1.
Spanish Settlement and Colonial Rule a. The Spanish came to Venezuela hoping to find gold and pearls so they forced the native
Indians to search for these treasures. b. When there was no gold or pearls they turned to agriculture and grew indigo which is a plant used to make a blue dye.
 Why did many of the Indians die? Who did the Spanish get to replace the Indians?

2. Independence and Self Rule a. Simon Bolivar helped lead the fight against the Spanish rule in Venezuela.
 Bolivar is known as the “George
Washington” of South America.
 He helped win Venezuelan independence from Spain in 1821 b. Describe the problems Venezuela faced throughout the 1800s.

 Dictatorships
 Civil War
 Military leaders ran the country
 Some leaders kept the oil profits for themselves.

3.
People and Culture a. The majority of Venezuelans are of mixed
Indian and European descent.
 People of European descent live in the large cities.
 People of African descent live along the coast. b. Most Venezuelans are Spanish speaking
Roman Catholics.

4. Venezuela Today a.
Agriculture and Ranching-


Northern Venezuela has some small family farms as well as large commercial farms.
Llaneros-or Venezuelan cowboys-herd cattle on the many ranches of the Llanos region.




In the 1960s Venezuela began earning money from oil production.
The Orinoco River basin and Lake
Maracaibo are rich in oil
Venezuela is the only South American member of Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC)

 What does OPEC try to do?-control oil production so the price of oil doesn’t fall too low

a.


After years of being ruled by military dictatorships, the people elected their first president in 1959.
In 2002 Venezuela's president, Hugo
Chavez, started to distribute the country’s oil income equally among all the
Venezuelans.
Millions of Venezuelans went on strike to protest the president’s actions as well as a failing economy.


 Many Venezuelans
A strike is when people refuse to work referendum or a recall vote.

The Guiana's
1. The Guiana’s contain the countries of
Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
Guyana
1.
About 1/3 of the country’s population lives in Georgetown, the capital. a. Most of Guyana’s farmland is located along the coast.
b. Guyana’s most important crops are rice and sugar.

 Where are about half of Guyana’s people from?
 Migrated from India

 What cultures make up the population of Suriname?
 South Asians, Africans,
Chinese, Indonesians, and Creoles.
 The capital,
Paramaribo, is home to half of the country’s population.

 1. French Guiana is a territory of France and sends representatives to the government in
Paris.
 a. Most of the people live in the coastal areas and about two-thirds are from
African descent.
 b. Many people were sent from France to
Devil’s Island prison in French Guiana.