COLOMBIA VS. VENEZUELA

COLOMBIA’S HISTORY

1500’s Spanish explorers arrived on the Caribbean Coast of South America.

Spaniards claimed land for themselves. They founded colonies and cities along the

coastal areas. By 1600’s the Spanish had set up estates.

Forced Indians and Enslaved Africans to work the land

Independence- 1700’s Struggle over how government would be run

(Church Involvement?)

CULTURE OF COLOMBIA

Religion: Roman CatholicLanguage: SpanishEthnicity: 57% of Colombians are Mestizo

ECONOMY OF COLOMBIA

Major Export- Coffee 12% of World’s Coffee is Produced Here

Crops- Bananas and Sugarcane Also export flowers

80% are shipped to the United States Emerald’s- most of world’s emerald’s come

from Colombia

GOVERNMENT

Guerrillas want/try to overthrow government.

United States gives assistance to Colombia’s government

President is Alvaro Uribe

VENEZUELA

1500’s the Spanish came hoping to find treasures.

Found nothing- turned to agriculture Forced Indians to do the work. Also brought

in slaves. Simon Bolivar-led fight against Spanish. Won Independence in 1821 Venezuela officially independent 1830.

CULTURE OF VENEZUELA

Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Spanish Ethnicity: Majority are Mestizo. Only 2% are

Indian

Indians- speak 25 different languages and have religious practices from their ancestors.

ECONOMY OF VENEZUELA

Oil Production 6th largest exporter of oil in the world Most money from oil went to a wealthy few

Gold

GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA

Ruled by dictatorships for many years. Elected their first president in 1959 Current President is Hugo Chavez

Controversy

This is the official language for both Colombia and Venezuela

Spanish

Venezuela is the 6th largest exporter of this nonrenewable resource.

OIL

Who led the fight against the Spanish in Venezuela?

Simon Bolivar

This man is the current president of Venezuela.

Hugo Chavez

80% of flowers shipped to the United States come from this country.

Colombia

The majority of people living in Colombia and Venezuela are of this ethnicity.

Mestizo