User:Sweber12

All about Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile

This is an essay I wrote for my world Cultures class. Enjoy!

Venezuela

Venezuela has federal republic government. Venezuela is one of the twenty-two states in South America, making the people able to vote for representatives under the 1999 constitution. The President of Venezuela is Hugo Chavez, who was elected in 1999. In Venezuela the voting age is 18. Venezuela celebrates its independence on July 5. The top power is the President, followed by Vice President and a Council of Ministers. The lower powers are legislative, judicial, electoral and citizen power.

In Venezuela, the economy is largely based on oil export. If the price of oil is good, Venezuela’s economy is good, but if the price is bad then the economy is bad. When the oil industry crashed in 1983, Venezuela’s economy soon followed. When Venezuela saw that their food was all imported and they had no other industries to support them, they tried to get incomes from little manufacturing. At that time almost 70% of the people were living in extreme poverty. Venezuela soon found natural resources to export and they can use that to export and boost their economy but it is still in recovery.

Venezuela’s history starts with the arrival of people nearly 16,000 years ago. Many people did not intermingle, instead the formed tribes, which were nomadic. Over years, tribes started to use bone and shells to dig and hunt. By finding these useful, tribe members developed agricultural techniques. Although tribes stared to become aware of new technologies they still were very primitive. An example, the Carib tribe killed their enemies and turned their bones into flutes. In 1498, Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Venezuela. In Columbus’ writings, he wrote of gold, jewels and riches. Hearing the news of gold others were attracted to Venezuela. When the Europeans with “Gold fever” came the natives were mistreated, and used as slaves. In 1811 Venezuela declared independence from Spain. Antonio Paez was the first president of Venezuela, he helped rebuild the war- ridden country. In 1968, Venezuela became a democracy. In 1999, Hugo Chavez was elected president and many problems followed. In Venezuela, sports are very important. Many Venezuelans watch or play sports. Baseball is one of the most popular sports. In Venezuela, soccer is ignored unlike most South American countries where it is very popular. Bullfights are another pastime in Venezuela. Music and dance is not just a pastime in Venezuela, it is a way of life. Most Venezuelans live music and dance everyday. Art and literature are also highly respected. Beauty is also highly respected in Venezuela. Venezuela is host to the largest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. Venezuela also has the longest cable car route. Johan Santana, from the Minnesota twins is from Venezuela and so is Wilmer Valderrama, who played Fez on That 70’s Show.

Colombia

Colombia has a multiparty republic government. Colombia has a similar government structure to the United States. The president can only serve for two- four year terms. The president is also assisted by a vice president and a cabinet of ministers. The nation is divided into thirty- two departments and capital districts. Colombia’s economy is based on agriculture, manufacturing and mining. Colombia is a big exporter of coffee just behind Brazil and Vietnam. Colombia produces some of the highest quality coffee beans. This is because of the high elevations and good climate. Just one coffee tree produces one thousand coffee beans. In the present, the coffee industry has suffered from price drop and disease has killed almost half the coffee trees in Colombia. Industry is also a part of Colombia’s economy. The industry’s produce processed foods and drinks, tires, medicines, cement, transportation equipment, chemical products and iron and steel products. Oil is Colombia’s top export. The amount of export has gone down. Also more oil is being discovered. Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus. Colombia was affected by gold hungry Spaniards. Later in the 1500’s they tried to settle the region. Colombia provided wealth to the Spaniards. Also disease was brought and killed many natives. The Spaniards also made the natives pay tax to the crown. In 1717, a large colony was built and the natives rebelled against the Spaniards. In 1810, Colombia declared independence from Spain, but they came back to fight. The in 1819, they became independent. Music plays a large part in Colombian culture. Colombian music is very distinct. The songs have very heavy drum beats, with light flute, clarinet and guitar sounds. Colombians love soccer, when favored teams win it is like a party in the streets. When Colombia went to the world cup they were beaten by the United States 2-1. The goalie accidentally made a goal for them and he was killed three days later in a bar. Bullfighting is also very popular. Colombia has a 93% literacy rate. Shakira, the singer, is from Colombia. Carlos Vives, a famous musician, is from Colombia. Colombia is highly affected by the drug wars.

Ecuador

Ecuador has had 94 different types of government in the 175 it has been around. Only the people between the ages 18 and 65 can vote and are required to. Ecuador has a three parts government executive (president, vice president and ministers of agriculture), legislative (congress and representatives), and judicial (judges and Supreme Court). The most recent constitution was formed in 1998. Ecuador’s government is republic. Ecuador is venerable to a boom-and-bust cycle. The economy is dependent on banana and forestry exports. 61% of people work for the industry, working on the growing needs of the country. 24% of people work for manufacturing, most of which are small family owned businesses. Ecuador is thought to be the birth place of South American civilization because that is the region where the Inca were. Also many people can trace their roots back to Ecuador. The Inca ruled until the Spaniards came and conquered the land and natives. The Spaniards brought dieses that the native could not fight off. The Inca civilization was “lost” through the battle for land. In 1830, Ecuador became fully independent. Ecuador has developed a distinct type of visual art. The art has a theme around Catholicism. Dance in Ecuador is mostly for entertainment. At parties, many traditional dances are preformed. Music and dance are popular for the Salsa and Merengue. Another part of the culture is Otavalo weaving, which is preformed with a large loom and many strands of bright colorful string. Hugo Cifuentes, a famous photographer, came from Ecuador. Darwin started to develop the theory of evolution on the Galapagos Islands.

Peru

Peru is a republic with the 3 branches of government. To vote you must be 18, and all representatives are elected by the people. There are 120 members and they are all elected by popular vote. The government is subdivided and is a complex system. About 10 million people are in Peru’s workforce. Over 50% of the population works in government, education and social services. Food processing is one of the main industries. The climate of Peru is suitable for farming and fishing. The only time that they are week is when there is a drought or El Niño comes. The first people in Peru came in about 2500 B.C. They used the caves along the shore as homes and created crops of beans, squash, beans, peppers and more. These people created the first Peruvian civilization. Late the rise of the Inca came, like in Ecuador. Peru was also affected by the Spanish conquest. In 1821, Peru fought for freedom and won it. Peru has many sports. The sports include soccer, swimming, skiing, surfing, tennis, golf and fencing. Peru is also well known for their weaving work. Peru has many religious holidays that honor gods and important days in history. All types of potatoes came from Peru. Peru’s national bird is the cock-of-the-rock. Peru’s flag was made in 1820.

Chile

Chile has a democratic republic government. The President of Chile is Ricardo Escobar who was elected in 2000. The Government has three branches of government. The voting age in Chile is 18. In Chile all men must serve in the army for two years but it is completely voluntary for women. Chile has a market economy, so everything is made for the rate of demand. Chile’s economy is split into two group’s trade and industry and agriculture. Chile’s economy boosted after the dictatorship ended because the people were able to sell and export goods and the industry went through the roof. Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to visit Chile. Like most Latin American countries, Chile was forced into colonization. After many battles Chile won independence from Spain in 1818. In 1973, Chile was taken under a military dictatorship by General Pinochet. In 1990, the country broke the dictatorship and went back to democracy. Chileans enjoy art, entertainment, festivals and games. The Art is heavily influenced by European art. Many people go to theater performances and watch television. Festivals are held in public places and are family oriented. Young people play games that are similar to hockey. They have sports too, like horseback riding, rodeo, bullfighting and soccer. Easter Island is a part of Chile. Chile hosts the few Pudu’s that exist, which are endangered. They also have the Andean condor, which is also endangered. Chile had bad environmental issues, including acid rain and a thinning ozone layer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sweber12 (talk • contribs) 21:09, 7 June 2009 (UTC)