Venezuela

When Spanish explorers arrived on the coast of South America, they found that natives had built their homes on stilts along the swampy shore of Lake Maracaibo. Because this reminded the Europeans of the city of Venice, they named the region Venezuela (Little Venice). Today, Venezuela is one of the leading oil-producing nations in the world. It has a high rate of population growth, and most of its people live in urban areas. As the sixth-largest country in Latin America, Venezuela has great influence on its neighbors economically, politically, and culturally. Book jacket.Shields, Charles J. is the author of 'Venezuela', published 2003 under ISBN 9781590842898 and ISBN 1590842898.