Pray for Venezuela

Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of South America.
It is bordered by Colombia in the west, Brazil in the south, Guyana in the east
and the Caribbean Sea in the North.

Caracas is the capital.
The population is over 29 million

FACTS
When Christopher Columbus first sighted Venezuela, he was so impressed with
its beauty that he thought he had reached Paradise.
He named the region "Land of Grace."

In 1499 a Spanish expedition noted the stilt houses in the Lake Maracaibo area
and they named the region Veneziola, (Little Venice)

Venezuela  is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world
Sections                  
Caribbean coastal belt       North
Andes mountains              West
Amazon Rainforest           South
Grasslands                     Center
Orinoco River Delta          East

Venezuela is the location of the Earths tallest waterfall 'Angel Falls'

About 80% of the population lives along the Caribbean coastal belt in the north

DEMOGRAPHICS
49%    Mestizo
42%    White
3.5%   Black
2.7%   Amerindian (500 thousand)
1.1%   Other
0.6%   Unknown

96%    Catholic
2%     Protestant
1%     Animism
1%     None
Less than 1% (Bahai, Jewish, Chinese, Buddhist)

HISTORY
Venezuela was originally populated by various indigenous groups such as the Auaké,
Caquetio, Mariche, Timoto-cuicas. Wayuu , Warao , Yanomami and the Pemon.

In 1498 Christopher Columbus discovered Venezuela during his third voyage to the Americas.

Spain began colonizing Venezuela in 1522.
Early colonial settlements focused on the northern coast.

During the mid-18th century the Spanish pushed further inland, despite resistance
from indigenous groups.

In 1811 Venezuela was the first Spanish American colony to declare independence
The country gained full independence in 1830.

During the 19th century Venezuela suffered political turmoil and dictatorship.
The country was dominated by regional military strongmen well into the 20th century.

The country has suffered through coups and military dictatorships.

Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to a political crisis.
The Caracazo riots in 1989 caused up to 3,000 deaths.

In 1992 there were two attempted coups.

In 1993 the President was impeached for embezzlement of public funds .

Collapse of confidence in existing parties saw launch of the Bolivarian Revolution in 1998

In 2002 the country went through another coup attempt.

CONDITIONS
Venezuela is one of the world's leading oil exporters.
Manufacture is also a major industry

The country is not self-sufficient in most areas of agriculture
It imports two-thirds of its food.

The 1980s oil glut led to a long running economic crisis.
The recovery of oil prices after 2001 boosted the economy.
The 2008 global financial crisis saw a renewed economic downturn.

Corruption is very high.
The nation is regarded as the second most corrupt nation in Latin America after Haiti.
The discovery of oil worsened political corruption.

The country is fragmented into two distinct groups: rich and poor.
Power is concentrated in the hands of an ever-shrinking cadre.

Two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line.
One fourth live in inadequate housing.
60% of urbanites live in slums.

Venezuela is a major transshipment point for trafficking drugs and people.
Guerrilla-warfaring bandits often kidnap and traffic children.

Violent crime is a serious problem.
Venezuela has one of the world's highest homicide rates.
Many children grow up in dysfunctional /abusive homes.

Because of corruption, crime and poverty the political situation is extremely fragile
and under constant threat of Marxist takeover.

SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS
96% of the population is Catholic.
Less than a third regularly attend church.
80% consider Catholicism as simply a part of their culture.

People often mix Catholicism with folk spiritualism.
Up to 80% of the population are involved in some form of spiritualism.
Occult shops are even advertized on television.

3% of the population is still unreached.

The number of Evangelicals has been growing steadily.
Many believers come from dysfunctional backgrounds.

PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that the economy stabilize

Pray that government corruption cease.

Pray for those suffering from poverty

Pray for those living in slums or poor housing.

Pray that drug and human trafficking cease.

Pray that crime and violence cease.

Pray for those growing up in abusive homes.

Pray that the needy be cared for

Pray that communities be strengthened.

Pray for those involved in the occult or spiritualism

Pray that spirits of the occult be bound.

Pray that churches exorcise discernment

Pray that churches experience a revival.

Pray that the Gospel spread.