Venezuela is one of the most interesting American countries that can be visited all over the world. The beauty of its natural parks, a privileged climate, its modern culture and hospitable people with visits make it one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean. Next, in Supercurious , we bring you some curiosities of Venezuela that will help you to know a little more about this country that, despite its short history, is full of anecdotes and striking situations.
In addition, we recommend that if you want to be fascinated by the incredible places that you can visit there, do not miss this post about What to see in Venezuela and discover a trip that will change your life .
50 Curiosities of Venezuela that will fascinate you
1. Venezuela is one of the countries in the world that has received the most migrants in its history. A small population after the independence of 1810, a large territory rich in resources and a lot of work to do were the engines that propelled immigration here. Most of the immigrants in Venezuela come from America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, highlighting the Spanish, German, Argentine, Chilean and, above all, Colombian migrations throughout the 20th century.
Venezuela was the place of refuge for those fleeing the Latin American dictatorships of the second half of the 20th century and the guerrilla conflicts Only 3 million migrants arrived from Chile between the 60s and the 80s, when the total population of the country was approximately 11 million, that is to say: at least 1/3 of the Venezuelan population was foreign.
two. Surely you already know that leprosy It is a serious disease that harassed the human race for years, to the point of subjecting entire cities to quarantine or banishing those who suffered it to desert and remote territories. But, Did you know that the one who invented the cure and the leprosy vaccine was a Venezuelan doctor? Dr. Jacinto Convit.
3. The General Captaincy of Venezuela began its process of independence from Spain in 1810 , later it became part of Gran Colombia (a commonwealth of states that included Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador). As soon as this country was dissolved (1830), Venezuela was formed as the nation it is today.
Four. Unlike many countries, the role of women in history is well known and even inculcated in basic secondary education , as Josefa Camejo, Teresa Ortiz or Manuela Sáenz . Women in Venezuela have also found space to stand out as writers, such as Teresa de La Parra, dancers, music experts, such as Teresa Carreño and solo singers.
However, machismo still covers many spaces in everyday life , street harassment being common and having little female representation in high government positions, such as the Executive Power.
5. Undoubtedly, among the curiosities of Venezuela could not miss the fact that It has the highest waterfall in the world , the call Angel jump o Kerepakupai Merú in the Pemón language, located in the Canaima National Park and with a height of 979 meters. It was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1994.
6. The Venezuelan flag has a deep meaning . The yellow color symbolizes the riches of the country, the blue Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean that bathe its coasts and the red blood of the nation's liberators, while the stars represent the 8 original provinces of the country. Did you know?
7 The language is one of the curiosities of Venezuela that attracts the most attention, there is a dictionary about creole words , both in the whole country and by region. For example, it is thought that Venezuela is the place of origin of the word "chévere", which is established as one of the most characteristic idiomatic idioms of Latin American Spanish to describe that something or some situation is pleasant.
8 On the other hand, The origin of the name of the country is a curiosity in itself. It is a modification of the name of the Italian city of Venice , famous for its channels. The name was established by Américo Vespucio who, seeing the indigenous stilt houses on Lake Maracaibo, reminded him of the Venetian canals and their homes. However, Venezuela has a much larger territory than any other country in Europe.
9 Another of the curiosities of Venezuela is found in its extensive oil riches, unknown until the early twentieth century and product of its richness in sedimented organic matter; which led him to be one of the original founding members of OPEC, along with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.
10 Another of the curiosities of Venezuela is that the importance of the oil activity here is such that, currently, it represents 50% of the nation's GDP , which makes oil and its derivatives its main source of income and engine of its economy.
11. Venezuela has only two different seasons of the year: one warm, humid and dry and the other cold, wet and rainy; commonly known as drought season and rainy season. In addition, it is prone to be affected by the phenomenon of the child, producing droughts or extreme floods every certain number of years.
12 According to the WHO, Venezuela is one of the countries where driving is more dangerous. It occupies the fifth place in the list of dangerousness at the wheel, which is due to the current neglect of the government that has resulted in a very low investment in maintenance of roads, traffic lights and other signage; as well as the Lack of road education in basic education systems, both for drivers and pedestrians .
13 In Venezuela you will find the place where most rays fall in the world. It is about the phenomenon called " Lightning of the Catatumbo "And it happens in Lake Maracaibo. In just one night, more than 100,000 lightning bolts can fall . Thousands of tourists come from all over the world to witness this spectacular and chilling phenomenon.
14. Venezuela is the country with the largest proven oil reserves in the world , with more than 300,878,033 barrels of oil, approximately, of which almost 2 million are in the subsoil of the western plains, in the Orinoco Oil Belt.
fifteen. In some areas of Venezuela it is considered that the presence of large and black butterflies is a bad omen . If they fly inside a house, it is interpreted as the announcement of an imminent death. Here dreams play an important role in people's life.
16. In Venezuela there are different types of typical dances that vary by region and they usually have their origin in Spanish fandango and Arabic melismatic music. In the plains we have the joropo, for example, while the country in general Latin American rhythms such as salsa or merengue can not miss any party. Caracas is known in Venezuela as the city of salsa.
17 Although football also has great importance (mostly in college sports) s e considers that baseball is by tradition the national sport of Venezuela, having its origin in the great American migration that occurred during the opening of the oil fields.
18. The national bird of Venezuela is the Venezuelan turpial . A beautiful bird native to America, with white, intense yellow and black colors, which contrast a lot between them. The turpial, like the national tree (the beautiful araguaney) can be found almost anywhere in the national territory.
19 Although small federal states of some countries came forward, Venezuela it was the first country as such that abolished the Death penalty , in 1863 . It was also the first country to recognize gender diversity and identification in the 1980s.
20. The cogollo hat is an accessory from Venezuela . It is made with the bud of the leaf of the datileros and we can find it in the Gran Sabana as well as in the Caribbean islands of Margarita or in the Cordillera de los Andes.
21. There are more than 1400 species of birds known in Venezuela , one more proof of its biodiversity. However, it is known that there are still many unknown species of different animals in the Amazon rainforest, especially amphibians, birds and reptiles.
22. The motto of the State of Venezuela is considered to correspond to the phrase "God and Federation". Its origin goes back to the Federal War of Venezuela. From this era also emerged one of the best-known popular songs in Venezuela, "Oligarcas temblad, viva la libertad" the march that was being sung during the struggles between federalists and liberals against conservatives.
2. 3. Another of the curiosities of Venezuela is that it is one of the 17 countries recognized as "megadiverse" , that is, those that have an impressive variety of animal and vegetable species, so many that many are still unknown.
24 Surely because Venezuelan society is aware of the value of its nature, unique in many cases, It has 53.9% of its protected territory through the establishment of parks, monuments and nature reserves. No other nation has made a gesture like this for the preservation of its nature!
In addition, many of these national parks are true paradises where you can enjoy the most beautiful beaches in the world , like Los Roques or Mochima, or the oldest mountains on the planet, like the tepuyes of the Amazon. One of the most interesting curiosities of Venezuela.
25 This is one of the curiosities of Venezuela that you could not have imagined: Mount Roraima inspired the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author also of the novels of Sherlock Holmes) to create the history of his book "The Lost World", in which a part of the South American plateau is still inhabited by prehistoric creatures. It also inspired Isabel Allende to write "The City of the Beasts" whose trilogy happens between the Venezuelan Amazon, Caracas and San Francisco (USA).
26 A worrisome curiosity of Venezuela is that, after Honduras, among the 5 countries with the most deaths related to armed violence and firearms. But nevertheless, most of these homicides happen in areas potentially prone to violence such as borders with Colombia and Brazil (of well-known guerrilla tradition), the gold and diamond mines of the South of the country and the neighborhoods or marginal zones to the big cities.
30% of these deaths are caused by police officers. This characteristic is new for the country, since 20 years ago it was an impressively quiet area in a Latin America with a convulsive tradition.
27 In addition, Caracas is today the third city in the world with the highest murder rate, after Los Cabos (Mexico) and Tegucigalpa (Honduras); for the same reasons that we listed above. It is not that you can not walk through Caracas, it is a city where there is much to know and enjoy and these deaths are usually related to "citizen security" operations, which is not justified but you are not in greater danger. To avoid bad times try not to walk alone outside the urbanization and less at night.
28 Another of the curiosities of Venezuela is that It shelters several extinct species in its fauna , like the anteater and the black bear in the Andes, the herons in Margarita, the sea turtles in the whole coast of the country (as well as their nests) and the Orinoco crocodile, also called the llanero caiman.
29 One of the curiosities of Venezuela is found in its gastronomy, which is as varied as its geography . In addition to the main dishes such as the pavilion, Venezuelan cuisine stands out for its companions, where we find the famous arepas, tequeños, empanada venezuela, cachapa, fried plantain, hallaquita or funche among others.
30 Venezuelan society has created an incredible amount of white cheeses that are not found anywhere else in the world as the llanero, the guayanés, the telita, etc. If you have not tried them, we encourage you to do so, they are delicious. Psst! There are also rich artisan liqueurs such as cocuy (typical of Lara and extracted from the same penca as tequila) and the Andean miche.
31 According to what is known so far in the story, Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on Venezuelan soil, in 1498. In a letter the Catholic Kings described the place as an "earthly paradise" . Then it was on the island of Cubagua, famous for its pearl deposits, exploited until annihilation by the Spaniards. Today this island is deserted (it suffered great floods).
32 Another of the curiosities of Venezuela that is really mysterious has to do with a phenomenon called " The Black Spot. "It is a black substance that began to emerge from the paved roads of Caracas, in 1986.
Its texture was slippery and, therefore, its presence caused many accidents that, in the years that this strange material has appeared, has claimed thousands of lives. No scientist has been able to explain the reason for this phenomenon or what is so strange material. The mysterious substance is no longer observed, it went as mysteriously as it arrived.
33. Venezuela has the coast that gives the longest Caribbean in the world . There are 2,800 square kilometers of beaches, bays and rock cliffs, separated from the rest of the country by the Cordillera de la Costa, a Caribbean extension of the Andes and where it ends.
34. Another of the curiosities of Venezuela is the origin of the name of its capital: Caracas. It is not known for sure where it comes from, but it is thought that it could come from the name of the ancient indigenous tribe that inhabited one of the valleys of the coast of the region, the "Caracas". Another hypothesis is that the name comes from one of the flowers in the area, which the indigenous people called "caraca".
35. Slavery was abolished in Venezuela much earlier than in other countries. They ended this practice in 1854, although it is thought that it was more a political measure to increase the working population and lower the maintenance costs to the landowners, since they would no longer be responsible for their slaves.
36. Venezuela is a country extremely rich in musical instruments and techniques (Not for nothing has a prestigious system of youth orchestras). Nothing else to play the four, originating from here, there are hundreds of different rhythms, the most popular being the Zulia bagpipe, characterized by the gurrufío, and the joropo llanero, which stands out for the use of the harp. All these rhythms are often accompanied by maracas and other instruments according to the rhythm to be interpreted.
37. The full name of the country is "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela". However, it has had many names , among which the Captaincy General of Venezuela stands out, when it was delimited as Spanish defense territory, the United States of Venezuela, after 1830, and the Federal United States of Venezuela, after the end of the federal War.
38. The Venezuelan territory is composed of all types of soils and climates that exist in the world , as the song says, here we find desert, jungle, snow, sand, mountains, plains, saws, etc. It is like a compilation of all the landscapes of the planet in one place.
39. Venezuela's literacy rate is 96%. An incredibly high rate for both the region and the world . Venezuela, in general, has very good education rates and for almost any job you are asked to have at least a degree in Advanced University Technician, but a university degree or license. There are still those who travel from other Latin American countries to present admission tests at Venezuelan universities such as ULA, LUZ and the largest, the UCV.
40. It is estimated that the first inhabitants of Venezuela occupied the territory at least 15,000 years ago . In the Amazon it is still possible to find rocks carved with hieroglyphics, such as the one called "The first book in the world" exhibited in the central library of the UCV.
41. Venezuela is tied with India in regards to Miss World number . Both Venezuela and India have managed to win this contest 6 times. Although this country is much more than the appearance of its people, it is also the second country to win more titles of Miss Universe, surpassed only by the United States.
42 Another of the great curiosities of Venezuela is that the country's large oil reserves make the price of gasoline in here is among the lowest in the world . Here it is much cheaper to buy a liter of gasoline than to buy a liter of water.
43. Expressions are used on a daily basis in Venezuela that can be shocking in other parts of the world , as in the case of the word "arrecho" or "arrecha" (which depending on the context can mean that a person is upset, that is very good in his trade or has done something that is very wrong) or the word "cock" or "pod" in many contexts and to replace different concepts, which have nothing to do with the most obscene reading of the term. Perhaps the most complicated word to understand is pod, because it can be used, literally, for any pod
44. The national flower of Venezuela is the orchid, also known as "Flor de mayo". In Venezuela, approximately 25,000 different species of orchids grow, of which the majority can be found in the Amazon.
Four. Five. Here another of the curiosities of Venezuela in this subject: another word they often use here , without this implying an offense - neither for the LGTBI collective - it is "marico" or "queer". If a person from Venezuela uses this term you should know that he uses it as a synonym of "friend" or "partner", often accompanied by a tone of joke.
46. Do you like colonial architecture? The city of Coro is one of the places in the world where the colonial style of the buildings of the villages of yesteryear has been better preserved. There are really striking streets in this place. In addition, the historic center of Caracas, in the center of the city, also houses homes, premises and a municipal headquarters of colonial structure, in addition to a Capitol built in the nineteenth century.
47. In this country, although the majority of the population is considered to be secular, celebrating the Christmas holidays and the new year is very important ; it is the only time of year when the family is morally obliged to meet and feast on hallacas, ham bread, wine, milky sweet, panettone, etc.
It does not matter if you practice any religion or not, Christmas is an indisputable part of Venezuelan culture , so much so that there are intercollegiate bagpipe competitions, typical music of this time, and special food is prepared for this season.
48 Another of the curiosities of Venezuela that you could not even imagine was that Lake Maracaibo is the largest in South America , with an extension of more than 13,000 square kilometers of salt water (because it has a strait with access to the Caribbean Sea). This lake has as tributaries the incredible amount of more than 135 rivers and springs.
49. The entire territory that today makes up the Gran Sabana, with its impressive plains, jungles and tepuis, was once submerged under marine waters , during ... like much of South America, which has been evidenced in fossils of marine species found in these areas. Awesome Right?
fifty. Other great curiosities of Venezuela is that, 8 million years ago, rodents of 3 meters (counting the tail) occupied Venezuelan territory . These were specimens of Phoberomys pattersoni, creatures already extinct. Also in Venezuela remains of giant sloths have been found and, even, fossils of dinosaurs.
Besides the Curiosities of Venezuela, do not miss ...
Are you even more hungry for curiosities from America? It gathers more curiosities like those of Venezuela, in the following list of posts dedicated to the most surprising of other amazing American countries ð ?????? Descover them!
- Curious facts of Mexico
- Curious Facts of Argentina
- Curious Facts of Colombia
- Curious Data of Brazil
- Curious Facts of the United States
- Curiosities of Canada
- Curiosities of Ecuador
- Curiosities of Puerto Rico
As you can see, Venezuela is a country full of contrasts and curiosities to discover, with an impressive natural and cultural heritage, as well as a recent but very interesting history. Did you already know these curiosities about Venezuela? Do you know any other curious data that is also interesting? Tell us in the comments! We will love discovering it!