All the countries but one in South America are republics. Venezuela was the first South American country to declare itself free from European power. It was a long time before it finally overthrew Spanish rule. Simon Bolivar, the Washington of South America, was born in Venezuela. It was Bolivar more than any other man who freed the northern nations of South America from the yoke of Spain. It took 12 years of fighting to set Venezuela free. The government is patterned with somewhat after our own. But it has been poorly run. There have been many revolutions because some of the presidents and congressmen have robbed the nation of money. When a president gets into power he generally stays till he dies or is thrown out by a revolution. If it were not for its poor government, Venezuala would be one of the foremost countries of South America.

It has a healthy climate. It has no high mountains as the western countries have. It has broad pasture lands on which thousands of cattle and sheep feed. It has rich coffee and sugar lands. In fact it can grow almost all tropical plants. Yet it is a poor country because of its government and because of its people. Almost all nations have people in Venezuela. Spaniards, Portugese, Indians, blacks - all colors are to be seen and all languages are spoken. Caracas is the capital. Here you see the Halls of Congress in which so many bad laws have been made. Here, too, on the other side of the street is the National University. This was once famed in South America as a place of learning. But it, too has come into the hands of politicians, and so has lost much of its glory.