AFS Programas Interculturales Venezuela

Venezuela is a country where you will find many things to learn, many places to visit and a lot of people who is waiting to meet you.

This country is located at the northern coast of South America , and it borders with Brazil to the south, with Colombia to the west, with Guyana to the east and with the Caribbean Sea to the north. With its 916.050 square kilometres surface, Venezuela offers white sand beaches and transparent waters, dry and desert-like zones, plains of extraordinary beauty and with a huge animal and vegetal diversity particularly interesting for naturalists, mountains proudly represented by the Andean Mountain Range and ancient tablelands, called Tepuis, emerging from the dense green of the jungles.

The capital

Caracas , the capital is located under the Avila , a mountain that reaches 2600 meters ( 7800 ft .), where the Humboldt Hotel is located, which you can reach by cable car (teleférico). This city is also a cultural center. Prove of that are the many museums like the museum of modern art, is one of the most important in south America where you can appreciate high quality works. Every year Caracas hosts an international Theatre Festival, where groups from all over the world meet. Besides that, the variety of its cafes and restaurants where you can find all kind of dishes, the parks, shopping centers, and many other things make Caracas a great city.

Some interesting regions and places to visit are:

Venezuela is home of an enormous variety of animals and plants, and it is one of the most biodiversity regions in the world. Examples of the biodiversity are some national park/ of the following places.


Today, there are about 250 species of mammal in Venezuela, including the jaguar, puma, capybara ( chiguire ), manatee, howler monkey, sloth and two species of fresh water dolphin. The country is also home to the giant otter or ‘water-wolf', which is the rarest otter in the world.


Angel Fall , the most highest water fall in the world with about 980 meters high


Canaima National Park is the sixth largest national park in the World with some 3 million hectares and with an altitude range of 400 - 2,400m, the park encompasses the Laguna Canaima, the Carrao river basin, the mountains of Sierra de Lema, the Gran Sabana and the Angel Falls.


Los Andes

Climate

The temperature varies very little during the year and most parts of the country maintain an average of over 25°C ( 77°F ). The capital, Caracas , has an average annual temperature of 22°C ( 72°F ) and varies by only 4°C ( 8°F ) over the year. However, the temperature drops with altitude. The mountainous regions can get cold, especially at night, and there is even snow in the highest parts of the Andes .

Like all tropical countries, Venezuela only has two seasons, the dry season, known as verano, and the rainy season, known as invierno, which are marked by the difference in rainfall rather than temperature. Generally, the dry season is from December to April/May, and the rainy season lasts for the rest of the year. Rainfall, however, can occur during the dry season, and the rainy season often has dry months.

There are many regional variations in rainfall. While certain areas, such as the Caribbean Islands and the northern coastal region remain dry, with only 280mm ( 11 inches ) of annual rainfall, the mountain slopes of northern Venezuela are generally wet, with annual rainfall reaching up to 1500mm ( 58 inches ). Amazonas remains wet for most of the year, and in the Llanos, a vast plain in the south western region, extensive floods during the rainy months are followed by severe droughts in the dry season.

Economy

Venezuela 's market economy is dominated by its principal natural resource: oil. Venezuela 's oil reserves were discovered in 1914, and swiftly transformed the country from a poor nation into one of the richest in South America .

With the singular importance of oil as a source of income, other sectors of the economy were overlooked. The fisheries have yet to be fully developed, although the recent introduction of technology within the fishing industry is improving yield and encouraging growth.

There is an abundance of natural resources other than oil in Venezuela , and over the last 20 years there has been considerable progress in the mining industry. Large amounts of iron ore are mined, as well as diamond, coal, bauxite and gold. Heavy industry has also been expanded, thanks to the availability of local raw materials and cheap energy.

Undoubtedly, the most beneficial industry after oil is tourism. With its tropical climate and diverse landscape, Venezuela has become a popular destination with foreign visitors, and the numbers of tour operators and travel agents within the country are rapidly increasing. The majority of visitors to Venezuela come from Germany , Holland , England , Belgium and Canada .

Travel Tips

Entry Requirements : Valid passport from the country of origin, along with a visa, a tourist card, and a return ticket. No special vaccinations are required, although people who intend to travel to the jungle should consult their physician as to whether or not they need protection from yellow fever and malaria.
Currency : Bolivar (Bs)
Electric Current :110 Volts, 60 cycles
Language : Spanish is the main language of Venezuela .
Tipping : A 10 % service charge is usually added to restaurant bills. It is also customary to give baggage handlers a tip to appreciate their help.
Holidays:
- 1st January - New Year's Day
- Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday - Carnival
- Monday, Thursday and Good Friday - Easter
- 19th April - Declaration of Independence
- 1st May - Labor Day
- 24th June - Battle of Carabobo
- 5th July - Independence Day
- 24th July - Bolívar's Birthday
- 12th October - Discovery of America
- 25th December - Christmas Day

Sports

Baseball, basketball and soccer are the most popular spectator sports in Venezuela , being some of the most popular baseball team Leones del Caracas, Magallanes, Caribes de Oriente, Cardenales de Lara, Águilas del Zulia, and many others. There are also many Venezuelan baseball players playing in many countries such as US, Japan , Mexico , and others.

The representative soccer team is called La Vinotinto and everybody turns very excited at the time the team comes to the field.

There are many other sports and activities like voleyball, basketball, golf, water sky, and surfing, among many others…