Venezuela HistoryThe later part of the Venezuela history is quite eventful and interesting from different perspectives. The country of Venezuela was disovered by Christofer Columbus at his third voyage in 1498. This was, by the way, the same voyage when he first discovered Margarita Island. The name of the Venezuela is believed to originate from a subsequent Spanish explorer named Amerigo Vespucci. His crew noticed how the indigenous people had built the distinctive stilt villages over the water. This reminded Vespucci of the Italian city of Venice. As a result the country was named Venezuela which means Little Venice. Venezuela is a former Spanish colony. The first permanent Spanish settlements was establsihed in 1522. Spain is also the European country that has had most influence of the modern Venezuela. This reflects for example in the official language, which is Spanish. 
However, Venezuela remained a Spanish colony until the declaraction of independence from Spain on July 5th 1811. This independence was achieved under the leadership of Simón Bolívar, El Libertador. Simón Bolívar is one of the most influential figures in the history of South America. He was also the leading figure in the fight for independence in the countries which today are known as Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panama. This South American revolutionary leader is revered as hero in this countries. Much of the later centuries of the history of Venezuela have been characterized by political instability, struggle and dictatorial rule. Return from "Venezuela History"
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