The United States of Venezuela ( es, Estados Unidos de Venezuela) was the official name of
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, adopted in its 1864 constitution under the
Juan Crisóstomo Falcón
Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Zavarce (27 January 1820 – 29 April 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1863 to 1868.[Republic of Venezuela
The Republic of Venezuela was a democratic republic first established in 1958, and replaced in 1999 by the History of Venezuela (1999-present), Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Venezuela saw ten years of military dictatorship from 1948 to ...](_blank)
. In 1999 under newly elected president
Hugo Chavez
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...
and his modification to the Constitution, Venezuela's official name became the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Flag
The United States of Venezuela used three official flags in its time:
History
Original name
From 1830 to 1857 the official name of the country was es, Estado de Venezuela ("State of Venezuela"). The 1858 constitution gave it the official name es, República de Venezuela ("Republic of Venezuela"). After the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
() won power in the
Federal War
The Federal War ( es, Guerra Federal) — also known as the Great War or the Five Year War — was a civil war (1859–1863) in Venezuela between the Conservative party and the Liberal party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over govern ...
it called for a constitutional convention, to establish the constitution on
federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
principles. On 28 March 1864, members of the convention met in
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
to sign it. President Falcón ordered its publication and circulation on 13 April, and on 22 April it was finally ratified by the Ministers of the Interior and Justice, Finance, Development, and War and Sea.
Change of name
The 1953 constitution included a transitional provision to change the official name from ("United States of Venezuela") to ("Republic of Venezuela"). The next constitution, of 1961, confirmed the new name.
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
is currently, under the new Constitution of 1999, officially known as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, República Bolivariana de Venezuela),
Geography
Borders
The 1864 constitution established the borders of the United States of Venezuela to be the same of those of the 1810
Captaincy General of Venezuela
The Captaincy General of Venezuela ( es, Capitanía General de Venezuela), also known as the Kingdom of Venezuela (), was an administrative district of colonial Spain, created on September 8, 1777, through the Royal Decree of Graces of 1777, t ...
.
This statement has been preserved throughout subsequent constitutions.
Because of long-running territorial dispute between the United States of Venezuela and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
over
Guayana Esequiba
(), sometimes also called or Essequibo, is a disputed territory of west of the Essequibo River that is administered and controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela. several countries called for an international court of justice to settle the matter, which was held in Paris in 1899, and ruled in the UK's favour. From 1900 to 1905, Venezuela participated in the Joint Committee of the British-Venezuelan Border for the final demarcation between the two countries, which was signed in September 1907. In 1932,
Juan Vicente Gómez
Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air ...
agreed a point on the summit of
Mount Roraima as the three-way boundary between
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
British Guiana and Venezuela.
In 1941 President
Eleazar López Contreras
José Eleazar López Contreras (5 May 1883 – 2 January 1973) was the president of Venezuela between 1935 and 1941. He was an army general and one of Juan Vicente Gómez's collaborators, serving as his War Minister from 1931. In 1939, López C ...
and the
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n President signed the , the border treaty between the two countries, which ceded of territory to Colombia.
Subdivisions
1864
The 1864 constitution gave these former provinces the status as states:
*
Apure
Apure State ( es, Estado Apure, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations pronounced by the colonial autho ...
*
Aragua
Aragua State ( es, Estado Aragua, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It is located in the north-central region of Venezuela. It has plains and jungles and Caribbean beaches. The most popular are Cata and Choroni. It has Venezuela's first n ...
*
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
*
Barinas
*
Barquisimeto
Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the f ...
*
Carabobo
*
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
*
Cojedes
*
Coro
*
Sucre
Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
(
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
)
*
Guárico
)
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Guárico''
, image_map = Guarico in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_map_a ...
*
Bolívar (
Guayana)
*
Nueva Esparta
The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua.
The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...
(
Margarita Island
Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the States of Venezuela, Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on t ...
)
*
Monagas
)
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Monagas''
, image_map = Monagas in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_m ...
(
Maturín
Maturín () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inha ...
)
*
Mérida
*
Portuguesa
*
Táchira
Táchira State ( es, Estado Táchira, ) is one of the 24 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.
Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,908. At the end of the 19t ...
*
Trujillo
*
Yaracuy
Yaracuy State ( es, link=no, Estado Yaracuy, ;) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It is bordered by Falcón in the north, in the west by Lara, in the south by Portuguesa and Cojedes and in the east by Cojedes and Carabobo.
Its geograp ...
*
Zulia
Zulia State ( es, Estado Zulia, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It ...
(
Maracaibo)
It was stated that the boundaries would remain as in 1856.
1881
The 1881 constitution merged the states created in 1864 into eight, larger states:
* : comprising Barcelona, Cumaná and Maturín.
*
Guzmán Blanco: comprising Bolívar, Guzmán Blanco (Aragua), Guárico and Nueva Esparta.
*
Carabobo: comprising Carabobo and
Nirgua.
*
Sur de Occidente: comprising Cojedes, Portuguesa and Zamora (Barinas).
*
Norte de Occidente: comprising Barquisimeto and Yaracuy, except for Nirgua.
*
Los Andes: comprising Guzmán (Mérida), Trujillo and Táchira.
*
Bolívar: comprising Guayana and Apure.
*
Falcón Zulia: comprising Zulia and Coro.
1891
The 1891 constitution established new state boundaries:
*
Bermúdez: comprising Barcelona, Cumaná and Maturín.
*
Miranda: comprising Bolívar, Guzmán Blanco, Guárico and Nueva Esparta.
*
Carabobo: comprising Carabobo and Nirgua.
*
Zamora: comprising Cojedes, Portuguesa and Zamora.
*
Lara
Lara may refer to:
Places
* Lara (state), a state in Venezuela
*Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia
* Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey
* Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia
* Lara de los In ...
: comprising Barquisimeto and Yaracuy, but excluding the Nirgua department.
*
Los Andes: comprising Guzmán, Trujillo and Táchira.
*
Bolívar: comprising Guayana and Apure.
*
Zulia
Zulia State ( es, Estado Zulia, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It ...
: unitary state.
*
Falcón
)
, anthem =
, image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_map_alt =
, pushpin_mapsiz ...
: unitary state.
1901
The 1901 constitution established new divisions of the states:
* Apure
* Aragua
* Bolívar (previously Guayana)
* Barcelona
* Carabobo
* Cojedes
* Falcón (previously Coro)
* Guárico
* Lara (previously Barquisimeto)
* Mérida
* Miranda (previously Caracas)
* Maturín
* Sucre (previously Cumaná)
* Nueva Esparta (previously Margarita)
* Portuguesa
* Táchira
* Trujillo
* Yaracuy
* Zamora (previously Barinas)
* Zulia (previously Maracaibo)
1904
New division of territory:
* Aragua
* Bermúdez
* Bolívar
* Carabobo
* Falcón
* Guárico
* Lara
* Mérida
* Miranda
* Táchira
* Trujillo
* Zamora
* Zulia
1909
Another division of territory, and new names for some of the states:
* Distrito Federal
* Anzoátegui
* Apure
* Aragua
* Bolívar
* Carabobo
* Cojedes
* Falcón
* Guárico
* Lara
* Mérida
* Miranda
* Monagas
* Nueva Esparta
* Portuguesa
* Sucre
* Táchira
* Trujillo
* Yaracuy
* Zamora
* Zulia
* Federal territories: Amazonas and Delta Amacuro
1925
Creation of the
Federal Dependencies of Venezuela
The Federal Dependencies of Venezuela ( es, link=no, Dependencias Federales de Venezuela) encompass most of Venezuela's offshore islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Venezuela, excluding those islands that form the State of Nueva Espa ...
( es, Dependencias federales), shore islands belonging to Venezuela in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and
Gulf of Venezuela
The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by La Guajira Department, Colombia. The western side is formed by the Guajira Peninsula. A strait connects it with Maracaibo Lake t ...
.
However,
Margarita Island
Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the States of Venezuela, Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on t ...
( es, Isla Margarita or ) became part of the State of Nueva Esparta.
1928
Coche Island
Isla de Coche (''Coche Island'') is one of three islands forming the Nueva Esparta State of Venezuela, located in the Caribbean between Isla Margarita and the mainland. The other two islands are Isla Margarita, the main island of the state, and ...
( es, Isla de Coche) was incorporated into the State of Nueva Esparta.
Minor changes under Juan V. Gòmez.
1947
The state of Zamora was renamed to
Barinas and the island of
Cubagua
Cubagua Island or Isla de Cubagua () is the smallest and least populated of the three islands constituting the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, after Margarita Island and Coche Island. It is located north of the Araya Peninsula, the closest ...
( es, Isla de Cubagua) was incorporated into Nueva Esparta.
Politics and government
Constitutions
After the 1864 Constitution of the United States of Venezuela, there were several revisions under different governments.
These were in 1874, 1881, 1891, 1893–94, 1901, 1909, 1914, 1922, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1945.
After a Decree of the Revolutionary Government, the constitution was revised further in 1947 and 1953.
Presidents
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States of Venezuela
History of Venezuela
19th century in Venezuela
20th century in Venezuela
1864 establishments in South America
1953 disestablishments in South America
States and territories disestablished in 1953
States and territories established in 1864