1498: On his third trip Christopher Columbus (* 1451, +1506) discovered the Venezuelan coast between the Orinoco estuary and the Isla Margarita. 1499: Alonso de Hojeda explored the northern coast and gives the country the name of Venezuela (Little Venice) due to the Venice-like cannocs on Lake Maracaibo. 1528: The country is in the hand of the merchant family named Weiser, whose mercenaries reached deep inland and forward to Colombia. From 1546: Under Spanish administration with its headquarters in Caracas (1577) Venezuela got a part of the Vice Kingdom of Peru until 1717; 1777, Venezuela was created.
The independence
5th 7th 1811: Venezuela declares its independence from Spain. 1821: After long struggles the victory of Carabobo secures freedom from Spain. 1830: After the country temporarily belongs to large Colombia, it got independent among Venezuelas José Antonio Páez. 24th 3rd 1831: With his first President General JA Paez (* 1790, +1873) Venezuela is constituted as an independent republic. 1835-64: Military dictatorship alternates with civilian governments. 22nd 4th 1864: By a constitutional declaration it is called the United States of Venezuela "Estados Unidos en Venezuela." 1908-35: During the dictatorial government of General Vicente Gomez (* 1857, +1935) the oil boom begins, which started the economic and military modernization of the country. 18th 10th 1945: The "Accion Democratic (AD) with their leader Rómulo Betancourt (b. 1908) gained the power by a coup. 22.11. 1948: The military, who helped the Accion Democratic to get the power made a coup against President Romulo Gallegos (AD) who won the first general elections by a large majority. 1953-58: General Marcos Perez Jimenez (b. 1914) is a dictator celebrating luxurious buildings. 23rd 1st 1958: Jimenez gets overthrown by a military-civilian coalition initiating a free democracy 1959-64: During the reign of Betancourt the Venezuelan guerrilla raised for having a society according to the Cuban model. 1968: In elections the opposition party gained "Comitc Organización de Politica Electoral Independiente (COPEI) with Rafael Calder Rodriguez (b. 1916). 1973: The AD candidate Carlos Andrés Pérez (b. 1922) is the new elected President of Venezuela and sets a nationalistic-reforming politic. 1978: In the election, the candidate COPEL Luis Herrera Campins (* 1925) wins. 1983: Jaime Lusinchi (AD) wins the elections. 1988: Carlos Andrés Pérez is reelected as President. 1998: Hugo Chávez is the leader of two coup attempts against the Venezuelan Republic elected president. Chávez is a supporter of the Bolivarian revolution, its goals are the fight against corruption, the possible creation and strengthening of direct democracy, and national and economic independence 2000: After the drafting of a new "Bolivarian" constitution and its adoption by referendum, Chavez is elected with an even more significantly increased majority (60%) compared to 1998. 2002: The defeat of a coup against the Chavez government happens. The coupators remain unpunished or get into exile.
Orinoco estuary and the Isla Margarita.