The name "Venezuela" means little Venice. In 1499 Amerigo Vespucci and Alonzo Ojeda traveled the northern coast of South America and saw native houses built on stilts over the water in what is today Lake Maracaibo. It reminded them of Venice, and thus they named this region Venezuela.

Venezuela is located on the northern coast of South America. It borders with Colombia to the west, Brazil to the south, Guyana to the east, and the Caribean Sea to the north. It is 350,000 square miles in area, equal to the combined states of: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Mass., Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, W. Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina; or: Texas and Oklahoma combined.

The official name is, Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela.

Venezuela has a population of 26,000,000 people. The mayority of venezuelans tend to be a mixutre of european, caribe-natives, and african slaves. This mix gave fruit to the mestizos and mulatos that are today very common in Venezuela.

The climate is tropical, with an average temperature around 80 F, or 25 C. Colder at higher elevations and hotter on the coast. The Andean mountain range comes into the country from the south-west and extends along the northern coastal region.

There are many places to explore. The tropical jungle, the mountains, deserts, plains, and beautiful beaches

For more information visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuela