Introduction
A recent movie titled “Up” depicted
the landscape of the country Venezuela in South America. If you look on a map
between 60 and 74 degrees West Latitude and between 13 and 2 degrees North Longitude
you will find the beautiful country Venezuela. This country is a neighbor of Columbia and its
capital is Caracas. Places like Angle Falls, Andes Mountains, or the Orinoco
River are just to name a few that are remarkable landforms and places to see.
Misconception 1: Danger in Venezuela
People everyday make assumptions and
misperceptions about places or people they don’t know about. One misconception
is that the country of Venezuela is unstable and corrupt. Another misconception
is that this country is dangerous, because there are a large number of
kidnappings. There is also a
misconception on oil markets and how Chaves keeps the prices low for his
country. This country has its good things and bad things just like every other
country.
| Caracas Venezuela http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/country_information.php?Pays=VEN |
Many people visit this country year
round. Most of the time people think that you have to watch everywhere you go
and what you do. In some places it’s very dangerous but in others you will find
it to be the most beautiful place you have ever been to. Caracas which is
the capital of Venezuela has the world's highest murder rate. Caracas has become the deadliest city in the world. A
total of 7,676 people were killed in the Metropolitan Area of Caracas in 2009.
That is near one murder every hour and a half. There have been 43,792 homicides
in Venezuela since 2007, according to the violence observatory. As research has
shown, the capital is a very violent place, but if you move to the farm lands
or communities in rural areas it’s very different.
If you come
to Venezuela you have to visit the remarkable landforms and natural landmarks. Angels
Falls is the world’s highest waterfall (Canaima) at 979 meters (3,212 feet) tall. Angel
Falls is located in the state of Bolívar in Venezuela. This is a remarkable
place to visit, but for many it’s a challenge to get to.
You have to fly to a camp and go on a river to travel there. The Andes
Mountains and Orinoco River are also incredible to see. If you are careful and
visit the right places, it’s a different experience then going to the towns in
Caracas. Misperceptions are all over, it’s knowing and accepting their culture
and way of life before we make a perception.
Angel Falls
Misconception 2: Unstable and Corrupt
We can assume that Venezuela is
unstable because of the government and its president. Venezuela has been ranked as
one of the most corrupt (World) countries since the survey for the country started in
1995. In 2010 it was ranked 164, out of 178
countries. There are two major reasons one is oil and the other is cocaine.
This is because there is a large area of drug producing regions. President Hugo
Chávez knows how to keep his country happy. He keeps his oil prices to a
minimum. This is part of the reason, Chávez has made it this long. Also, people
might think this because in some parts of the country, there isn’t a lot of
money so it appears to be broken down or not taken care of.
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| Image 3 |
Relations
between the United States and Venezuela have been harsh for some time. Since
taking office, Chávez has sold oil to Cuba. Cuba is a longtime adversary of the
United States - and resisted U.S. plans to stop narcotics trafficking in nearby
Colombia. He has been a major oil supplier to our country. We struggle and need
the oil so get most of our supply from Venezuela. This country is always changing
and that’s why some people think it’s not a stable country. Chávez plays a huge
role in the country and has made a lot of changes. For example, the money
currency is Bolivar("BolÃvar). It’s easy to see how people think this country is unstable
and corrupt but in many cases it’s not. If you look at it from a different
perspective many other countries have the same problems and make just as many
decisions and changes.
Misconception 3: Oil and Gas
For many
countries, it’s not easy access to oil and gas. We get our supply from other
countries. In the United States, one of our largest oil suppliers comes from
Venezuela. Statistics show that
Venezuela is the United States’ fifth largest supplier of imported petroleum. They
had 211 billion barrels of proven oil reserves (Country) in 2011, the second largest the
world. Last year the same publication listed the country’s reserves at 99.4
billion barrels. They produce so much oil but at the same time give it to other
places also. The United States imports from Venezuela have declined in recent
years. In 2010, the United States imported 987,000 bbl/d of crude oil and
petroleum products. That’s 8.3 percent of total American imports.
Besides the
United States, other important places of Venezuelan petroleum exports include
the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. One of the fastest growing destinations of
Venezuelan crude oil exports has been China. In 2010, China imported 125,900
bbl/d of crude oil from Venezuela (Country), the number increased from 39,000 bbl/d in
2005. As you can see, Venezuela produces an incredible amount of oil and
supplies it to several other countries. If you convert their gas prices to
ours, it is about 8.5 cents a gallon. It’s ironic to see how our gas supply
comes from a country whose gas is so cheap for most Americans.
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| Oil and Gas Graph |
Conclusion
Venezuela is a beautiful place to
live and visit with strong points, and downfalls, but beauty is in the eye of
the beholder. There are many misconceptions that add to its reputation. Some
things are true but many things are also false. People can assume many things
from newspapers, travels, TV or other media sites. The citizens of the country
are the only ones who actually know what it’s like to live here. There are not
only misconceptions on what we think but there is also what they think of
America. Venezuela is a beautiful place to live and visit. I’m really
glad I was able to learn and experience the true Venezuela. I would love to
visit this wonderful country one day, and be able to experience it for myself.
Works
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MLA formatting
by BibMe.org.
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