VenezuelaVenezuela

Yea Uen & So Yea Uen & So YoungYoung

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Geog

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The The Maracaibo Maracaibo lowlandslowlands

The The Mountainous Mountainous regionregion

The Orinoco The Orinoco basinbasin

The Guiana The Guiana HighlandsHighlands

Angel WaterfallAngel WaterfallLake MaracaiboLake Maracaibo

Basic FactsBasic Facts• Official Name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

• Capital: Caracas

• Current President: Chavez Hugo

• Government: federal republic

• Official Language: Spanish

• Climate: tropical

Basic FactsBasic Facts

• Gini Index (Ratio of Equality): 0.422 the wealth is distributed unequally

• GDP (PPP):

Total - $ 362.772

Per Capita – $ 12,933

• GDP (nominal):

Total - $331.765

Per Capita - $ 11,828

CultureCulture

ArchitecturArchitecturee

HistoryHistory

Peninsula de Paria

Venezuela = little Venice

EthnicitiesEthnicitiesFour main cultural groups and their habitat1)Whites (20%) - city2)Pardos, mestizos or mixed race (66%) - city3)Indians or Indigenous people (less than 2%) - Amazon4)Blacks (10%) – the Carribean coast

Whites

Pardos

Indians

Blacks

Indigenous TribesIndigenous Tribes

Hiwi People

ReligionReligion

90% - Roman Catholic

Some indigenous tribes still practice their traditional religions

Many converted to Roman Catholicism.

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Pro

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Pro

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EconomyEconomy

EconomyEconomyEconomic Freedom ScorEconomic Freedom Scoree

SocietySociety

SocietySociety

Environmental IssuesEnvironmental IssuesSurface water contaminated due to…1) Raw sewage and industrial waste2) Pipeline spills in Colombia3) Arsenic, mercury and cyanide contamination due to mining.

Environmental IssuesEnvironmental IssuesMining operations that endanger the rain forest ecosystem and indigenous people

Social ProblemsSocial Problems“profoundly individualistic ... profoundly unequal, and discriminatory”

FARC & VenezuelaFARC & VenezuelaVenezuela - spill over of conflict regarding FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Two sides of CaracasTwo sides of CaracasCaracas, capital of Venezuela

Two sides of CaracasTwo sides of Caracas

The ‘barrio Petare’ on the edge of Caracas

HistoryHistory

November 2001 – President Chavez enacts 49 new laws about land and oil industry reforms.December 2002 – Opposition coup, strikes, the Chavez government eventually overcomes

1998 – Crude oil price dropped1998 – Hugo Chavez first elected as a president

The first half of 20th century marked by authoritarianism

Hugo ChavezHugo Chavez

• First came to power in 1999

• Political ideology: Left wing – Marxist, socialist

• former army officer

•supported by “chavistas”

• he proclaimed a “Bolivarian revolution”

• changed the constitution

Policies of Hugo ChavezPolicies of Hugo Chavez•He initiated many radical reforms, including social “missions” for literacy, health care, treatment for addicts, and job training address poverty and exclusion.

Policies of Hugo ChavezPolicies of Hugo Chavez• He significantly raised non-oil tax revenues

Policies of Hugo ChavezPolicies of Hugo Chavez

Bolivarian IdealsBolivarian Ideals

Polarized OpinionPolarized Opinion

•Opinions of Venezuelans on President Hugo Chavez are polarized. Some are saying that he is becoming autocratic while others are applauding that he is alleviating the poverty““What my rivals don't What my rivals don't

understand... is that Hugo Chavez understand... is that Hugo Chavez is not Chavez but the people of is not Chavez but the people of Venezuela” Venezuela” -- Hugo Chavez Hugo Chavez

What does this quote What does this quote mean?mean?

Polarized OpinionPolarized Opinion

Popularity of ChavezPopularity of ChavezPopularity of Hugo Chavez in Latin America

Popularity of World Leaders

Why Do People Support Why Do People Support Him?Him?

Why Do People Oppose Why Do People Oppose Him?Him?

Venezuela V.S. IMFVenezuela V.S. IMF

Venezuela purchased a huge proportion of Argentina and Ecuador's debts to the IMF

ReferendumReferendum

•February 2009: Referendum to abolish the term limits in Venezuela – Chavez won

NationalizationNationalization•2008 September - Government approves nationalization of household fuel distributors and petrol stations. •2008 August - President Chavez announces plans to nationalize one of the country's largest private banks, the Spanish-owned Bank of Venezuela.

Land ReformLand Reform•2005 January - President Chavez signs decree on land reform to eliminate Venezuela's large estates.

SourcesSources

•http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3517106.stm

•http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/world/slot2_20090217.html

•http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1229348.stm

•http://devdata.worldbank.org/AAG/ven_aag.pdf

•http://socialistworld.net/eng/2006/07/13venezuela.html

•http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/in_pictures_caracas___city_of_contrasts/html/1.stm

•http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1885

•http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456996/html/nn4page1.stm