09--South+America--Venezuela

toc

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Geographical Profile / Political Information:=


 * **Relative and Absolute Location-** The absolute location of Venezuela is 10°39' N latitude and 71°36' W longitude. The relative location states that Colombia is to the west, Bolivia and Brazil are to the south, Surinam is to the east and the Caribbean is to the north.
 * **Distance and Direction from Lancaster PA-** The Distance from Lancaster to Caracas Venezuela is 3367 kilometers or 2092 miles or 1818 nautical miles.


 * **Size Compared to Other Countries in the Region-** Venezuela and Colombia are similar in size, whereas they are both some of the larger countries in South America with the most immense populations. However, when compared to Brazil and Argentina, Venezuela looks quite small.


 * **Climate-** The climate in Venezuela ranges from 26-28 degrees Celsius.


 * **Major Physical Features-** Lake Maracaibo, Angel Falls, Cuquenan Falls, Andes Mountains.


 * **Major Cultural Characteristics-**[[image:A+food+004.jpg width="165" height="136" align="right"]]
 * 1) **Foods:** A popular food in Venezuela is llanos, which are beefs and game, usually grilled or roasted. Arepas are a popular dish, which are similar to ravioli and are normally stuffed with different vegetables and cheeses. Beans, Rice and Potatoes are also common foods in Venezuela.
 * 2) **Holidays:** Christmas in Venezuela begins on December 16th, individuals attend daily morning masses until December 24th, when the service is held at midnight. June 24th is another important date because it is Venezuela's Independence Day. The birth date of Bolivar is another important holiday to Venezuelans, and is celebrated in July 24th.
 * 3) **Traditions:** Many people in Venezuela listen to music from neighboring countries. Vallenatos from Colombia, Merengue from Domenican Republic, Rancheras from Mexico, Salsa, lately the Reggaeton has become really popular mostly among young people and teenagers. US culture has a large impact on Venezuela in music and television. Venezuela's national sport is baseball.
 * **Major Cities-** The Capital of Venezuela is Caracas. However, two very popular cities for tourists and natives are Maracaibo and Valencia.


 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Type of Government-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Venezuela is ruled under a Federal Republic.


 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Head of State/Head of Government-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In Venezuela, the Head of State and the Head of Government are appointed to the same person, this individual is Hugo Chavez.


 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Global Organizations-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Venezuela has been a World Trade Organization member since January 1st, 1995. They are also part of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and many others.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Flag-**



<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The colors on Venezuela's flag represent the freedom fighter named Fransisco de Miranda. The blue on the flag represent the seas or oceans. The red and yellow represent Venezuela's historical ties to Spain. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> **Maps of Venezuela-**



=Economic Information:=

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Currency and Exchange Rate vs. US Dollar-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The currency in Venezuela is known as the Bolivar. Compared to the US dollar, one bolivar is equal to 0.00046 US dollars.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Natural Resources-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The main natural resources in Venezuela are it's petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite and diamonds. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Popular agricultural products in Venezuela are corn, rice, sugarcane, coffee, grains and cotton. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Agricultural Products-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The best industries Venezuela has is the petroleum industry, the minerals industry, the food processing industry, the textiles industry and the steel industry. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Industries-**

**Imports & Import Partners-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The major imports in Venezuela are raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Exports from Venezuela to the USA were $28.1 billion. In the year 2008 the top export partners in Venezuela were US 39.8%, Netherlands Antilles 7.6% and China 4.6% <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Exports & Export Partners-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The current GDP in Venezuela is 314 billion US dollars at current prices. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * GDP/GDP per Capita-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The HDI in Venezuela rose by 0.37% in the year 2007. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * HDI & HDI Ranking-**

The most recent records I was able to find in my research stated that the unemployment rate was 10.9% in the year 2009.
 * Unemployment Rate-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

=Population Information:=

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Current Population of Venezuela-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The current population in Venezuela 27,191,000 people. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">There are approximately 21.4 people per square kilometer. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Population Density-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">34% of the people in Venezuela are between the ages of 0 and 14, 62% of Venezuelans are between the ages of 15 and 64, and 4% of the population is ages 65 and above. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Age Distribution-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The National Rate of Increase in Venezuela is 15.15%. It will take 4.62 years in order for Venezuela to double it's population. In comparison to other countries, doubling their population will keep Venezuela as one of the most populated countries in South America. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Natural Rate of Increase-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The literacy rate in Venezuela out of a total 100% is 93% of the population. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Literacy Rate-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The infant mortality rate is 15.8 per 1,000 live births. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Infant Mortality Rate-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">At age one in Venezuela, the life expectancy is 1/5. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Life Expectancy at Age One-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The physical quality of life index in Venezuela 90.6. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Physical Quality of Life Index-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">67% are Mesitizo, 21% are White, 10% are Black and 2% Other. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Ethnic Groups-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">96% are Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 2% Other. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">
 * Chief Religions-**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The main language spoken in Venezuela is Spanish.
 * Main Language-**

=Human Rights Information:=

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Major Human Rights Issues-** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Venezuela has been popular in this past year with Human Rights Issues that seem to have become problematic. Unlawful killings of criminal suspects is one on the list. This means that innocent victims could have been killed without proof of action, because it states that the individuals are strictly just victims. More common problems such violence towards women, abuse of children and discrimination against individuals with disabilities. There appears to be a reoccurring problem with violence when it comes to Human Rights in Venezuela as well, the list frequently mentions unjust acts of violence that are reportedly frowned upon. <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The groups that have been more strongly affected by the human rights issues in Venezuela are obviously minorities. Although in comparison to other, even surrounding countries, Venezuela has the least harmful issues, a large number of people are affected by unjust treatment throughout the county. Individuals who are homosexual, bisexual, disabled, young or even as large of a category as women in general are the main target of social cruelty. It is impossible to completely eliminate problems such as these when working with a large group of people, as we are also realizing in the United States. However, one beneficial step would be to narrow down the number of negatively affected individuals from problems such as these that are truly avoidable.
 * Groups/People Most Affected by Human Rights Issues-**

=Environmental Information:=

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Major Environmental Issues-** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> The main environmental issues in Venezuela are natural factors such as earthquakes, floods, rock slides, mudslides and periodic droughts. Due to the fact that most of these issues are unplanned, they cause a large amount of unexpected, periodic damage to the country and even the people living there. These natural disasters can cause rubble and debris from buildings if the impact is hard enough on the country. Although these are uncontrollable, they can be considered a characteristic that would sway the decision of other individuals looking into Venezuela. Much like all other countries, natural disasters will occur when bad weather strikes, this is no reason to disregard all the other wonderful landscapes and attractions that Venezuela has to offer.

=Decision Statement:=

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">After looking into the four other countries in my group's region, we decided that the best country to choose would be Venezuela. This is because not only is it a popular and well liked area with many tourist attractions, but it is a well rounded and greatly developed country as well. The countries location is key when making this decision; Venezuela boarders some other popular countries, not to mention the ocean, which is great for vacations! The temperature in Venezuela is great, usually sunny with a breeze, but never too hot. There are so many physical features that are great for tourism, and plenty of cultural customs for visitors to pick up. From the food, to the music, Venezuela is extremely welcoming to those who aren't from the area. Also, Venezuela is packed with tons of natural resources that are a great source of income for individuals to sell in order to make a profit. The country has plenty of goods that will make them immediate money via trade. Although Venezuela appears to have a large population, they handle the crowd very well... based off of their high literacy rate. The amount of employed individuals is also at a comfortable level, which is probably due to the mass imports and exports from Venezuela. The only downfall are human rights issues that will come up in every country. Discrimination will occur no matter what country you're in, luckily, problems such as those listed above aren't nearly as bad as other countries face. Overall, I feel as though Venezuela would be a great place to reside, for it's culture, population, location and attractions.

=Bibliography / Work Cited:= http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distanceresult.html?p1=198&p2=58 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108140.html http://www.networkliquidators.com/definition-absolute-location.asp http://www.answerspice.com/c346/1443583/relative-location-of-venezuela http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35766.htm http://www.mapsofworld.com/venezuela/culture/ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61745.htm