Immigration to Venezuela

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Immigration to Venezuela historically has been significant. Because of the Venezuelan geographical location as a gateway to South America, this nation has been the plot for many newcomers, even taking place before Columbus' discovery in 1498 when many aboriginal inhabitants came and left Venezuela. After the Spanish colonization of the Americas brought European colonists and African slaves, immigration to Venezuela was significant particularly in the period after World War II, with large numbers of immigrants from Asia and Europe, particularly southern Europe. In addition, Venezuela shares a 1000-mile border with Colombia and has long had substantial numbers of Colombian residents. Since the 1980s, the Colombian conflict has seen largescale Colombian immigration, with Venezuela the number one destination for displaced Colombians.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Immigration under Spanish rule

European immigration in Venezuela began in 1500 with the Spanish colonization of Cubagua island to exploit abundant pearl oysters, enslaving the indigenous people and harvesting the pearls intensively. In 1514, Dominican fraires founded Cumana, the oldest Spanish city still in existence in Mainland America. Many Spaniards began their explorations searching for gold, while others Spaniards established themselves as leaders of the native social organizations, teaching natives the Christian faith and the ways of their civilization. Catholic priests would provide education for Native Americans that otherwise was unavailable. Within 100 years after the first Spanish settlement, nearly 95 percent of all Native Americans in Venezuela had died. [1] The majority of the deaths of Native Americans were the cause of diseases such as measles and smallpox, which were spread by European settlers.

Out of all Spanish nationalities, the Castilians, Canarians, Catalonians, and the Basques were the most represented. Over time, Europeans intermarried often with the Amerindian peoples, and to produce a mixed-race population which are the majority of people in Venezuela today. [ citation needed ] Starting in the early 1500s, except the authorization of german settlers in Venezuela from 1527 to 1548, Spain discouraged non-Spaniard immigration to its colonies to prevent other European countries from asserting claims over the colony. Meanwhile, nearly 200,000 Africans were forcibly brought to supply labor to the agriculture and mining economy. (see Afro-Venezuelans)

Nineteenth-century immigration

After independence in 1821, a lack of economic attractions and successive civil wars provided few incentives for immigration as Corsican immigration to Venezuela, with Corsicans playing a substantial role in the cocoa industry, German immigration included the founding of Colonia Tovar in 1843, and German traders played a significant economic role particularly around Maracaibo. By the turn of the nineteenth century and the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903, German traders dominated Venezuela's import/export sector and informal banking system.

Caribbean immigration

Because of the Venezuelan geographical location as a gateway to South America, this nation has been the plot for many newcomers, even taking place before Columbus' discovery when many aboriginal inhabitants came and left Venezuela. During the later centuries African-descendants from the Caribbean islands entered Venezuela as immigrants. Among them Trinidadians, Cubans, Dominicans, Haitians, Dutch Antilleans, Martiniquens, Grenadians; in summary people from all the Caribbean nations. [2] To summarize Antillian blacks [3] coming even from British, Dutch and French Guianas.

Haitians in Venezuela

The Haitian immigration has been neither valued nor documented unlike the European immigration. [4] However, they have left their legacy in the nation. In 1806, Francisco de Miranda design the first Venezuelan flag in Jacmel (South of Haiti). On December 24, 1815 the general Simon Bolivar first set foot on Haitian soil. The liberator in 1816 with 400 men all of them Haitians fought for the freedom cause reach Venezuela.

The immigration of Haitians can be organized into three phases. The first from the beginning of the 1960s to the beginning of the dictatorship of the Duvalier causing the wave of immigrants to Venezuela. Then, with the "boom" of the Venezuelan economy a greater flow of Haitian nationals entering Venezuela (from the Netherlands Antilles). In mid-1980 the last group enter directly from Haiti, settling down first in Caracas (Carapita, Antímano, San Martin, Catia and La Vega) to exercise duties as ice cream vendors, [5] street vendors, and so on. [6] They are as well in Valencia and Barquisimeto (San Juan and El Tostao). [7] Many of them trilingual, they speak French, Haitian Creole and Spanish of Venezuela.

Guyanese in Venezuela

Illegally coming from the Esequibo. [8] [9] [ neutrality is disputed ]

Other Antilleans in Venezuela

Many women from West Indian Caribbean came to Venezuela to work at the wealthy American expats who worked at oil fields across Venezuela. Most of them settle in Cabimas, Maracaibo, Socorro among other towns. They were hired because most of those expats refused to learn or speak in Spanish and rejected to hire Venezuela ladies as servants. In this group several English-speaking Trininadian and Grenadian maids came to Venezuela. [10]

Post-war European immigration

After World War II, with Eduardo Mendoza Goiticoa in charge of immigration, substantial numbers of immigrants came from Europe, particularly southern Europe. As Secretary of Agriculture for Rómulo Betancourt's government, Mendoza headed the Venezuelan Institute for Immigration and embraced the creation of the International Refugee Organization in 1946 (this body was later replaced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Mendoza succeeded, despite fierce opposition within the cabinet, in ensuring that Venezuela would aid European refugees and displaced people who could not or would not return to their homes after World War II and chose to emigrate to Venezuela. He assumed responsibility for the legal protection and resettlement of tens of thousands of refugees arriving in Venezuela. International Refugee Organization officials consider Mendoza to have directed the most successful refugee program in the post-war period. Immigration reached a peak while he was minister and would later decline with a new government. [11] [12]

Spanish immigration

Basque immigration

Portuguese immigration

Italian immigration

Czech immigration

German immigration

Hungarian immigration

Corsican immigration

Croatian immigration

Serbian immigration

Slovene immigration

Greek immigration

Polish immigration

Scandinavian immigration

Russian immigration

Ukrainian immigration

Romanian immigration

Swiss immigration

Arab immigration

Lebanese immigration

Syrian immigration

Asian immigration

Chinese immigration

Japanese immigration

Korean immigration

Indians immigration

North Americans in Venezuela

Mexicans in Venezuela

[10]

Canadians in Venezuela

[13]

Americans in Venezuela

Since late of the nineteenth century people from United States of America started to come to Venezuela. They were temporary immigrants. Evangelical missionaries, as well as preachers of other protestant groups, as well as oil engineers who came to work in Western Venezuela. [10] [14] [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Venezuela</span>

Venezuela is a country in South America. The Venezuelan people comprise a combination of heritages, primarily Native American and European. The historically present Native American, Spanish colonists, and African slaves have all contributed to varying degrees. Later, waves of European groups migrated to Venezuela in the 20th century, influencing many aspects of Venezuelan life, including its culture, language, food, and music though small in number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People of the Dominican Republic</span> People who are associated with the Dominican Republic

Dominicans are an ethno-national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusion of European, native Taino, and African elements, this is a fusion that goes as far back as the 1500s. Due to this fusion, all Dominicans are of mixed-race heritage, tracing roots mainly to these three sources, the vast majority being evenly mixed, and smaller numbers being predominantly European or African. The demonym Dominican can be traced as far back as the 1621, the name came from Santo Domingo, which was not only the name of the capital city but also of the entire island at the time, Spain used this term to refer to the inhabitants of Spanish colony of Santo Domingo. Recent immigrants and their children, who are legal citizens of the Dominican Republic, can be considered "Dominican" by nationality but not ethnicity due to not having ancestral roots in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan War of Independence</span> Conflict between the Spanish Empire and its Venezuelan colonies (1810-23)

The Venezuelan War of Independence was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in South America fought a civil war for secession and against unity of the Spanish Empire, emboldened by Spain's troubles in the Napoleonic Wars.

Latin Americans are the citizens of Latin American countries.

The history of the Jews in Latin America began with conversos who joined the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to the continents. The Alhambra Decree of 1492 led to the mass conversion of Spain's Jews to Catholicism and the expulsion of those who refused to do so. However, the vast majority of conversos never made it to the New World and remained in Spain slowly assimilating to the dominant Catholic culture. This was due to the requirement by Spain's Blood Statutes to provide written documentation of Old Christian lineage to travel to the New World. However, the first Jews came with the first expedition of Christopher Columbus, including Rodrigo de Triana and Luis De Torres.

Isleños are the descendants of Canarian settlers and immigrants to present-day Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other parts of the Americas. In these places, the name isleño was applied to the Canary Islanders to distinguish them from Spanish mainlanders known as "peninsulars". Formerly used for the general category of people, it now refers to the specific cultural identity of Canary Islanders or their descendants throughout Latin America and in Louisiana, where they are still called isleños. Another name for Canary Islander in English is "Canarian." In Spanish, an alternative is canario or isleño canario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Mexico</span>

Immigration to Mexico has been important in shaping the country's demographics. Since the early 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has received immigrants from Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Today, millions of their descendants still live in Mexico and can be found working in different professions and industries.

The Culture of Latin America is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America and includes both high culture and popular culture, as well as religion and other customary practices. These are generally of Western origin, but have various degrees of Native American, African and Asian influence.

White Latin Americans or European Latin Americans are Latin Americans of European descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Colombia</span>

Immigration to Colombia during the early 19th and late 20th Century, is what makes it one of the most diverse countries in the world, above other countries in the Latin region. Colombia inherited from the Spanish Empire harsh rules against immigration, first in the Viceroyalty of New Granada and later in the Colombian Republic. The Constituent Assembly of Colombia and the subsequent reforms to the national constitution were much more open to the immigrants and the economic aperture. However naturalization of foreigners, with the exception of those children of Colombians born abroad, it is still difficult to acquire due 'Jus soli' law is not allowed by the government, and only 'Jus sanguinis' law is accepted. Immigration in Colombia is managed by the "Migración Colombia" agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelans</span> Citizens or residents of Venezuela

Venezuelans are the citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connections exist and are the source of their Venezuelan citizenship or their bond to Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelans of European descent</span> Ethnic group

European Venezuelans or White Venezuelans are Venezuelan citizens who self-identify in the national census as white, tracing their heritage to European ethnic groups. According to the official census report, although "white" literally involves external issues such as light skin, shape and color of hair and eyes, among others, the term "white" has been used in different ways in different historical periods and places, and so its precise definition is somewhat confusing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish diaspora</span> Emigrants from Spain and their descendants

The Spanish diaspora consists of Spanish people and their descendants who emigrated from Spain. In the Americas, the term may refer to those of Spanish nationality living there; "Hispanic" is usually a more appropriate term to describe the general Spanish-speaking populations of the Americas together with those in Spain. The diaspora is concentrated in places that were part of the Spanish Empire. Countries with sizeable populations are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and, to a lesser extent, Brazil, Belize, Haiti, United States, Canada, the Philippines and the rest of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Ricans</span> People from the country of Costa Rica

Costa Ricans are the citizens of Costa Rica, a multiethnic, Spanish-speaking nation in Central America. Costa Ricans are predominantly Castizos, other ethnic groups people of Indigenous, European, African and Asian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan refugee crisis</span> Emigration of millions of Venezuelans during the Bolivarian Revolution

The Venezuelan refugee crisis, the largest recorded refugee crisis in the Americas, refers to the emigration of millions of Venezuelans from their native country during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro since the Bolivarian Revolution. The revolution was an attempt by Chávez and later Maduro to establish a cultural and political hegemony, which culminated in the crisis in Venezuela. The resulting refugee crisis has been compared to those faced by Cuban exiles, Syrian refugees and those affected by the European migrant crisis. The Bolivarian government has denied any migratory crisis, stating that the United Nations and others are attempting to justify foreign intervention within Venezuela.

At the 2011 census, the number of immigrants in Costa Rica totaled about 390,000 individuals, or about 9% of the country's population. Following a considerable drop from 1950 through 1980, immigration to Costa Rica has increased in recent decades.

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

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

The Venezuelan diaspora refers to Venezuelan citizens living outside Venezuela. In times of economic and political crisis since the 2010s, Venezuelans have often fled to other countries in the Americas and beyond to establish a more sustainable life.

<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.

References

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  11. [The Refugee experience: Ukrainian displaced persons after World War II, Pages 30–36]
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