VenezuelaVenezuela
Yea Uen & So Yea Uen & So YoungYoung
Geog
rap
Geog
rap
hy
hy
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.
Eco
nom
y:
Main
Eco
nom
y:
Main
Pro
du
cts
Pro
du
cts
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