The Importance of Understanding Cultures
One of the culture that attracts me the most is the Venezuelan culture. I don’t really know anything about that culture prior to this research. However, I’ve found it to be very interesting when read about them. Apparently this country was created in 1499 by Alonso de Ojeda, a member of Christopher Columbus’s third trip to the Americas. Back then, Ojeda named this part of the Caribbean (Venezuela), Venice, because of their housing and living style. But, under the Spanish occupation, this territory name was later changed from Venice to Venezuela (Culture Grams, 2015).
Venezuela's national population is very similar to that of most other South American countries, with a mixture of an initial indigenous population, a large Spanish influx, and a significant population of African ancestry. There have also been notable European and Latin American migrations in the last two centuries. Venezuela is mainly made up of four groups: mestizos, or pardos, (mixed European and Indian ancestry), comprising 67 percent of the population; white (European descent, mainly Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese), 2l percent; black (African and Caribbean descent), 10 percent; and Indian (Native Americans), 2 percent. These groups tend to be regionally localized (Culture Grams, 2015).
As far as location and Geography; Venezuela is located on the northern (Caribbean) coast of South America. It has an area of 352,144 square miles (912,050 square kilometers) and is bordered by Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, Colombia to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea to the north. In general, Venezuela is usually divided into four major environmental regions: the coastal zone, the Andean mountain range, the llanos (plains), and the Guiana Highlands. Venezuela's capital is Caracas. The llanos is the largest region in the country, making up one-third of the territory. The population is far from homogenous, however, and even the language spoken in the region still reflects both indigenous and African linguistic influence (Culture Grams and USA Today, 2015).
References
Argosy University, (2015). Researching Cultures. Data Retrieved on 05/06/2015, from: https://digitalbookshelf.argosy.edu/#/books/9780558788391/pages/49072913?return=/books/9780558788391/outline/10
CultureGrams (2015). Venezuelan Culture. Data Retrived on 05/06/2015, from: http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country.php?contid=7&wmn=South_America&cid=172&cn=Venezuela
USA Today (2015). Caracas, Venezuela Culture. Data Retrieved on 05/06/2015, from: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/caracas-venezuela-culture-24529.html
