of his
most important works is called "Der Bastard" (published in Germany:
1970). Gallegos died in 1969 in his native Caracas.
Francisco Herrera Luque ( 1927-1991)
Writer and psychiatrist. Francisco José Herrera Luque was born in Caracas in
1927 and studied medicine in Venezuela and Salamanca. He later specialized in
his field of knowledge and turned to psychiatry. But he is even more important
as the author of numerous historical novels on Venezuelan myths such as "Boves,
el Urogallo" (1972) or "La Luna de Fausto" (1983), which, however, are not yet
available in English translation. Luque died in 1991 in his hometown.
Eugenio Montejo (1938-2008)
One of the most famous poets in Venezuela. Eugenio Montejo was born in Caracas
in 1938. The writer, who was awarded the National Literature Prize of Venezuela
in 1998, is considered the founder of the literary magazine "Azar". He achieved
international fame in 2003 through a quote from his poem "The earth turned so
that we could come closer to each other" in the film "21 Grams". The actor
quoting it was none other than Academy Award winner Sean Penn. Montejo died in
2008 in Valencia, Venezuela.
Arturo Uslar Pietri (1906-2001)
The descendant of German immigrants was a writer, politician and
diplomat. Arturo Uslar Pietri was born in Caracas in 1906 as the descendant of a
very militarily ambitious family. He attended the same school as the sons of the
then dictator Juan Vincente Gómez and published his first articles with
political content in his youth. Later he devoted himself to literature and
became one of the most important representatives of modern Venezuelan
literature. His most popular book is called "The Red Lances" (1931), an
extremely political work. Pietri died in 2001 in his hometown.
Miguel Otero Silva (1908-1985)
Writer, journalist, humorist. Miguel Otero Silva was born in Barcelona,
Venezuela, in 1908 and studied at the Central University of
Venezuela. Although his subject was civil engineering, he gradually devoted
himself increasingly to literature. His work was very politically oriented with
social tendencies, which forced him into exile before Venezuela proclaimed
democracy. Silva was awarded the National Literature Prize of Venezuela, among
others. One of his most famous writings is the poem "Bronce" ("Bronze"). Silva
died in Caracas in 1985.
Artist and athlete
José Antonio Abreu (born 1939)
Composer, activist, educator and economist. José Antonio Abreu was born in
Valera in 1939, studied in Caracas and later became a professor there. His name
went down in history through the founding of the "Sinfónica de la Juventud
Venezolana Simón Bolívar" - a symphony orchestra made up of lots of young people
from the poor and violence-ridden Caracas to give them a piece of quality of
life. Abreu has been honored many times, including the Frankfurt Music Prize,
the Erasmus Prize and the Echo Klassik.
Teresa Carreño (1856-1917)
pianist and composer. María Teresa Carreño García de Sena was born in Carracas
in 1856 as the daughter of a politician and amateur pianist. He valued her
talent early on and promoted it, so that she rose to international fame. In her
lifetime Carreño was the best pianist in the world. This was probably also
possible because the family had emigrated to the USA, where they had better
training and performance opportunities than in the politically insecure
Venezuela. Carreño died in New York in 1917.
Carlos Cruz-Diez (born 1923)
One of the most famous Venezuelan artists. Carlos Cruz-Diez was born in Caracas
in 1923. He is considered to be a co-founder of kinetic art, which identifies
movement as an essential element, i.e. art that apparently changes as the
viewer's perspective changes. The artist is particularly fond of lines. He makes
these seem to vibrate using special technology. Cruz-Diez has had exhibitions
all over the world and his works adorn public spaces. He also taught typography
and graphic design at the University of Caracas.
María Luisa Escobar (1903-1985)
Composer, pianist and soprano singer. María Luisa González de Escobar was born
in Valencia in 1903. She achieved international fame through numerous
compositions of waltzes, ballet suites, bolero ("Desesperanza" became the most
famous) and folklore pieces. Musicals were also part of her repertoire. Escobar
has sung at such important venues as New York's Carnegie Hall and has received
numerous awards worldwide. She died in Caracas in 1985.
Andrés Galarraga (born 1961)
The Venezuelan baseball player played in the US major league. Andrés Galarraga
was born in Caracas in 1961 and made a real start as a baseball player with
various teams in the USA, for example with the San Francisco Giants. He was
twice named Mayor League Comeback Player of the Year as the first baseball
player ever. He also won the Golden Glove Award twice. In total, Galarraga has
scored 399 home runs.
Armando Reverón (1889-1954)
The visual artist devoted himself mainly to painting. Armando Reverón was born
in Caracas in 1889 and became a national classic of Venezuela through his
impressionistic painting of nudes and landscapes, but also through curious
life-size dolls. His birthday today is the "National Day of Visual
Artists". Armando Reverón died in 1954 in his hometown.
Other famous people
Baruj Benacerraf (1920-2011)
medical doctor. Baruj Benacerraf was born in Caracas in 1920 and trained in
Paris. The Venezuelan of Jewish origin later moved to the USA. For the
"discovery of genetically determined cellular surface structures by which
immunological reactions are controlled", as the Swedish committee put it in its
justification, he was one of the Nobel Prize winners for medicine and physiology
in 1980. Baruj Benacerraf died in 2011 in the US city of Boston.
Jacinto Convit (born 1913)
Medical scientist. Jacinto Convit was born in Caracas in 1913 and studied
medicine at the Central University of Venezuela. The researcher, who was
nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1988, is considered the father of the first
vaccine against leprosy. In 1987, the long-time WHO employee received the
Spanish Prince of Asturias Prize for scientific and technical research.
Venezuela: animals
Mammals
The various landscapes of Venezuela are the habitat of numerous animals,
including around 250 different species of mammals. Collared peccaries,
capybaras, the largest rodents in the world, and pudus, the smallest deer in the
world that are hardly bigger than hares, live here.
You can also find armadillos, anteaters, sloths, coatis, possums and tapirs.
The country's predators include the jaguar, puma, ocelot, tiger cat,
long-tailed cat, and forest dog.
The local monkeys include the brown capuchin, the white-headed saki, the
gray-throated night monkey and the brown spider monkey.
Reptiles without poisonous snakes
Idol snake
The idol snake (Boa constrictor) reaches sizes between 3 and 4 m and feeds on
smaller and larger mammals as well as on birds and reptiles.
The prey is embraced and strangled by contracting the muscles.
There are six subspecies of
the snake. A detailed description of the snake can be found at Goruma here >>>
Anaconda
The great anaconda (Eunectes murinus) can in rare cases be over 9 m long and is
therefore the largest snake in the world alongside the reticulated python. Your
prey is entwined and strangled or crushed by the contraction of the muscles
- Eunectes beniensis (Beni anaconda)
- Eunectes deschauenseei (De-Schauensee anaconda)
- Eunectes murinus (large anaconda)
- Eunectes notaeus (yellow anaconda)
A detailed description of the local Great Anaconda can be found at Goruma here
>>>
There are four types of the genus Anaconda:
Other interesting reptiles are pointed crocodiles, Orinoco crocodiles,
crocodile caimans as well as iguanas and turtles. Giant otters, piranyas and
Amazon dolphins also live in the Orinoco.
Venomous snakes - lance vipers
General
The genus of the lance vipers (Bothrops) belongs to the subfamily of the pit
vipers (Ctotalinae) and to the family of the vipers (Viperidae).
The genus of the lance viper comprises 45 species of snakes, some of which in
turn have subspecies.
The smallest species or subspecies reach a length between 50 to 70 cm and the
largest can be over 2 m long.
Their poison has tissue-destroying parts (proteases), blood-damaging and
kidney-damaging parts.
It is worth mentioning that the enzyme reptilase in the venom of Bothrops atrox
and Bothrops jararaca is used in diagnostics to determine coagulation disorders
and as a therapeutic agent for anticoagulation.
The animals are viviparous. They get their name from their triangular head
shape, which is reminiscent of a lance tip
Brazilian lance viper (Bothrops brazil)
The snake is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Colombia,
Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
There are no subspecies of the snake
Common lance viper (Bothrops atrox)
The snake is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Colombia,
Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
Also on Trinidad, an island that belongs to the Lesser Antilles.
There are no subspecies of the snake
Speckled wood lance viper (Bothrops taeniatus)
The snake is found in Bolivia, Brazil (Amazon, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Goiás,
Roraima, Maranhão, Pará and Acre), Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Colombia,
Peru and Venezuela.
The snake has two subspecies, Bothrops taeniata taeniata and Bothrops taeniata
lichenosa
Green Jararaca Lance Viper (Bothrops bilineatus)
The snake is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Colombia,
Suriname and Venezuela.
There are two subspecies of the snake, Bothrops bilineata bilineata
and Bothrops bilineata smaragdina
Terciopelo lance viper (Bothrops asper)
The snake is also known as the rough lance viper.
They can be found in Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela.
There are no subspecies of the snake
Uracoa rattlesnake
The Uracoa rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis) is only found in the east of
Venezuela.
enezuela lance viper
The Venezuela lance viper (Bothrops venezuelensis) occurs in
Colombia and Venezuela.
There are no subspecies of the snake
Venezuela wood lance viper (Bothrops medusa)
The snake occurs only in Venezuela.
There are no subspecies of the snake.
Venomous snakes - palm lance snakes
General
The palm lance vipers belong to the genus Bothriechis, to the subfamily of pit
vipers (Crotalinae) and to the family of vipers (Viperidae).
The species of this snake genus have a length of about 60 to 80 cm - very rarely
they reach a length of 1 m.
The palm lance vipers live exclusively in the trees of the tropical rainforest
and are well adapted to the way of life in trees thanks to their long tail,
which is optimized for grasping. Like all pit otters, they have pit organs on
the sides of their heads between the nostrils and eyes, with which they can
perceive thermal radiation (infrared radiation), which makes them good night
hunters.
Their basic color is mostly green to greenish-yellow with light and dark
speckles, whereby the very color-variable prehensile-tailed lanceolate is an
exception.
Raspberry-tailed palm lance viper (Bothriechis schlegelii)
The snake is found in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela.
There are no subspecies of the snake
Venomous snakes - coral snakes
General
This usually very pretty snake of the genus Micrurus (coral snake, coral otter)
with its black and white or yellow and red rings occurs in 79 species with
various subspecies.
They can be found in the southern states of the USA via Mexico, Central America
and almost all of South America - with the exception of Chile. Often, however,
not nationwide but only in parts of the country or even in smaller regions.
They live mainly in moist, warm habitats and are between 60 to 150 cm
long. Their head is barely wider than the trunk and their tail is short. They
have The nocturnal snakes usually live hidden in holes in the ground, between
dense vegetation or under stones and feed on small reptiles - more rarely on
small mammals, amphibians, and young birds.
Bites are extremely rare in humans. They have a very effective neurotoxin, which
interrupts the connection between nerves and between nerves and muscles
(synapses).
In addition, numerous species of snake have poisonous parts that destroy muscle
tissue (myotoxins). Without an antiserum, paralysis and even fatal respiratory
arrest can be expected.
- Amazon coral snake (Micrurus spixii)
- Bolivian coral snake (Micrurus obscurus)
- Hempricht's coral snake (Micrurus hembrichi)
- Caribbean coral snake (Micrurus psyches) Langsdorff`s coral snake (Micrurus
langsdorffi)
- Merida coral snake (Micrurus meridensis)
- Natterer`s coral snake (Micrurus nattereri)
- Pigmy Coral Snake (Micrurus dissoleucus)
- Redtail Coral Snake (Micrurus minipartitus) -
South American Coral Snake (Micrurus lemniscatus)
- Venezuela Coral Snake (Micrurus isozonus)
(Micrurus dumerilii)
Uracoa rattlesnake
The Uracoa rattlesnake (Crotalus vegrandis) is found only in a limited area
in eastern Venezuela. It should be noted that there are a total of 47 species of
the genus rattlesnakes (Crotalus).
Birds
Venezuela is home to 1,400 different bird species. In addition to numerous
other water birds, brown pelicans, flamingos and red ibis live on the coast of
the country.
One of the largest birds in the world, the Andean condor, rises in the Andes.
But there are also very smaller birds in the country, such as hummingbirds. Also
the endemic white-tailed sword wing. The local parrots and toucans are
particularly colorful.
The hoatzin has a striking head.
Particularly noteworthy is the country's national bird - the white-winged
troupial - with its bright orange piglet on the belly. It occurs only in
Venezuela, in the border area with Colombia and on some Caribbean islands.
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