Public Holidays: Año Nuevo (New Year’s Day), January 1; Carnaval (Carnival), the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, movable dates in early February to early March; Día de San José (St. Joseph’s Day), March 19; Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Holy Friday), movable holidays in March or April; Signing of Independence, April 19; Primero de Mayo (Labor Day), May 1; Ascension, May 20;* Corpus Christi, June 10;* Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart), June 18;* Battle of Carabobo, June 24; San Pedro y San Pablo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul), June 29;* Firma Acta de Independencia (Signed Act of Independence), July 5; Battle of Boyacá, August 7; Bolívar’s birthday and Battle of Lago de Maracaibo, July 24; La Asunción (Assumption), August 15;* Civil Servants’ Day, September 4; Día de la Raza (Columbus Day), October 12; Todos Santos (All Saints’ Day), November 1;* Independence of Cartagena City, November 11;* La Inmaculada Concepción (Immaculate Conception), December 8; and Navidad (Christmas Day), December 25. Note: * Movable holidays; when they do not fall on a Monday, these holidays are observed the following Monday.

Flag:

Three equal horizontal bands of yellow, blue, and red, with the coat of arms

on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of seven white, five-pointed

stars centered in the blue band.

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RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

Venezuela, China Create $6 Billion Fund to Build Public Works  -  24 Oct 2006
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Minister Jaua: agrarian reform in Zulia worst record in Venezuela  -  24 Oct 2006
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USD 6 billion for Venezuela-China financing fund  -  24 Oct 2006
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Hugo ChÃ¡vez Holds Huge Lead in Venezuela Reelection Bid  -  24 Oct 2006
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Venezuela Changing  -  24 Oct 2006
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Opposition leader questions Venezuela's interest in St. Lucia  -  24 Oct 2006
radiojamaica.com,Sir John says while foreign assistance is welcomed, because Venezuela as far as he is concerned is taking a sudden interest it raises questions about the ...

Morales vows unconditional support to Venezuela at UN  -  24 Oct 2006
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Mexican company complains about blockade in Venezuela  -  24 Oct 2006
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Venezuela or Guatemala able to represent the region with dignity  -  24 Oct 2006
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Rodrigo Chaves refutes EU Ferrero-Waldner's unsophisticated take ...  -  24 Oct 2006
VHeadline.com,...to get them to agree to hold a workshop to study the social and economic advances of the Bolivarian Revolution before a EU delegation visit Venezuela at the ...

Japanese businesspeople interested in Venezuela, minister says  -  24 Oct 2006
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Pipe bombs found outside US embassy in Venezuela  -  24 Oct 2006
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Insulza set guidelines for electoral observation in Venezuela  -  24 Oct 2006
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Earnings Preview: ConocoPhillips  -  24 Oct 2006
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James Cooper: Hugo Chavez: Bad for the Americas  -  24 Oct 2006
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Venezuela's election council warns of alleged efforts to sabotage ...  -  Oct 22, 2006
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Hugo Chavez's crass campaign will cost him Venezuela's presidency  -  Oct 22, 2006
V Crisis,Another such pollster is Luis Vicente Leon from Datanalisis. In any case I shall try and offer a political picture based on what I have seen around Venezuela. ...

Hidalgo off to 3-for-16 start in Venezuela  -  Oct 22, 2006
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ChÃ¡vez's revolutionary intent stalls  -  Oct 22, 2006
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PARIA PENINSULA, Venezuela  -  Oct 21, 2006
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UN Calls 'Time-Out' in Guatemala-Venezuela Battle for Security ...  -  Oct 20, 2006
Voice of AmericaThe UN General Assembly has suspended voting until next week in a fiercely fought contest between Venezuela and Guatemala for a seat on the Security Council. ...

Alaskans say no to Venezuelan oil  -  Oct 23, 2006
Chicago Tribune,And yet a few villages are refusing free heating oil from Venezuela, on the principle that no foreigner has the right to call their president "the devil.". ...

Venezuela vote won't hit ties: Burns  -  Oct 20, 2006
Times of India,WASHINGTON: Undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns on Friday said despite New Delhiâ€™s possible vote for Venezuela in the UNSC, US-India relationship is ...

Venezuela Inflation End 2006 at 16%, Above Target (Update1)  -  Oct 20, 2006
BloombergBy Theresa Bradley and Guillermo Parra-Bernal. Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan inflation will accelerate in the next two months ...

News in brief from western Pennsylvania  -  Oct 23, 2006
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader,AP. PITTSBURGH - An exchange student from Venezuela has been barred from classes at a suburban Pittsburgh high school because of an apparent miscommunication. ...

Hugo Chavez: Pat Robertson was right  -  Oct 23, 2006
renewamerica.us,A program initiated by Venezuela's proto-human dictator Hugo Chavez trains visitors from terrorist-sponsoring Middle Eastern and Asian nations to speak Spanish ...

This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.