Here's a look at the nation of Venezuela's history

"According to the CIA World Factbook, Venezuela was one of three nations that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, the others being Ecuador and New Granada (Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, military strongmen ruled Venezuela and promoted the oil industry while allowing some social reforms. Democratically elected governments largely held sway until 1999, but Hugo Chavez, who was president from 1999 to 2013, exercised authoritarian control over other branches of government."

"This trend continued in 2018 when Nicolas Maduro claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent. The legislative elections in 2020 were also seen as fraudulent, and most opposition parties and many international observers consider the resulting National Assembly illegitimate. The U.S. imposed financial sanctions on Maduro and his representatives in 2017 and on sectors of the Venezuelan economy in 2018."

Venezuela emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, along with Ecuador and New Granada (Colombia). Military strongmen dominated much of the first half of the 20th century, promoting the oil industry while allowing some social reforms. Democratically elected governments persisted until 1999. Hugo Chávez (1999–2013) centralized authoritarian control over other branches of government. Nicolás Maduro's 2018 second-term claim followed a widely boycotted and internationally viewed fraudulent election, and 2020 legislative elections were also considered fraudulent with the resulting National Assembly deemed illegitimate by many. The United States imposed financial and sectoral sanctions from 2017–2018, with limited relief after electoral concessions. The economy has suffered hyperinflation, corruption, infrastructure cuts, debt defaults, heavy dependence on oil exports, and closer ties to China. Major export partners include the USA (50%), China (10%), and Spain (9%); import partners include China (35%), USA (24%), and Brazil (12%). Population is estimated at 31.3 million (2024), with male 15,555,451 and female 15,694,855. Ethnic groups include people of Spanish and Italian descent.

Read at www.ocregister.com