The Influence Of Culture In Venezuela

Culture is defined as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture) It is the history of the people; their reason for conducting themselves the way they do. The culture of a group of people is something they are proud of. It showcases the very things that make them unique and separates them from others. While culture does provide a uniqueness to groups and regions, all cultures do have similarities. Most countries, groups, and religions generally have one set culture, some may consist of many subcultures. While a country’s culture has deep roots in heritage, external factors may influence its growth and change; such as people, geography,

The Venezuelan people tend to boast creole dances, foods, and music. Locally brewed beers, rum, and coffee is very popular in the Country. Some of the national foods are arepa (a cornmeal bread) and hallaca (sweet cornmeal dough cooked in banana leaves). While American music is popular in Venezuela, Caribbean salsa and merengue are also widespread in the country. Venezuela’s national folk dance and music style are the joropa. The vast majority of the country follows the teachings of Roman Catholicism. Religious freedom is protected in Venezuela and thus there are also groups of Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. The national language of the majority of the population is Spanish. English is the popular second language and mostly favored in business communications and private schools.

War, dictatorship, revolution; all of these can leave a lasting effect on a culture. Effects can range from laws and regulations to ideals and beliefs; even so far as to effect religion. The country of Venezuela has seen its share of military conflict. From the country’s first rebellion against Spanish colonial rule in 1749 to the rise of Hugo Chavez in 1998, Venezuela has been fraught with coups, revolution, and other conflicts. Throughout all the turbulence the country has undergone changes to the economy, regulations on media and property, changes to government from military rule to democracy, as well as changes to the military strengths. Venezuela currently has a total of roughly 123,000 military personnel spread among their air force, army, and navy. Their power in the air is a mixture of both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. The ground force has a multitude of fighting prowess spread among tanks, armored vehicles, artillery (towed and self-propelled), and rocket projectors. Venezuela’s naval force is its weakest branch with only a total of roughly 50 naval assets, including frigates, submarines, and patrol crafts.