Venezuela was inhabited by tribal peoples for thousands of years prior to the Spanish arriving. In 1522, Nueva Toledo became the first permanent Spanish settlement in South America. However, Venezuela was a somewhat neglected colony, as the Spanish were busy mining gold and becoming rich off of other more profitable lands.
In the late 1700s, Venezuelans began to want independence from Spain. Led by patriot Simon Bolivar, Venezuela, together with Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, broke free of Spain and created the Republic of Gran Colombia in 1821. In 1830, Venezuela became a separate independent nation.
Much of Venezuela's history has been marred with dictatorship and military governments. Today the country is led by Hugo Chavez. He has implemented socialism to the extreme, weakening the democracy that the country had achieved by the late 20th century.
The Geography of Venezuela
Total Size: 912,050 square km
Size Comparison: slightly more than twice the size of California
