Largest Cities: (by population) Maracaibo, Caracas, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Ciudad Guyana, Petara, Maracay, Ciudad Bolivar
Name: Upon seeing Venezuela, Christopher Columbus remarked that is must be paradise. He nicknamed the region Land of Grace.
On a later expedition, Amerigo Vespucci said that the land reminded him of his home city Venice, Italy. He named the region "Venezuela" meaning "little Venice" in Italian. Some scholars believe that the original name may have come from an indigenous people who called themselves the "Veneciuela".
National Day: July 5
Religion: Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%,
other 2%
