References Used.—History of South America, W. H. Koebel; With the Trade Winds, Ira Nelson Morris; The Land of Bolívar, Statesman's Yearbook, 1918-1919; Reports of International High Commission; Reports of Minister of Finance (Venezuela); Official Gazette of Venezuela.
GEOGRAPHICAL
The United States of Venezuela occupies the northernmost part of South America bounded on the ocean side by the Atlantic and the Caribbean and on the land side by British Guiana, Colombia and Brazil. It has an area of 393,976 square miles (1,020,396 kilometers) with a population, however, of only 2,848,121 or approximately 7 to the square mile. This is in striking contrast with the figures obtained from the United States Census of 1920 which shows an average population of 35.5 to the square mile.
Venezuela is divided geographically into four zones, the llanos or large plains and river valleys which afford excellent opportunities for the raising of cattle, the mountain section, formed by three mountain ranges, the table lands or plateaus and the mining zone. Venezuela covers the same extent of superficial area as France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The country is especially fortunate in having an immense coast line which extends over 1,800 miles. It has 32 ports, some 50 creeks and bays, 7 peninsulas and 7 straits. Besides the Lake of Maracaibo, which is the largest and of special importance, there are also 204 smaller lakes, 60 rivers, 8 of which are of the first magnitude. Along with the variety of physical features Venezuela has a variety of climate which permits the raising of many crops of the tropical and temperate zones.
POLITICAL
Venezuela was sighted by Columbus on his third voyage in 1498, when he entered the Gulf of Paria and sailed along the Delta of the Orinoco. In 1550 this territory became the Captain-generalcy of Caracas and remained under Spanish rule until early in the nineteenth century.
The modern history of Venezuela dates from the year 1813 when Simón Bolívar took up arms against the Spanish Government and finally defeated them at the Battle of Boyaca on August 7, 1819. Two years later at Carabobo the Royalist forces were entirely routed and an end was put to Spanish control in South America.
Simón Bolívar is venerated in Venezuela as the father of his country, a title which he richly deserves. He was born in Caracas in 1783 and from his earliest years his life seemed to be dedicated to the cause of freedom. As a young man he studied in France and was an eye witness to many of the scenes of the French Revolution, so that the spirit of freedom and revolt against despotic government was further intensified in him.
After his victory over the Spanish forces in 1821 Bolívar was formally appointed President of Colombia which then included the present republics of Venezuela and Ecuador. In 1830 Venezuela separated from Colombia and became an independent state. The remainder of Bolívar's public career was devoted to tireless labor in behalf of his people that they might enjoy a stable and beneficial government. He died at Santa Marta on December 17, 1830, almost penniless after having labored throughout his entire life in the interest of his native country.