Occupying central position on the northern coast of South America, Venezuela has as its neighbour to the south Brazil. Border disputes erupt periodically with both its other two neighbours, Guyana to the east and Colombia to the west. The western peninsular, the Peninsular de la Guajira, shared with Colombia, gives on to the Caribbean Sea.

Close on 25 million people live in Venezuela, most of them on the coastal strip, and in fact, much of the interior is completely undeveloped.

The capital of Venezuela is Caracas, and the oil capital is Maracaibo to the west of the country, where the Golf of Venezuela leads into the Lake of Maracaibo and to the oil fields. The country’s economy relies heavily on the petroleum industry.

Named by explorer Amerigo Vespucci in 1499, the term “Venezuela” is a diminutive of Venice – Little Venice – because the sight of the houses built there and raised above the water on stilts reminded the Italian of his home city of Venice.

The main airport is 28 miles distant from Caracas at Maiquetia – the Simon Bolivar International Airport. This is in the El Litoral region which is where the disastrous mud slides occurred in 1999. Shuttle buses ply every few minutes between international and domestic terminals and also to the city.

For the latest information regarding visa requirements please go to www.projectvisa.com

The language is Spanish. The currency is 1 bolivar = 100 centimos. The majority of people are Catholics and the ethnic make up is a mix of the European and African. There are very few indigenous people. For current exchange rates please go to www.xe.com

The vast mountain range of the Andes that reaches down to the southernmost point of South American, has a northern ridge – the Cordillera de Merida – lying across the west of Venezuela, effectively cutting off the oil capital of Maracaibo and Lake Maracaibo and isolating them from Caracas which occupies the central coastal plan the other side of the cordillera. The highest point of the range is Pico Bolivar, frequently snow capped, at 16,400 ft. You can ascend the Cordillera’s Pico Espejo by means of the world’s longest and highest cable car journey – an astonishing 7.5 miles ascent from Merida.

The sunshine islands of the Lesser Antilles, Aruba and Curacao, and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago all lie off the Venezuelan coast, within range of Venezuelan radio stations. Isla de Margarita – Pearl Island – belongs to Venezuela and is linked to the city of Cumana by ferry. Margarita is a popular and traditional holiday destination.

Tourists’ destination wish lists are always topped with the Angel Falls, Orinoco River expeditions to The Lost World of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and relaxation at one or more of the numerous beach resorts. The sun drenched playas of the Route of the Sun that stretches between Puerto la Cruz and Cumana (Venezuela’s oldest city, founded in 1521) team with colour and noise that merely increase with the going down of the sun.

Finally, a little corner of Germany in this South American country. Colonia Tovar was founded in 1843 by a group of immigrants from the then independent state of Baden. It has kept it's German style architecture and has gained the nickname of "the Germany of the Caribbean". It is primarily an agricultural community as well as a favourite destination among tourists. See the photo on our Home Page.

The mighty River Orinoco rises in the Guiana Highlands of Brazil before snaking down to form part of the boundary with Colombia and then curving past Ciudad Boliva and Ciudad Guayana and out to the Atlantic Ocean to the east of Venezuela. At the start of its journey on the periphery of the Amazon River basin, the Orinoco passes through dense tropical jungle and exotic vegetation and it is this Lost World setting that is sought by explorers in this all but unoccupied southern region of the country. But few isolated small communities are to be found in this magnificent and beautiful wilderness place.

Between the rainforest and the coastal developments in the north, lies an enormous land of open plains and ranches – cattle rearing country, home of joropo music and dance.

Caracas – elegant, sophisticated, immensely busy and modern though it is, shanty town type homes in their thousands jostle for space amongst the high rise apartment and office blocks. More than five million people live here in a city which experiences little change in temperature throughout the year – an average 65 degrees in January and an average 69 degrees in July.

Vast unemployment and poverty followed the savage currency devaluation of 2002 (the second such in twelve years) although reforms under the late President Chavez have resulted in better deals for Venezuelan oil which in turn are intended to filter down to provide a better standard of living for the man in the street.

Caracas has an exquisite situation with the El Avila national park Mountains providing a natural backcloth of breathtaking beauty which is well valued by its inhabitants, the Caraquenos.

Travel is cheap by metro and metro buses, and taxis are also plentiful.

What to see and do in Caracas:

Birthplace of Simon Bolivar - the Liberator - the heart of the city of Caracas is Plaza Bolivar where Bolivar’s former home is open to the public as also is the Museum Bolivariano. There is a seventeenth century cathedral and the mausoleum, the national Panteon painted pink white and grey is where are buried the city’s famous sons.

Alongside the history runs trade – there is an amazing gold bazaar: a tower block in the centre called La Francia which, even if you are not in the market for buying gold, is well worth a visit.

It is probably best to head for Las Mercedes for shops and restaurants, and you are spoiled for choice in the number and variety of first class museums, theatres and concert halls.

Modern architecture is also of note. The Black Cube suite of offices is stunning, as are the twin towers of Central Park, which should be included in your sightseeing itinerary – from the top you can take in some magnificent panoramic city views. This was once a slum area, subject of an ambitious rejuvenation programme.

There are lovely open spaces too – the botanical gardens with an absolutely huge range of tree and plant specimens; the city park which houses a planetarium and a traditional zoo; and the freedom zoological park where the animals live on islands to keep them apart from the visitors, rather than being confined behind bars. They are of course still confined, but it is a subtler confinement carrying the illusion that they are in a natural environment, and visitors certainly claim to prefer the lack of bars. Other zoos are following the lead of Caracas and its freedom zoo, and eventually cages may cease to be used anywhere. A night safari is especially exciting when nocturnally active beasts can be seen under strategically placed floodlighting.

For bird lovers, the National Park Henri Pitlier at Maracas is well worth a visit, but it is a good hour and half from Caracas and you should allow a day in which to be able fully to admire the extraordinary grounds and the exotic and unusual flora and to see some of the 560 species of birds that live there.

Further afield, the famous flamingos can be visited at Cuare Wildlife Refuge, and they share their territory with the beautiful scarlet ibis.

For a visit to Angel Falls, you need to head for Canaima National Park from either Ciudad Bolivar or Ciudad Guyana by way of a flight seeing or an overland tour. The Angel Falls got their name from James Angel who flew over them in 1935 and claimed the discovery as his own. Angel Falls are the longest in the world.

Puerto Ayacucho is the base for the wilderness exploration to see the petroglyphs and towering sandstone shapes known as laja. Eco tourist camps are fairly basic but this aspect of the tourist industry is improving all the time.

If you plan on exploring the Amazonas region of the Upper Orinoco from Parima or La Esmeralda, it is essential that prior to travelling to Venezuela, you check on the current medical recommendations – there is an ever present risk of an outbreak of yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria. For information about the weather conditions please go to www.worldweather.org