Ethnicity

Venezuelans have a rich combination of heritages. From the colonial period were mixed Amerindians, Spanish and African, and today the majority of Venezuelans have mixed ancestry, ie people who have an Amerindians ancestor, black and white.

Since 1990 there is no record of the ethnography of the Venezuelan population, but according to statistics from the continues with a constant immigration which has increased the white and black population, leaving the mixed in slow growth.

These statistics expose approximate results: 50% mestizo, or white, mostly descendants of the Europeans and Arabs by 29%, 10% African descent, and indigenous people with only 1% of the total population.

Immigration

During the colonial period and until after the Second World War, much of European immigrants to Venezuela came from the Canary Islands, and its cultural impact was significant in influencing the development of Castilian in the country, its cuisine and customs.

With the start of oil exploitation in the early twentieth century, established companies and citizens from much of the United States. Later, during the war, he joined the Venezuelan society a new wave of immigrants from Italy and Spain, and new immigrants from Portugal, the Middle East, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, China, among others, are encouraged both by the immigration and colonization program established by the Government.

Between 1900 and 1958 more than one million Europeans immigrated to Venezuela creating great communities, highlighting the Italo-Venezuelans, Iberian-Venezuelans and Portuguese-Venezuelans. Venezuela is the third country in the world to have the largest community of Spanish after Argentina and France, the third country to have the largest community of Portuguese after Brazil and the U.S. and the third country to have the largest colony of Italians in Latin America after Argentina and Uruguay.

Immigration in Venezuela also came from many Latin American countries primarily in Colombia during the oil boom of the 1970s. These continuous waves of immigration increased the country’s complex racial mosaic. The Venezuelan population born in other countries accounted for 4.4% of the national total. Today, the increased immigration from Colombia, Spain, Portugal and Italy among other countries such as Trinidad and Tobago.

Asians make up a small percentage of the population. About 1% of Venezuelans are indigenous. These groups were joined by sponsored migrants from throughout Europe and neighboring parts of South America by the mid-20th century economic boom.

According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Venezuela hosted a population of refugee and asylum seekers from Colombia numbering 252,200 in 2007. 10,600 new asylum seekers entered Venezuela in 2007. Between 500,000 and one million illegal immigrants are estimated to be living in the Venezuela.

Indigenous Groups

Two of the main Amerindian tribes located in the country are the Wayuu, located in the west, in Zulia State, and the Timotocuicas, also in the west, in Mérida State, in the Andes. Other important groups include Afro-Venezuelans, though their numbers are unclear due to poor census data.

Urbanization

Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America; the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north, especially in the capital Caracas which is also the largest city. About 93% of the population live in urban areas in northern Venezuela; 73% live less than 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the coastline. Though almost half of Venezuela’s land area lies south of the Orinoco, only 5% of Venezuelans live there.

The largest and most important city south of the Orinoco is Ciudad Guayana, which is the sixth most populous conurbation. Other major cities include Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimeto, Mérida, San Cristóbal and Barcelona-Puerto La Cruz.

Language

There are at least 40 languages around Venezuela but Spanish is the language spoken by the majority of Venezuelans. The Constitution of Venezuela of the year 1999 declared Spanish and languages spoken by Indigenous people from Venezuela as official languages.

English is the most widely used foreign language and is spoken by many professionals, academics and part of the upper and middle classes as a result of oil exploration by foreign companies.

Religion

Venezuela, like most South American nations, is a predominantly Catholic nation. The influence of the Catholic Church was introduced in its colonization by Spain.

According to government estimates, 92 percent of the population is at least nominally Roman Catholic, and the remaining 8 percent Protestant, a member of another religion, or atheist. The Venezuelan Evangelical Council estimates that evangelical Protestants constitute 10 percent of the population.

There are small but influential Muslim and Jewish communities. The Muslim community of more than 100,000 is concentrated among persons of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Nueva Esparta State, Punto Fijo and the Caracas area. The Jewish community numbers approximately 13,000 and is mainly concentrated in Caracas.

Venezuela is also notable for its significant syncretic religious traditions, most notably those revolving around the figures of Maria Lionza and Jose Gregorio Hernandez.