Remnants of Espejo Glacier on the southwestern face of Pico Bolívar

Pico Bolívar is the highest mountain in Venezuela, at 4,981 metres. Located in Mérida State, its top is permanently covered with névé snow and three small glaciers.

It can be reached only by walking; the Mérida cable car, the highest cable car in the world, only reaches Pico Espejo. From there it is possible to climb to Pico Bolívar. The peak is named after the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolívar.

The Pico Bolívar is located on the mountain previously called La Columna, next to El León (4,743 m) and El Toro (4,695 m). The new name was suggested by Miguel Febres Cordero in 1925. It was officially renamed on December 30, 1934.

Elevation

The 4,981 metre elevation is now the official height,[1]and was confirmed by a 2006 GPS reading. An older figure of 5,007 metres is still sometimes quoted.

Glaciar Retreat

During the Merida glaciation in the Pleistocene epoch, the glaciated area had a maximum extension of 600 km2 and covered mountains with a height of at least 3,000 m. At the end of the glaciation, the area covered by the glaciers progressively reduced and before the start of the small ice age they had possibly all disappeared.

It is estimated that in 1910 the area covered by glaciers was around 10 km2, divided in two large areas, one embracing Picos Bolivár, Espejo and Concha and the other embracing Picos Humboldt and Bonpland). Possibily a small glaciated area covered the northwest side of Pico El Toro.

Aerial pictures taken in 1952 show the glaciated area had already reduced to 0.9 km2 for the Picos Bolivár, Espejo and Concha and to 2.0 km2 for the Picos Humboldt and Bonpland.

In 2003 almost all the glaciers of the area had disappeared, with the exception of a two small glaciated areas (7.48 Ha on Pico Bolivár and 35.81 Ha on Pico Humboldt). It is forecast that at the current rate Venezuela will lose by 2020 all its glaciers, making it the first Andean country without any glaciated area.

Venezuelan coat of arms

The current coat of arms of Venezuela was primarily approved by the Congress on April 18, 1836, undergoing small modifications through history, reaching the present version.

The coat of arms was established in the Law of the National Flag, Shield and Anthem (Ley de Bandera, Escudo e Himno Nacionales), passed on February 17, 1954, by the military governor of Venezuela, Marcos Pérez Jiménez. The shield is divided in the colors of the national flag.

In the dexter chief, on a red field, wheat represents the union of the 20 states of the Republic existing at the time and the wealth of the nation.

In sinister chief, on a yellow field, weapons (a sword, a sabre and three lances) and two national flags are tied by a branch of laurel, as a symbol of triumph in war.

In base, on a deep blue field, a wild white horse (perhaps representing Simón Bolívar’s white horse Palomo) runs free, an emblem of independence and freedom.

Above the shield are two crossed cornucopias (horns of plenty), pouring out wealth. The shield is flanked by an olive branch and another of palm, both tied at the bottom of the coat with a large band that represents the national tricolour (yellow for the nation’s wealth, blue for the ocean separating Venezuela from Spain, and red for the blood and courage of the people).

Venezuelan coat of arms 1954-2006

The following captions appear in golden letters on the blue stripe:

• 19 de Abril de 1810 / 20 de Febrero de 1859
• Independencia / Federación
• República Bolivariana de Venezuela

In March 2006, the National Assembly approved changes to the coat of arms and the flag, which were made official on March 12, 2006, coinciding with Flag Day.

Prior to 2006, the horse was running to the sinister side of the shield with its head turned to the dexter (to the viewer, this appears as the horse galloping towards his right and looking back to the left).

Flag of Venezuela — State and war flag and state and naval ensign

The current flag of Venezuela was introduced in 2006. The basic design includes a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red, dating to the original flag introduced in 1811, in the Venezuelan War of Independence.

Further modifications have involved including a set of stars, multiple changes to the placement and number of stars and inclusion of an optional coat of arms at the upper-left corner.

Other Current Flags

Variant Flag

Variant flag of Venezuela — Civil flag and ensign

Presidential Standard

Presidential Standard

Original Flag

The flag is essentially the one designed by Francisco de Miranda for his unsuccessful 1806 expedition to liberate Venezuela and later adopted by the National Congress of 1811. It consisted of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red. Miranda’s flag is also the inspiration for the flags of Colombia and Ecuador. This original design was first flown on March 12, 1806 at Jacmel, Haiti as Miranda’s expedition prepared to make the final leg of its voyage to Venezuela. The flag was first flown over Venezuelan soil at La Vela de Coro, on August 3. Until August 3, 2006, Flag Day was celebrated in Venezuela on March 12. Since 2006 it has been celebrated on August 3.

The symbolism traditionally ascribed to the colors are that the yellow band stands for the wealth of the land, the blue for courage, and the red for the independence from Spain, or more succinctly: “golden” America separated from bloody Spain by the deep blue sea.

Changes From the Original

19th-Century Changes

During the first half of the 19th century, seven stars were added to the flag to represent the seven colonial provinces of Barcelona, Barinas, Caracas, Cumaná, Margarita, Mérida, and Trujillo that had united against Spain during the War of Independence.

After the Guayana campaign, Simón Bolívar added an eighth star to the national flag (the so-called Flag of Angostura) in representation of the newly freed province.

1954 Changes

The Law of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem added the Coat of Arms to the flag on February 19, 1954. The coat of arms was not incorporated into the Civil or Maritime Flag, which is intended for non-governmental purposes, such as civilian use, merchant craft, and international sports competition.

2006 Changes

In 2006 the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez announced plans to add an eighth star to the flag of Venezuela to bring about a much belated fulfillment to Bolívar’s 1817 decree.

Although the new flag was approved by the Venezuelan government it has caused significant controversy and at the time of its official unveiling, Óscar Pérez, a spokesperson for the opposition group National Resistance Command, stated that the opposition would not use the new flag.

The opposition has complained about the significant cost involved in modifying not only all flags but all documents bearing the flag or coat of arms by the year 2011 as proposed by the government. However, the government says the 2011 proposal allows ample time for phasing in of the new flag as citizens, businesses, and other organizations are able to switch.

The changed direction of the horse on the coat of arms also caused a stir among the opposition, commentators, and comedians who have remarked that the horse’s apparent “running to the left” is a not so subtle reflection of Chávez’s left-leaning politics. The new law says the latter represents the horse running with “independence and freedom”; it includes no reference to the attributed political symbolism.

At the close of the Miss Universe 2010 pageant, Stefanía Fernández, winner from 2009, pulled out a seven-star flag of Venezuela.

Historical Flags

Flag of Venezuela (1830–1836)

Flag of Venezuela (1836–1859)

Flag of Venezuela (1859)

Flag of Venezuela (1859–1863)

7-star Flag of Venezuela, in use 1930–2006.