Venezuela- The Age Of Exploration
...(estimated as of July 2004)
4. Size- 912,050 sq km (land/water)
5. Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
6. 96% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 2% Other Religions
The Venezuelans were tracked back to about 13,000 BC. The settlers of that time came from three different directions. Present day Guyana, present day Brazil, and present day Antilles were the three directions. At the time there are about 500,000 indigenous peoples living in Venezuela. There was much diversity in the different tribes that settled there during this time. Religion has always been dominated by the Catholic faith. Some Venezuelans of the time had been farmers, hunters, and fishermen. The name "Venezuela" was given and the literal translation is "Little Venice."
Venezuela was rich with grasslands and had six navigable rivers. There were many streams that also ran through the country. Mountainous areas also were abundant in the Venezuelan countryside. Venezuela has a very tropical climate. It is also rich in mineral resources. The country's most important resource is petroleum. They are also known for their abundance of diamonds and gold which are found in the mountains.
Christopher Columbus first sighted the coast of Venezuela in 1498. In 1499 Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda followed that same coast to Lake Maracaibo. He was the one who named the region Venezuela because it reminded him of the buildings in Venice. The Spanish had started to settle in Venezuela in 1520. In 1528, Charles V of Spain gave the part of Venezuela that lied between Cape Vela and Maracapana to the Weslers, Bavarian bankers to whom he owed money to. The Weslers were to fill and develop the region as part of the arrangement with Charles V. They were also to set up establishments to live. Instead, their representatives enslaved the Native Americans of...
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