Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. Venezuela comprises an area of 916,445 km² (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 29 million in 2022. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east and on the east by Guyana. Venezuela is a presidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District and federal dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America; the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north and in the capital.

The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from Indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish-American territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part of the first federal Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia). It separated as a full sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity.

Presidential election was held in Venezuela on 28 July 2024 to choose a president for a six-year term beginning on 10 January 2025. Polls conducted before the election indicated that opposition candidate González would win by a wide margin. After the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) announced partial results showing a narrow Maduro victory, most world leaders expressed skepticism of the claimed results and did not recognize the CNE claims. Both González and Maduro proclaimed themselves winners of the election. The results of the election were not recognized by the Carter Center and Organization of American States due to the lack of granular results, and disputed by the opposition, which claimed a landslide victory and released access to vote tallies collected by poll watchers from a majority of polling centers as proof. In the aftermath of the announcement of results by the election authorities, protests broke out across the country. (Full article...)

• ... that Operation Gideon, an attempt to infiltrate Venezuela by sea and remove Nicolás Maduro from office, was stopped before it got further than the beach?
• ... that although it depicts an indigenous goddess, the statue María Lionza is deliberately located in the middle of a highway?
• ... that Venezuela won its first Olympic medal in 1952 with triple jumper Asnoldo Devonish, who competed while injured?
• ... that Jean Arp designed the wavy form of the Berger des Nuages sculpture to simulate nature and express opposition to the machines that caused wars?
• ... that Naiguatá (pictured) was recently sunk in a skirmish with the RCGS Resolute?
• ... that Venezuelan film editor and director Alfredo Hueck became interested in film after learning how to set up his family's Betamax player?
• ... that Juan Guaidó, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, tried to climb over a fence to vote in the 2020 committee elections after being blocked from entering the building?
• ... that the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Luis Parra and six other Venezuelan politicians in relation to an alleged corruption plot?
• ... that Mayerlin Rivas held World Boxing Association world championship titles in both bantamweight and super bantamweight classes?
• ... that marketing for the Venezuelan film That's the Woman I Want told prospective viewers it was so funny they would forget about foot-and-mouth disease?

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  (MHNT) Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens - Venezuela - Female
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  Charolais cattle, Sierra Nevada, Venezuela
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  Colias dimera copulating
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  Diaethria marchalii
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  Kukenan Roraima GS
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  Kukenan Tepuy at Sunset
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  Marpesia zerynthia
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  Rana platanera - Hypsiboas crepitans
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  Teresa Carreño at the piano
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  VEN-4-United States of Venezuela (Treasury)-1 peso (1811, First Issue)
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  Venezuela - Caracas - Parque del Este (58)-Venezuela - Caracas - Parque del Este (72)-4

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