La Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela is located on the northern coast of South America neighboring Guyana to the right, Colombia to the left and Brazil to the south. Venezuela is home to the unique plant species, diverse fauna and phenomenal scenery. It also houses the world’s higher waterfall, South America’s largest lake and a youth orchestra that is world-class.
Venezuela sits close to the equator in the northern hemisphere. It consists on the continental mainland and various islands in the Caribbean Sea. Formerly colonized by the Spanish, Venezuela is now a Social Democratic Republic with Hugo Chávez Frías as President. The population is approximately 27 million.
Venezuela is a very urbanized country as the vast majority of citizens live in cities. The official language is Spanish, though numerous indigenous languages still survive. The capital and largest city is Caracas. Venezuela is predominantly Roman Catholic. Some common Venezuelan snacks and dishes are: arepas (a cornmeal patty which is baked, grilled or fried) and cachapas, empanadas, pabellón criollo (the national dish, which has meat, black beans, rice and fried ripe plaintains).
Initiated to promote social action amongst the youth of Venezuela, Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (FESNOJIV) has grown to embody excellent youth musicians who seek to better their world through music on a global level. The Orchestra was established by José Antonio Abreu in 1975 and is known as “El Sistema.” The orchestra is based in Caracas but has many satellite community centers known as “núcleos.” Gustavo Dudamel has been the orchestra’s artistic director since 1999. There are 161 núcleos in the 24 states of Venezuela.
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Barquisimeto | Wikipedia | (en Espanol)
Maracaibo | Wikipedia | youtube (en Espanol)
Puerto la Cruz | Wikipedia | travel guide
Merida | Wikipedia
Maracay | Wikipedia | (en Espanol)
San Cristobal | Wikipedia
Web Resources for Venezuela
