Venezuela, officially Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is located on the continent of South America. To the north Venezuela is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, on the east by Guyana, to the south by Brazil, and on the southwest and west by Columbia. The capital of Venezuela is Caracas and also the largest city in Venezuela. The total area of Venezuela is 912,050 sq km, while 72 islands make up a small portion of the total area. The Andes dominate the northwestern part of Venezuela while the Guiana Highlands cover the eastern half. .

             The population of Venezuela is 23,595,822 (2000 estimate), of which 67% of the people are mestizos, people of mixed European and Native American ancestry. The country is divided into 20 states with to federal territories that consist of the federal dependencies and the Capital District. The federal dependencies consist of the 72 islands in the Caribbean and the Capital district, site of Caracas, the national capital. The official language of Venezuela is Spanish and the principal religion is Roman Catholicism.

             Christopher Columbus first sighted the coast of Venezuela in 1498 but he didn't explore the region. A year later a Spanish explorer by the name Alonso de Ojeda explored and named Venezuela or Little Venice. He got the name from the native's houses that resembled Italian houses in Venice. Spain didn't start settling Venezuela in 1520, but in 1528 Charles V granted part of Venezuela, the part of Venezuela lying between Cape Vela and Maracapana, to the Weslers whom he was in debt to. Venezuela first tried to win independence from Spain in 1808, but was not able to secede until 1829. Then the revolutionaries formed an independent republic with its capital in Caracas and they named Jose Antonio Paez, a hero of the revolution, the president who served until 1846. .

             For about the next 100 years Venezuela was governed by a series of fierce dictators.