EDINSON

My name is Edinson and I am 15 years old. I am from Venezuela. I was born in Caracas, the capital of the country. I now have been living in Spain for 5 years and I live with my father. My parents are also from Venezuela.
My mother is a Language and Literature teacher and my father works in the hotel business.
Caracas is very pretty and the people of Venezuela are very hospitable, likeable and very smart.

I am in my school's basketball team and I practise in the afternoons. It is very difficult to shine in the world of basketball because there will always be some boys who are better than you.

Venezuela

Venezuela- a third larger than Texas - occupies most of the northern coast of South America on the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Mountain systems break Venezuela into four distinct areas: (1) the Maracaibo lowlands; (2) the mountainous region in the north and northwest; (3) the Orinoco basin, with the llanos (vast grass-covered plains) on its northern border and great forest areas in the south and southeast.

When Columbus explored Venezuela on his third voyage in 1498, the area was inhabited by Arawak, Carib, and Chibcha Indians. A subsequent Spanish explorer gave the country its name, meaning “Little Venice.” Caracas was founded in 1567. Simón Bolívar, who led the liberation from Spain of much of the continent, was born in Caracas in 1783. With Bolívar taking part, Venezuela was one of the first South American colonies to revolt in 1810, winning independence in 1821. Federated at first with Colombia and Ecuador as the Republic of Greater Colombia, Venezuela became a republic in 1830. A period of unstable dictatorships followed. Antonio Guzman Blanco governed from 1870 to 1888, developing an infrastructure, expanding agriculture, and welcoming foreign investment.
Gen. Juan Vicente Gómez was dictator from 1908 to 1935, when Venezuela became a major oil exporter. A military junta ruled after his death. Leftist Dr. Rómulo Betancourt and the Democratic Action Party won a majority of seats in a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution in 1946. A well-known writer, Rómulo Gallegos, candidate of Betancourt's party, became Venezuela's first democratically elected president in 1947. Within eight months, Gallegos was overthrown by a military-backed coup led by Marcos Peréz Jiménez, who was ousted himself in 1958. Since 1959, Venezuela has been one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. Betancourt served from 1959–1964, while Rafael Caldera Rodríguez, president from 1969 to 1974, legalized the Communist Party and established diplomatic relations with Moscow.
Venezuela benefited from the oil boom of the early 1970s. In 1974, President Carlos Andrés Pérez took office, and in 1976 Venezuela nationalized foreign-owned oil and steel companies, offering compensation. Luis Herrera Campíns became president in 1978. Declining world oil prices sent Venezuela's economy into a tailspin, increasing the country's foreign debt. Pérez was reelected to a nonconsecutive term in 1988 and launched an unpopular austerity program. Military officers staged two unsuccessful coup attempts in 1992, while the following year Congress impeached Pérez on corruption charges. President Rafael Caldera Rodríguez was elected in Dec. 1993 to face the 1994 collapse of half of the country's banking sector, falling oil prices, foreign debt repayment, and inflation. In 1997, the government announced an expansion of gold and diamond mining to reduce reliance on oil.



Biography of Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela.

Hugo Chávez Frías was born in Sabaneta, Edo. Barinas, on 28 July 1954.
Son of Hugo de los Reyes Chávez and Elena Frías Chávez (both teachers), he has four children.

He graduated in economics and later he joined the Academy military of Venezuela. He also holds a degree in Sciences and military skills. He carried the following military courses: course basic of communication, school of communication and electronic of the armed forces, year 1975, ranked third among 25 students. Medium of Blindados of the armed forces progress, 1979; first 25 students. Advanced course in Blindados, 1983; first place among 32 students. Course of command and staff, senior Army school years 1991-92. He also participated in the international course war policy, in Guatemala, 1988. Master's degree in political science in the Simón Bolívar University, 1989-90's, with an outstanding thesis. Participated in sports and cultural activities. Championships baseball and softball with the Criollitos of Venezuela (1969), the national championship baseball, Barinas (1976) baseball military music (1977), Softball military in Dominican Republic (1980), League University in Caracas (1984-85). He was President of the insurance parties of Elorza, Edo. Apure (1987-88).

Among other things, he is the author of various stories and poems. "Again faces"(sent to the national), "Mauritius", "The genius and the Centauro" (play that won the third prize of historical National Theatre in Cañafístola, 1987). He has a famous poem dedicated to the TTE. Cnel. deceased Felipe Acosta Carles, who was one of the founders of the MBR-200. he is also the author of numerous works of art as "Shadow of the Gulf war" (1980).

On 17 December 1982, under the shadow of Samán Güere, Chávez founded the Bolivariano Revolutionary Movement (MBR-200). In addition, he is co-author of the Transitional Government project of 4 February (1991). author of the Ante-proyecto National Simón Bolívar (1991), commander of the military operation Ezequiel Zamora, military rebellion on 4 February (1992), co-author of the proposal "How out of the Labyrinth", founder of the Republic V movement.

He currently holds the following titles: Director General of the MBR-200; Director-General of the MVR; Chairman of the Bolivariano High Council; President of the Republic by the MVR candidate. He has received several decorations: Star of Carabobo, Cross of the Land Forces, Military Order Francisco de Miranda, Military Order Rafael Urdaneta, Military Order Libertador V class. In the national armed forces has held various positions.

Military prisoner by rebellion, 1992-94.In December 1998, Hugo Chávez wins the Presidency of the Republic in February 1999, assumes the first judiciary and promises to make a constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution unlikely according to these times. On 15th December 1999), the Venezuelan people had a referendum to decide the approval of the new Bolivian Constitution of Venezuela, being published in Official Gazette on December 30, 1999. On 30 July 2000, President Hugo Chávez won the Presidency of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and on 19 August 2000 he took oath again as first authority before the new National Assembly.

Fauna of Venezuela

For a tropical country with a diverse geography, Venezuela has a flora and fauna very diverse and abundant. Among the mammals in Venezuela are the jaguar, the puma, the capybara, manatee, the howler, monkey laziness and freshwater dolphins. Also found in the country the most rare of the world giant otter. The population of birds boasts many species, including the condor, the flamenco, the pelican, parrots, macaws and toucans as well as a rare night kind, the guacharo. Reptiles include alligators, iguanas, snakes as well as boas and the anaconda, which is regarded as the world's largest snake.