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Venezuela
is a country of dramatic contrasts and notable natural beauty. In
the North part of the territory there are 3000kms of white-sand
beaches and palm trees outlining the Caribbean coast. To the South,
the Amazon jungle greets you with the imposing plains of the Gran
Sabana. There, you will find the impressive flat-topped mountains
that the aboriginal people call “tepuyes ” as well as the world’s
highest waterfall, Angel Falls or “Salto Angel”. The Southeast is
dominated by the highland of Guayana. The vast, flat plains of the
Central Llanos, which take up more than 30% of the country are irrigated
by the third largest river on the continent— the Orinoco River.
To the Northeast is Maracaibo Lake, the largest in South America,
surrounded by swamps and fertile lowlands. South of the lake, the
Cordillera of the Andes rises up with its snowy peaks to reach a
height of 5,007m and culminate in the Peak of Bolívar.
Venezuela
also possesses a large variety of unique vegetation, particularly
on the Roraima Tepuy. Venezuela’s exotic animals include ocelotes,
tapirs, anteaters, frontino bears and anacondas.
The
origin of VENEZUELA‘s name reaches back to when
the first explorers arrived at the Sinamaica lagoon in the State
of Zulia, near Maracaibo. When they saw the “palafitos” or houses
on stilts, in which the aboriginals lived, they were reminded of
Venice and named Venezuela “Little Venice” after it.
CARACAS
| Situated
in a picturesque valley on the North coast, the Venezuelan
capital is a hurried metropolis with almost 4 million inhabitants.
Fast, progressive, and cosmopolitan it is proud of possessing
South America’s most impressive examples of modern architecture.
The
university city where the Central University of Venezuela
is located was designed by a master of modern Venezuelan architecture,
Carlos Raul Villanueva. It is an authentic living museum and
holds 100 works of art ranging from murals to sculptures,
paintings and stained glass, all of which are situated in
broad, green spaces. This marvellous space where studies,
research and the arts intersect contains works
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View
of the Caracas valley with the Avila mountain in the
background
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The
house of Saint Hyacinth, which, as Bolívar’s
birthplace, is not only historically important, but
is also a fine example of the capital’s colonial period
The
Teresa Carreño
cultural complex
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Amphitheatre
of Aula Magna, Venezuela Central University, where the
“flying saucers” of the North American artist Alexander
Calder can be appreciated
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of art by Venezuelan and international artists which include
Jesús Soto, Oswaldo Vigas, Mateo Manaure, Wilfredo Lam,
Fernand Léger, Jean Arp and Victor Vasarely among others.
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