Croatian Venezuelans

Last updated
Croatian Venezuelans
Croata-venezolanos
Flag of Croatia.svg Flag of Venezuela.svg
Total population
5,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Capital, Central, Zulia, Andean and Eastern Regions
Languages
Mainly Spanish and Croatian
Religion
Christianity (predominantly Catholic), and others
Related ethnic groups
Other Venezuelans, Croats, Croatian diaspora

Croatian Venezuelans (Croata-venezolano, Croata venezolano) are Venezuelans of full, partial, or predominantly Croat descent, or Croat-born people residing in Venezuela.

Contents

It is estimated that 5,000 Croats live in Venezuela.

History

Croatian immigration to Venezuela dates back to the late nineteenth century, and was characterized by the individual arrival of merchant seamen. Until World War I, a few number of Croats settle in Venezuela, nevertheless it is in the period of the World War II when the Croatian families that escaped from the government of Tito begin to settle in the country. Most of these immigrants came from present-day Croatian territory, particularly from the coastal and inland areas of Dalmatia. Others came from Bosnia and Herzegovina. [2]

Status of Croats in Venezuela

In 1949 came the initiative to create the Asociación Croata Venezolana (Croatian Association of Venezuela), entity that was transformed in 1972 in the Centro Croata Venezolano (Venezuelan Croatian Center). The Comité Croata de Venezuela (Croatian Committee of Venezuela) had been operating in Caracas since 1958. Its purpose was to support the transformation of Croatia into an independent and democratic state. The installation of the Hogar Croata (Croatian Home) in 1962 at its headquarters in Chacao was of major importance. Celebration of cultural and social events and the organization of sporting events. La Sociedad de Damas Croatas (Croatian Women Society) was established in 1968 and the Venezuela-Croatia Economic Chamber (Camara Venezolano – Croata de Industria y Comercio – Cavecro) established in 1997. [3]

The majority of the members of the Croatian community settled in Caracas and Valencia and, to a lesser extent, in other cities of the interior: Maracay, Maracaibo, Mérida and in localities of the Yaracuy state, where some joined the work in the sugar industry. [4] Also, several forest technicians arrived that later contributed to the establishment of the School of Forestry Engineering at the University of the Andes. A large percentage of the Croatians were artisans, who later became small entrepreneurs, and many were professionals, especially engineers and technicians, who had outstanding performance in Venezuela. [5] [6]

Notable Croatian Venezuelans

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central University of Venezuela</span> Venezuelan public university

The Central University of Venezuela is a public university located in Caracas, Venezuela. The university is widely regarded as the highest ranking institution in the country. Founded in 1721, it is the oldest university in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. It is ranked 18th among the universities in Latin America.

The Croatian diaspora consists of communities of ethnic Croats and/or Croatian citizens living outside Croatia. Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records and naturalization, but (highest) estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of Croats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatian Peruvians</span> Peruvian people of Croatian descent

Croatian Peruvians are Peruvians of Croatian descent. Mostly settled in the Peruvian capital, Lima, Croatian-Peruvians have scattered throughout the vast metropolis, but are known to have established a strong community in the Miraflores District, where strong ties to the ethnic group still remain. Due to intermarriage, most Croatian-Peruvians are of mixed ancestry. Actual conversations in Croatian are common only within first generation immigrants. Although Croatian speech in Peru has been generally lost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo Meneses</span>

Guillermo Meneses was a Venezuelan writer, playwright, and journalist. He was the author of La Balandra 'Isabel' llegó esta tarde and Campeones, among other works. His awards and honors include the Venezuelan National Prize for Literature (1967), the "Order of the city of Caracas", and the "Andrés Bello Order" created by President Rafael Caldera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Venezuelans</span> Venezuelan citizens of Italian descent

Italian Venezuelans are Venezuelan-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Venezuela during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Venezuela. Italians were among the largest groups of European immigrants to settle in the country. Approximately 5 million Venezuelans have some degree of Italian ancestry, corresponding to about 16% of the total population of Venezuela, while there were around 30,000 Italian citizens in Venezuela.

Croatian Argentines are Argentine citizens of Croatian descent or Croatian-born people who reside in Argentina. Croats and their descendants settled in Buenos Aires, the homonymous province, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Chaco, and Patagonia. Argentines of Croatian descent number over 250,000.

Croatian Chileans are Chileans of full or partial Croatian descent. Chile has one of the largest communities of ethnic Croats outside Europe, second only to Croatian Americans. They are one of the main examples of successful assimilation of a non-Spanish-speaking European ethnic group into Chilean society. Many successful entrepreneurs, scientists and artists, as well as prominent politicians who have held some of the highest offices in the country, have been of Croatian descent – including the current president of the Republic, Gabriel Boric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido</span>

Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido, was a Venezuelan lawyer, writer, journalist, and politician who served as acting president of Venezuela. A lawyer early in his career, in 1876 he cofounded the school La Paz in Caracas. Also dedicated to journalism, he founded the publications Alianza Literaria in 1876, La Mayoría in 1879, and Monitor in 1889. Between 1879 and 1892 he held various political roles including Secretary of Interior of the Federal District, secretary general in the government of President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, and a trial judge in Caracas.

Arab Venezuelans refers to Venezuelan citizens of Arab origin or descent. There are around 1,600,000 Venezuelans of Arab origin, mainly from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Most Arab Venezuelans are of Syrian descent with their number between 400,000 and 1 million inhabitants, and Lebanese descent with their number between 341,000 and 500,000.

Polish Venezuelans are Venezuelan citizens of full or partial Polish ancestry. The Polish colony in Venezuela is well dispersed throughout the country, but most of the Poles and their descendants live in big cities like Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernesto Villegas</span> Venezuelan journalist, politician, and writer

Ernesto Emilio Villegas Poljak is a journalist, politician, and writer from Venezuela.

Antonio Alfredo Herrera-Vaillant y Buxó-Canel is an exiled Cuban Venezuelan business leader, writer, journalist and historian. In addition to heading the Venezuela-America Chamber of Commerce (VenAmCham), Herrera is the author of six books, including the latest Bolivar, Empresario, which author and El Nuevo Herald columnist Carlos Alberto Montaner named as his "most interesting" book of 2014. In addition to his business and writing success, Herrera is the first non-Spaniard to be honored with a Gold Medal from Spain's prestigious Real Academia de la Historia. Herrera-Vaillant is the president of the Venezuelan Institute of Genealogy.

Venezuelans of Slovene descent, also Slovene Venezuelans number around 1,000.

Basque Venezuelans are citizens of Venezuela who are of Basque ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italy–Venezuela relations</span> Bilateral relations

Italy–Venezuela relations are the diplomatic relations between Italy and Venezuela. Both nations enjoy friendly relations, the importance of which centers on the history of Italian migration to Venezuela. There are approximately over 140,000 Italians living in Venezuela with more than a million Venezuelans of full or partial Italian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentina–Venezuela relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between the Argentine Republic and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, have existed for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan Argentines</span>

Venezuelan Argentines are Argentine citizens of partial or full Venezuelan descent, or Venezuelan citizens who have migrated to and settled in Argentina. As of 2022, there are 272,000 Venezuelans living in Argentina, most of whom migrated during the latter half of the 2010s as part of the Venezuelan refugee crisis. The last census held in Argentina, in 2010, registered only 6,000 Venezuelan migrants living in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombian Argentines</span>

Colombian Argentines are Argentine citizens of partial or full Colombian descent, or Colombian citizens who have migrated to and settled in Argentina. As of 2014, there were 87,574 Colombians living in Argentina, most of whom migrated during the 2010s.

References

  1. "Croatian diaspora in Venezuela". REPUBLIC OF CROATIA: State Office for Croats Abroad. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. Banko, Catalina (June 2016). "Un refugio en Venezuela: los inmigrantes de Hungría, Croacia, Eslovenia, Rumania y Bulgaria". Tiempo y Espacio. 26 (65): 63–75.
  3. Mille, Nicolás (1966). Veinte años de musiúes. Aspectos históricos, sociológicos y jurídicos de la inmigración europea en Venezuela 1946-1965 (in Spanish). Caracas: Ed Sucre.
  4. Arandia. "Los croatas en Venezuela y la medicina natural". Hrvatska radiotelevizija (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. Ministerio de Agricultura y Cría (1936-1958) (1960). Memoria (in Spanish). Caracas.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. "Venezolanos en Croacia alzan la voz por Venezuela | Venezolanos en el Mundo". 31 May 2017.