The "Little Venice" of South America!
By: Delaney Tarpley

Basic Facts

Population: 30.41 million

Religion: Free to choose, but the vast majority follow Roman Catholicism

Languages: Main Language is Spanish, but bilingualism is encouraged

Capital: Caracas, Venezuela

Neighboring Countries: Colombia and Brazil.

Currency: Venezuelan Bolivar. One U.S. Dollar is equal to 6.29 Venezuelan Bolivar.

Famous Places

Mochima National Park: Mochima National Park is 600 feet above sea level and in between Barcelona, Puerto la Cruz, and Cumana. There are many sites to see and many activities while staying at this National Park. To learn more click here . Make sure to convert the site to English!

Angel Falls: This is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 meters. It is located in the Guayana Highlands and it is just one of the 5 great adventure regions  of Venezuela.

National Pantheon of Venezuela: The National Pantheon is located in Caracas, Venezuela and it was once used for a church, but it is now used as famous a burial site.

At the Annual Parrot Festival on Margarita Island in Venezuela

Local Expressions

Vaina: Exclamation of something negative. (¡que vaina!) or a word used to mean thing.

Hablame el mío/ el mía:  What's up?

Bonche: Party

A typical Venezuelan Breakfast.

The Venezuelan Bollito/Bollo:  These special and local treats are made from pre-cooked cornflower. You add water and then knead the dough. You then boil them for fifteen minutes or until they rise to the surface.

Frescolita: This is a popular red soft drink from Venezuela, which is close to cream soda in the U.S.

Arapito Beach in Venezuela

Climate and Geography

Climate: Due to its location in a tropical area, Venezuela tends to have mostly tropical weather. It is warm, with spots of rain forests all over, and it is mostly sunny all year round. Average temperature is 78 degrees fahrenheit.

Geography: Venezuela is only a third larger than Texas.  The mountain system divides the country into four distinct regions. There are the Maracaibo Lowlands, the mountainous region in the north and northwest, the Orinoco Basin, and the Guiana Highlands.

This is an interpretation of a folk dance that originates from Venezuela. I think this is very significant because it shows how different their culture is when compared to ours.  In my opinion, I absolutely love this dance. I love learning more about different countries because it makes me more aware of the world around me. I like learning about lots of different cultures in order to become a more well rounded person. I love the style of this dance, including the costumes, the music, and basically just all of it. I hope this folk dance is still performed today!