Picture Page on Venezuela

Outline

  1. Physical and Natural Environment
  2. Human Environment
  3. Human-induced Changes to the Physical Environment

Physical and Natural Environment

Angel Falls

http://www.venezuelatuya.com/gransabana/angel/saltoangel800.jpg

Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world, falling 3,230 feet, sixteen times farther than Niagara Falls, and two and a half times taller than the Empire State Building.  The Falls are located in Canaima National Park, which encompasses 7.4 million acres in southeast Venezuela.  The waterfall starts at the top of a tepui, also known as a table mountain.  A tepui is a flat-topped mountain with flat, vertical walls.  Tepuis are found throughout the park.  Angel Falls is knows an Kerepakupai-merú by the local Indians, but got its more famous name from its founder, Jimmy Angel, who got his airplane stuck on top of the tepui.  He was looking for gold, but found the falls, so after walking back to civilization, the falls were named after him.

Margarita Island

http://www.islamargarita.com/images/PlayaElAguaBeach.jpg

Playa El Agua Beach is the most popular beach on Isla Margarita, located just 25 miles north of the coast of Venezuela.  Isla Margarita is famous for its 50+ white-sand beaches.  It is also world famous for its windsurfing.  Playa El Agua Beach is lined with many restaurants.  Many of the beaches on the island are topless, if you so choose.  Playa El Agua and surrounding shops are more expensive beaches, because of the notoriety.  Many of the other not so famous beaches offer many great views for lower prices.

Andes Mountains

http://drs.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=andes+mountains+in+venezuela/v=2/l=IVS/*-

The Andes Mountains are the longest mountain chain in the world.  In Venezuela, the mountains break into two separate chains running parallel to each other, la Sierra Nevada de Merida and la Sierra de la Culata.  The Andes Mountains in Venezuela are a popular place for outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and horse riding.  The highest peak in Venezuela is Pico Bolivar, on the right.  It is 16,427 feet tall and is located in the Merida mountain chain.  The road seen in the left picture is one of many popular roads that cut through the Andes Mountains and where visitors can get views of the landscape and wildlife of the area.

Human Environment

Caracas

http://www.venezuelatuya.com/postales/imagenes/Paisajes-caracas.jpg

Caracas is the capital city of Venezuela.  It is also the largest city, with a population of about 4 million people.  It has a very modern central part of the city, which attracts many tourists. On the outside of the central core there are the poor areas, seen in the upper right corner of the picture.  These parts of the city are very common in large cities located in less developed countries.  Caracas is a cultural center of Venezuela with the museum of modern art, regarded as one of the most important in South America.  In Caracas tourists are told to be inside well before dark, due to the frequent crimes that are targeted on tourists.  Caracas is well known for its restaurants that serve food from all over the world. 

Colonia Tovar

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/conazzoladro/colonia_tovar_p1.jpg

Colonia Tovar is a town located about a half an hour away from Caracas.  As you can tell by the architecture, natives didn’t originally inhabit the town.  The town was actually settled by Germans in 1843 after an agreement between the governments of Germany and Venezuela.  The town was isolated from the rest of the country for quite awhile, enabling the people to keep their ancestral traditions.  The people spoke German, wore German clothes, and ate German food.  Now, Colonia Tovar is a regular part of the country, with the people speaking Spanish.  It remains a great tourist destination due to its great German food, architecture, and strong cultural influence.

Merida

http://tomgoetz.com/venez/v007.jpg

Merida is a city nestled in the Andes Mountains.  Its original name is Ciudad de los Caballeros (The Gentleman’s City) because of the politeness of the citizens, which is one of the reasons that many tourists choose to visit.  It is home to The University of Los Andes, one of the most famous universities in the country; so the city takes on a college city feel.  It is a colonial city where many architectural designs can be seen.  One popular activity among the people of Merida is bull fighting. 

Human-induced Changes to the Physical Environment

Houses over Water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a picture of houses that are built over water near Maracaibo Lake in northwest Venezuela.  The scene of the picture was the inspiration for the name of the country.  When explorers first arrived in Venezuela they say these houses and were reminded of Venice.  So they called the country “Little Venice” which in Spanish translates to Venezuela.  Most of the population of the Maracaibo state lives in houses like these.

Lake Maracaibo

http://drs.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=maracaibo/v=2/l=IVS/*-http://www.dresser-

This is a picture of an oil-drilling pad on Lake Maracaibo.  Lake Maracaibo is a large lake located in northwest Venezuela.  The oil in the lake allows Venezuela to be the leading producer of oil in South America.  The lake has become more polluted due to the many accidents that have occurred.  The lake is also falling apart, ecologically, because of the dredging that is going on to get the oil.  A channel has been dug that allows ocean going ships access to the lake and the port of Maracaibo, one of the most important ports in the country.

Cable car over Merida

http://www-db.stanford.edu/~crespo/Pictures/bolivar/bolivar36.gif

Merida is home to the world’s highest and longest cable car.  The last stop will bring tourists up to a snowy summit that is 16,411 feet above sea level.  It offers a great view of Merida and of the Andes Mountains around the city.  It also gives you a good view of Pico Bolivar.  On a clear day, you can see for miles.  The cable car is the main tourist attraction for the city and is considered a must for all visitors to the city. 

Submitted by Gary Cook on 11/14/03.