Immigration in Venezuela

Immigration in Venezuela has been of utmost relevance since the country's independence in 1810. The first immigrants were Spaniards who settled on the coast of the current territory of Venezuela at the beginning of the century XVI. As a result of the oil boom in the middle of the XX century, the country received a striking influx of immigrants, mostly from America, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, thus influencing culture, language, traditions and gastronomy.

Synopsis

At the beginning of the colonial era, the predominant population was of indigenous, Spanish and African origin. Over time, mestizos of the three races increased, and became the majority population in the XVII century. The indigenous population decreased in the XVI century, the century of conquest by Spain, not only as a result of its own conquest but by the introduction of diseases.

During the colonial era there was a forced immigration of blacks from the African continent, which created a large community of mulattoes and blacks at the time of the wars of independence: Jean Lavaysse stated that in 1807 there were 976,000 inhabitants in Venezuela, of which of which about 58,000 were black and mulatto slaves, while a few thousand were "free blacks" (like the famous Black First).

The beginning of the XX century were not conducive to the immigration of foreigners to Venezuela. Indeed, during the 27 years that the dictatorship of General Juan Vicente Gómez lasted, the migratory flow declined substantially due to the regime's distrust of the introduction of progressive ideas or ideas contrary to the interests of the reigning dictatorship.

In this order of things, it was only under the government of General Eleazar López Contreras that immigration acquired new relevance as it became part of the new president's government program. The need for selective immigration is supported predominantly by two very relevant figures of the time: Alberto Adriani and Arturo Uslar Pietri. Adriani in various writings maintained that one of Venezuela's problems was that of a very small population and little prepared in arts and crafts. For that reason he supported the convenience of European immigration, both to increase it and to improve it. For his part, Adriani maintained that European immigration would “whiten” Venezuelan immigration. Uslar Pietri in his celebrated 1937 essay "Venezuela needs immigration" He supported the indolence of mixed races and saw European immigration as a panacea, as a true “mobile school” for the transmission of knowledge and customs that would significantly help improve the Venezuelan population by the mere fact of coexistence.

Under these preachings and influences, Eleazar López Contreras promulgates a new Immigration and Colonization Law that reflects the feelings of the intellectuals of the moment. This law prohibits, among other provisions, the entry of people who are not white. However, as Susan Berlung comments in the Dictionary of the History of Venezuela of 1971, Volume 2, page. 795:

“The country received very little immigration before the Second World War because the only people who came out were the Jews and the Spaniards (republicans or separatists). Of these, the first were not received in significant numbers by any Latin American country and the last saw their entry in Venezuela because López Contreras thought that many of them were communists. About 28,000 people arrived between 1936 and 1940 but, with World War II, immigration was paralyzed.”

At the end of the Second World War with its widespread aftermath of physical destruction of industrial facilities, economic crisis and loss of jobs, Venezuela received a large number of immigrants (mainly from Western Europe) between 1948 and 1961 - when it was still It was a country of only 5 to 7 million inhabitants in 1950 - so the process of miscegenation has been very intense. Indeed, in the 1961 census there was a population of 7 million inhabitants, with more than 920,000 immigrants from Europe and other origins concentrated in the central region, between the metropolitan areas of Caracas and Valencia.

History

General José Antonio Páez ordered the creation of the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in 1829, which determined that the shortage of labor was the country's main problem. In 1831, General Páez, President of the Republic, issued the first decree to encourage Canarian immigration, which was already abundant in colonial times. In 1837, a General Immigration Law was promulgated by President Carlos Soublette, reformed several times between this date and 1855, extending the benefit of immigration with certain facilities to other European nationalities, including nationals of Asian countries. Between 1832 and 1857, 20,000 immigrants, mainly from the Canary Islands and Germans, entered Venezuela and settled in the west and center of the country.

Agustín Codazzi, Italian soldier and geographer, was entrusted with the mission of stimulating European immigration, in which the Italian and later the German immigrants settled in Colonia Tovar since 1840 stand out. During the government of Antonio Guzmán Blanco there was a important European migration from Spain (Basques and Canarians), Italy (Corsicans, Sicilians and Calabrians), Germany, Danes, French and English (the latter arrived mainly for business); around 30,000 arrived between 1868 and 1897

Alberto Adriani, in the 1920s, also advocated stimulating immigration, mainly European, even to respond to the challenge that the overwhelming boom of the economy of the United States of America posed to our agricultural export products..(7)

Unlike countries in the Southern Cone and North America, where they sought to "Europeanize" those nations, the Venezuelan government was in charge of "Venezuelanizing" to the immigrant by stimulating mixed colonies, so that the immigrants do not remain isolated, locked in their own customs, but, on the contrary, the cultural and ethnic integration is sponsored by the mixing of European immigrants with Venezuelans.

With the discovery of oil in 1914, Venezuela became a country with great potential to attract immigrants. In 1938, the president of the republic, General Eleazar López Contreras, created the Technical Institute of Immigration and Colonization (ITIC) through which the government planned to regulate the entry of immigrants, distribute large estates to Venezuelan and foreign farmers, repopulate the fields, raise the quality of life and improve the ethnic population. Not to mention that this was the period of great solidarity with the reception of the Caribia and Koenigstein ships, which left Hamburg, full of Jewish people, being rejected in many Caribbean ports. In 1945 the President Rómulo Betancourt, appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Eduardo Mendoza Goiticoa as head of the Venezuelan Institute for Immigration (formerly ITIC) and relied on the statutes of the International Refugee Organization created in 1946 (this organization was replaced by the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees). Despite strong opposition within the Cabinet, Mendoza managed to get Venezuela to help European refugees and displaced people, who could not or did not want to return to their homes and had decided to emigrate to Venezuela after World War II. Mendoza became responsible for the legal protection and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving in Venezuela. The International Refugee Committee has considered that Mendoza directed the best refugee program of the Post-War period. It is estimated that the large circulation of money resulting from oil exports attracted more than one million Europeans^{[citation required]} between 1948 and 1958 and successively from the rest of Latin America.

Between 1948 and 1961, 920,000 immigrants entered Venezuela, mainly Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, when the country barely had between 5 and 7 million inhabitants: 350 thousand Spaniards currently live in Venezuela, more than half of them from the Canary Islands. and Galicians. Then he got a million more. The Portuguese community amounts to 550 thousand (there are 35 Portuguese clubs in Venezuela), the Muslim community to 500 thousand (mainly Lebanese and Syrian), and the Chinese community to 500 thousand. It is estimated that more than 2 million Venezuelans have a recent Italian ancestor. Venezuela has the second Spanish community in South America, behind Argentina; the third Italian community in the subcontinent, only surpassed by Brazil and Argentina; and the second Portuguese community, surpassed only by Brazil.

The Portuguese-Venezuelan community is very important in Venezuela, it is estimated that between 1.0 - 3.5 million have a Portuguese ancestor, this is due to the great wave of emigrants who arrived in Venezuela during the century XX. It is estimated to be the third largest European community in Venezuela, only surpassed by Spain and Italy.

Among the recent emigrants who arrived in Venezuela in the XX century, the Spanish woman occupies second place, in Venezuela It is estimated that there are between 205,000 to 310,000 Spaniards living there, it is estimated that the recent ascendant population is more than 3 million. Canarians, Galicians and Basques are the main Spanish communities in the country.

In the 60s and 70s, there was an important Latin American immigration, first from Colombia, whose nationals were fleeing poverty and armed conflict, and also Cuba, and later from the Southern Cone (Peruvians, Chileans, Ecuadorians mainly), Venezuela It is the third country in Latin America with the most Peruvians, only surpassed by Argentina and Chile. Many were driven by the iron dictatorships that existed in those decades of terror.

Migration by Geographic Parts

^{(*) The communities are listed in alphabetical order, excluding Europeans for their impact on society and for parts of the Europeans these are the Spanish, Germans, Italians and Portuguese first because they are the most numerous.}

Europe

Peninsular and Canary Spaniards

During the colonial period and until the end of the Second World War, the majority of European immigrants who arrived in Venezuela were from the Canary Islands and their cultural impact was significant, influencing both the development of Spanish in the country as well as the food and customs. In fact, it is common to say that "Venezuela is the eighth island of the Canary archipelago.". Several Venezuelan leaders and notables have Canarian ancestry, such as the precursor of independence Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda, Andrés Bello, José Gregorio Hernández and the presidents José Antonio Páez, José María Vargas, Carlos Soublette, the Monagas, Antonio Guzmán Blanco, Rómulo Betancourt and Rafael Caldera. It should be noted that the Liberator Simón Bolívar himself had Canarian ancestors on his mother's side, as did Antonio José de Sucre. The Aragonese community also has a significant contingent. As for the contemporary Galician community, which is currently the second surviving group of Spanish immigrants, preceded only by the Canarians (according to current data on pensioners from the Ministry of Labor and Immigration of Spain), there are their parents and evidently their children. of which there is no clear record in the census; It is thought that they emigrated to the country in the second half of the 19th century and the first half XX, as a consequence of different factors including the prohibition of entry of peninsular Spaniards after independence, political reasons of the Spanish Civil War and the regime Francoist This last fact does not exclude Spaniards from other regions who also currently live in the country.

According to official sources in Spain, as of 2010, a total of 207,311 Spanish citizens resided in Venezuela. In the world, only Argentina and France have larger Spanish communities, which makes Venezuela the third country with the largest Spanish community. biggest in the world.

Germans

The arrival of the Germans and Flemish to Venezuelan territory dates back to the XVI century with the first attempts at colonization by from German families. In 1528, the Spanish King Charles I granted rights to the banking families Antón and Bartholomeus Welser, natives of Augsburg, to colonize the province of Venezuela. So, the Welsars in Venezuela, having Ambrosius Ehinger as governor of Klein-Venedig or Welserland (as it was known within the Holy Roman Empire), established a colonization plan. On October 7, 1528, Ehinger left Seville with the Spaniard García de Lerma and 281 colonists heading towards the Venezuelan coast, where they arrived on February 24, 1529, in the region of Santa Ana de Coro (German: Neu-Augsburg) the capital. From there, Ehinger explored the interior of Venezuela in search of El Dorado, a legendary city of gold, whose myth has been developed by the Spanish. On September 8, 1529, Ehinger founded the colony of New Nuremberg (German: Neu-Nürnberg), today known as Maracaibo.

During the 19th century Germany suffered great economic losses, while its inhabitants were paying high taxes. This set of reasons caused a great economic depression, which caused many Germans mired in misery to want to emigrate to escape poverty. The pioneers in Brazil added a positive reputation to the settlers. On the other hand, Venezuela at the beginning of the 19th century did not have much political weight, so there was no need to fear any interference from your part. During the second government of José Antonio Páez, in 1840, Congress enacted a new Immigration Law in May of that year that provided for a policy of economic and cultural exchanges between Venezuela and Europe. Codazzi explored various fields owned by Count Tovar's family, who had offered to donate them to establish a colony. Therefore, Codazzi began a propaganda in Germany with the support of Alexander Von Humboldt to get a group of people to join the project and he chose families of artisans and farmers from Prussia – Schonaich and the Grand Duchy of Baden and its surroundings., especially from Endingen am Kaiserstuhl. On October 14, 1841, 374 people formally arrived in Choroní, settling after a period of quarantine in the current Colonia Tovar, with the typical buildings and particular European lifestyle. A company was formed with Agustín Codazzi and Ramón Díaz as partners, and Martín Tovar y Ponte as guarantor. That same year, work began on land donated by Manuel Felipe Tovar that would serve as the home of German immigrants. Once in Tovar, they found that of the eighty promised houses, only twenty had been built. Furthermore, the lands had been allocated to be deforested. There was also no access road. The settlers' administrator exploited the labor force and prevented them from leaving the colony. The situation would not improve until 1845 when the government dismissed the administrator from office. In 1852 he transferred the territory to the families of the colony.

Italians

The majority of Italians emigrated to Venezuela after World War II. However, since 1840, the presence of a strong group of Tuscans has been felt, more precisely from the Island of Elba in the Andean region. The following surnames appear: Mazzei, Braschi, Fossi, Mazzarri, Pisani, Murzi, Berti, Pardi, Dini, Spinetti, Bocaranda, Adriani, Paolini, Galeazzi, Melani, Pieruzzini, Mibeli, Pellizzari, Marcuzzu, Baratta, Faccini, Segnini, Burelli, Parilli, Lombardo, Lombardi, Giordani, Giordano. In the 1940s and 1950s, more than 300,000 Italians entered the port of La Guaira, creating the largest "colony" European in Venezuela. Initially many were sent to agricultural communities (such as the 'Colonia Turén' in the Portuguesa state), but the majority ended up working in commerce, industries and services in the main Venezuelan cities.

Italians came to Venezuela mainly from the poor regions of southern Italy (such as Sicily), but also from the industrialized north (such as Emilia-Romagna and Veneto).

The Italian Consulate in Caracas indicated in an official publication that in 1977 - of the 300,350 Italians who arrived in Venezuela; 39,855 were from Sicily, 35,802 from Campania, 20,808 from Abruzzo, 18,520 from Apulia, and also (from the industrialized north) 8,953 came from Veneto, 7,650 from Emilia-Romagna and 6,184 from Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The Italians - according to the same source - were concentrated mainly in the north-central coastal region of Venezuela, around Caracas and Valencia.

During the same year, 98,106 Italians lived in the Federal District of Caracas, 39,508 in the state of Miranda, 14,203 in Maracaibo, Zulia state, 12,801 in Aragua and 8,104 in the state of Carabobo, and there were even some 66 Italians in the Federal Territory Amazon.

Currently, in the 2000s, almost 90% of Italian-Venezuelans are concentrated in the Venezuelan coastal region and the Coastal Mountains. Approximately 2/3 of them are residents of the metropolitan areas in five of the main Venezuelan cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, and Maracay.

Santander Laya-Garrido (in his book The Italians forging nationality and economic development in Venezuela) estimated that Venezuelans with at least one grandparent (or great-grandfather) from Italy may be more of two million at the beginning of the century XXI (like the president of Venezuela Raúl Leoni, whose grandfather was an Italian refugee Freemason of the century XIX). He also stated that the Italian community occupied a predominant place in Venezuelan society in the second half of the century XX .

According to official AIRE consular registration data, 200,000 Italians born in Italy reside in Venezuela. With this figure, Venezuela has the third largest Italian community in Latin America; However, the descendants of Italians born in Venezuela would exceed more than 5,000,000 inhabitants.

Portuguese

The Portuguese emigrated to Venezuela since the 1950s and this migratory flow continued even until the 1960s. They represent one of the most numerous European colonies in Venezuela. They came mostly from Madeira, Aveiro, Porto and other areas of the country. In the 70s, the Portuguese continued to arrive in the country, pressured by the guerrillas in the African colonies (Angola and Mozambique), by the declaration of independence in 1975 and the institutional crisis that occurred due to the seizure of power by a pro-Soviet sector as a result of the Revolution of the Carnations.

Currently, 53,478 people born in Portugal reside in Venezuela, and a total of 400,000 among those born in Portugal and descendants. In Latin America, Venezuela concentrates the largest Portuguese community after Brazil. To the descendants of the Portuguese in Venezuela They are known as "luso-venezuelans".

French

Despite the ups and downs at the beginning of the republican period, they did not prevent a few thousand French people from settling in Venezuela during the 19th century. , mainly from Corsica and the Southwest. If the Corsicans manage to prosper thanks to cocoa and rum in the Carúpano region (Edo. Sucre), the Bearneses face greater difficulties, as demonstrated by the failure of the French agricultural community project "Colonia Bolívar" near Guatire (Edo. Miranda). The French entered Venezuelan territory leaving a cultural influence in the theater, the arts managed to influence the city of Caracas, as well as being the precursors of scientific thought. in Venezuela and they brought their customs with them. However, they did not manage to form a large community like what happened in countries like Canada (due to its linguistic past), the United States, Argentina or Brazil. However, they managed to stand out in society due to their business abilities.

There was also a large naval presence in Venezuela during 1939-1942 where it would be done in order to avoid an invasion by Colombia or avoid the presence of Nazis and the entry of Fascist ideas into the country.

Dutch or Dutch

Since 1542, the Dutch, on their excursions through the Caribbean Sea, had taken over the rich Araya salt mine, who exploited the salt mines illegally since 1593, stopping such activity in 1623. Centuries later, Dutch from the Netherlands Antilles: Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire settled on the coasts of Falcon (mostly, where there is also a Jewish-Dutch cemetery) moving to Carabobo, Zulia and towards the coasts of Colombia.

Czechs

Venezuela cannot be scrutinized without alluding to a group of Czechoslovak immigrants who arrived after the end of the Second World War. At the end of the 90's Their number barely exceeded 200, but their influence continues to be as noticeable as that of little Prague on the Old Continent. They made Venezuela their second homeland and from there emerged a second, third and fourth generation of countrymen made up of children and grandchildren of immigrants who today feel as Venezuelan as they are Czech, and who dedicated their entire lives to the most diverse activities to benefit of Venezuelan society.

One of the first Czech immigrants was Emil Friedman (1908 - 2002), a prominent musician, lawyer and educator. He arrived in Maracaibo in 1945 where he was Director of the Zulia State Music Academy, principal violinist of the Maracaibo Quartet and founder of the Zuliana Concert Society, adding the headquarters of San Cristóbal, Valencia and Caracas. In Caracas he founded the prestigious Emil Friedman School.

By 1950, the Czech colony was one of the fewest immigrant groups in the country: 1,224 people, according to the census of the time. It was not common for Czechoslovaks to leave their country with the express hopes of settling in Venezuela. Many arrived after trying their luck in other countries; others, by reference from third parties. But the main reason for settling here was simply the ease with which the Government granted visas.

For a landless country like Czechoslovakia, Venezuela meant sea and virgin nature. The engineers Carlos Stohr, Harry Osers and Pedro Seidemann met again in Venezuela. They still have a photograph of the three walking in the Turiamo spa in 1952. Seidemann (an executive of steel companies who is credited with the first sale of Venezuelan steel to China) claims not to feel nostalgic for the cultural climate of Prague, the hometown of he. “I think that people who like culture don't need to be in their own country to be able to enjoy it.”

Like Osers, professor emeritus of the Faculty of Engineering of the Central University of Venezuela, Seidemann lived the terror of the Nazi concentration camps. “The other member of my family who survived the war, on the paternal side, took refuge in Switzerland. When we meet, he sees me as South American. I also can't say that I am a typical example of a Czech. Those of us who have survived concentration camps have other character traits.”

In 1949, brothers Hans and Lothar Newman Haas of Jewish origin founded Pinturas Montana, C.A. (currently Corimon Pinturas C.A.), one of the first paint factories in Venezuela and quickly consolidated itself in the national market during the 1950s. In 1992, the Montana Industrial Corporation began an ambitious race towards the internationalization of its operations, which in a couple of years ended with the embargo of the chemical complex.

The development of P.A.N. Flour. At the end of the 1950s it would have been the idea of brewmaster Carlos Roubicek, one of the first employees of the Polar Brewery, and Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, taking advantage of the facilities of the Remavenca refinery to pulverize the corn flakes that were processed in said plant. They were made to improve the flavor of beer.

Other notable Czechs are the singer-songwriter Ilan Chester, the anthropologist Hellmuth Straka, the engineers Felipe Odehnal and Jarolslav Brcek, the actress Perla Vonasek and the chemist Martin Trnovsky.

The second wave of immigration that left Czechoslovakia after the events of the Prague Spring in 1968 was numerous. Although the majority preferred countries in Western Europe, the United States or Canada, a few arrived in Venezuela, but not before knocking on doors in other nations. But after the division of Czechoslovakia (today divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia), the democratic opening and two presidential elections, immigration to Venezuela has been almost non-existent. At the end of the century XX little more than 200 immigrants were registered in the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Caracas, although they could be more.

Flamingos

In more recent years, more Dutch, Flemish (Belgian) and Germans arrived in Venezuela to put down roots, escaping from their native Europe for various reasons, including poverty, wars and famines. Agustín Codazzi inspected various fields located in the Aragua State, property of the Tovar family, who had offered to donate them to establish a settlement of German immigrants dedicated to agriculture and herding. This would give way to the creation of the current Colonia Tovar in 1843, El Jarillo in 1890 and Colonia Agrícola de Turén in the state of Portuguesa in 1951, among other regions of Venezuela.

Hungarians

Mainly composed of immigrants who left Hungary after the Second World War or the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Although they settled as immigrants in the second half of the century XX, there are records from previous centuries where Hungarians visited Venezuela motivated by exploratory interests. Such is the case of the Hungarian expeditionary nobleman Pál Rosty de Barkócz, who in 1857 traveled to the country and photographed the region of San Juan de Los Morros. The majority of Hungarian immigrants arrived from Europe in 1946, and soon began to meet in Caracas, initially in private homes and later in a small house rented as a community in the Los Chorros area of Caracas.

The Hungarian Protestant Christian community (mainly Calvinists and Lutherans) then began to meet to read the holy scriptures, and to celebrate religious services starting on December 24, 1948, when for the first time Dr. Pablo Puky began these ceremonies in a camp called "El Trompillo”, with 30 Hungarian emigrants. Later, the Hungarian Protestants continued to organize until 1954 when they built their own church in the area of La Castellana, in Caracas, together with the German, Latvian and Scandinavian Protestant community.

In the decade of the 50's' Many relevant personalities began to found the institutional and traditional foundations of the community. In 1953, at the initiative of Mrs. Erzsébet de Egyed held the first Fehérbál (in Spanish: White Dance), in which young Hungarians were presented to society, becoming a tradition that still exists to this day. In 1958, at the initiative of Tibor Pivko, the professional football team Deportivo Danubio F.C. was created. made up mainly of emigrants from Hungary and other central European countries. The Danube had a short life participating in the 1958 and 1959 seasons when it achieved third place.

Many Hungarians began to work as professors in Venezuelan Universities, standing out in all humanistic and scientific areas. In 1970 Pál Kerese and his wife Evelia founded a pastry shop in Caracas, which they called 'Danubio'. and very soon it gained great importance, currently having about a dozen branches throughout the country.

In the following decades, the Hungarian-Venezuelan community led countless folk dance events and performances throughout the country and Latin America in conjunction with groups from other nations such as the Hungarians from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, traveling to dance festivals to Hungary as a representation of the nation. Significant personalities such as Ms. Judith Kristóffy-Jeszenszky from Nyisztor, Ms. Enikő from Gazsó and the MSc. Alicia Fedor de Diego, among many others, always coordinated matters related to the preservation of Hungarian dance in Venezuela for more than 50 years. They also promoted and maintained Hungarian scouting groups in Caracas, a way in which the young children of immigrants kept in contact with each other, learned the Hungarian language and about the history and culture of that country.

Scandinavians and Finns

Scandinavia is a peninsula in Northern Europe, known as the land of the Vikings, a town of very tall people, athletic builds, blue eyes, white skin and hair like the sun and gold. In short, a Germanic town. This region is made up of Norway, Sweden and Denmark along with their colonies in North America and the North Atlantic. As such, mass migration of these people to the Land of Grace as many did to the South of Brazil and Northeast of Argentina is unknown. Some families of Swedes, Danes and Norwegians entered Venezuela, the first as evangelical missionaries at the beginning of the XX century, and those who They were fleeing the consequences of the First World War and the Second World War, however there were some already established on the coasts of Venezuela since the century XIX, Scandinavian companies that established themselves in Venezuela also joined.

However, the Chirgua colony in the state of Carabobo was an attempt at agricultural colonization in which the transfer of Danish and Norwegian families was organized. However, some could not adapt to the environment or fell into jobs that conflicted with the productive needs of the country, therefore this attempt failed and 38 of the 40 families were repatriated to Denmark, carrying a resounding loss in the investment that was made. executed for this purpose. The two Danish families that decided to stay in Venezuela were the Petersens and Jørgensen.

Years later, the Plumrose sausage company was established, which has had Danish representation in the factory's administration. The Norwegian businessman Øystein Halvorssen, consul of the kingdom of Norway in Caracas, built a family dynasty as a representative in Venezuela from European corporations including Dunlop, Alfa Laval and Ericsson. Additionally, representations of Statoil among others were present in the nation. There were also arrivals of Finns to Venezuela to a greater extent, founding a small colony in Caracas.

Slovenians

The first Slovenes arrived in Venezuela between both world wars, although in a small number, estimated at about 50 people. A larger group of Slovenian immigrants arrived in Venezuela in the years after World War II, followed until the late 1950s by large numbers of people, mostly from Primorska. This emigration was motivated by dissatisfaction with economic conditions and partly with political conditions, by the desire for adventure and by the existing ties with the Slovenes in Venezuela. Based on different sources and testimonies, it is estimated that until 1960 between 550 and 800 Slovenes arrived in Venezuela.

In 1958, the Slovenian priest Janez Grilc arrived in Venezuela from Argentina, who proved to be an excellent organizer. That same year, masses in the Slovenian language began, as well as pilgrimages with marked national qualities, followed by social and cultural meetings. In 1966 the »Sv. association was formally founded in Caracas. Ciril in Metod«, whose events involved between 100 and 150 people. The current president of the association has been in office for more than 10 years. They organize pilgrimages, St. Nicholas Day and the commemoration of Slovenia's independence.

The Association owned its own headquarters for a time, which was later sold, mainly due to the dispersion of Slovenes in the capital city and the country, the limited financial means and the small number of members of the community.. In the same period, the Ilirija association was founded in Valencia, and there is also data about the past functioning of the Slovenija association in Puerto Cabello.

The street that bears his name in Chacao bears witness to the activities of the Slovenian priest in Caracas. »Slovenija« avenue in the tourist town Higuerote testifies to the Slovenian presence in Venezuela. During the time of priest Grilc, the »Triglav« orchestra operated in Caracas. Since April 1959, the newspaper »Življenje – Vida« was published, with religious and informative topics.

Of particular relevance for Slovenian immigrants is Immigrant Day in Guigue, where the Slovenian immigrant Franc Willewardt is considered »white boss«. It is the day that remembers the disembarkation of the first post-war European immigrants in Puerto Cabello and their arrival at the camp near El Trompillo.

Poles

Polish immigration to Venezuela began as a result of the Second World War and the consequences it entailed for the country, as well as political issues after the creation of the Warsaw Pact. This caused Polish citizens, including those of Jewish origin, to seek to settle in the country in search of better living conditions. Today the Polish community in Venezuela is dispersed throughout the country, and its number is estimated between 4,000 or less. The first wave of immigrants arrived in Venezuelan ports during the years of World War II, when the Poles of Jewish origins moved from the country to escape the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany and seek better living conditions on the American continent.

The second wave occurred in the postwar period, between 1946 and 1948. Jewish survivors of Polish nationality sought to reunite with their relatives in Venezuelan territory. With them also arrived several veteran soldiers of the conflict, who had served in the armies of the Allies in Great Britain, France and Italy. This community sailed from Bremerhaven along with other nationalities and arrived in La Guaira and Puerto Cabello in 1947.

The third phase of immigration occurred between 1957 and 1958. This time the migratory wave was caused by the repressive climate of the Polish communist government, and carried out by both Jews and, for the most part, by civilians and political dissidents who opposed to the government of that time that governed until 1989. Once in Venezuela, the Polish community showed a great capacity to adapt to its new situation, and they preserved their traditions and customs. Today, its presence has been evident with the establishment of small family businesses. Some of its members have ranged from musicians to doctors and academics.

Romanians

Taking into account the emigrants of the ethnic mix between Dacians, Goths and the Carps. Romania is a multi-ethnic state with diverse linguistic groups such as Slavs, Hungarians, Germans, among others. Moldovans are linguistically Romanian. Romania had the foundations of its Latin culture and language, which distinguishes this country from its neighbors who are mostly of Slavic descent (except for the Hungarians who are Finno-Ugric). Romanian is a Latin language.

Romanian immigration to Venezuela began well into the XX century and deepened after 1989 and in the 1990s, like Joana Benedek who emigrated to Venezuela at the beginning of the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Currently the Romanian community in Venezuela is around 10,000 inhabitants. Most of them are immigrants who arrived in the country, like many other nationalities, as a result of the Second World War and the policies of the Warsaw Pact governments. Likewise, part of the community is made up of Romanian descendants, especially women, who have married Venezuelans, who usually had previously studied in Romania.

Added to this, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been operating in Caracas since 1997. That same year the Church of Saint Constantine and Saint Helena was built in that city. German speakers from the Bukovina region, Romania, also emigrated to Venezuela (discussed on the topic of German immigration in Venezuela).

English

Particularly it is a small community, but it has a history similar to others that came to the country in search of new opportunities. The British who came were mainly oil experts and engineers when Venezuela was experiencing the oil boom in both the early and mid-20th century. >.

Aroa Mines

In 1834 a group of technicians and workers settled in Aroa, Yaracuy to extract copper, but for a short time, since the majority were assaulted and murdered.

Russians

The exodus of Russian immigrants in Venezuela was seen starting in 1947 when they arrived in Venezuela hoping to rebuild their lives. An American ship used to transport immigrants, the USS General S.D. Sturgis, docked at the port of La Guaira, 25 kilometers from Caracas, with thousands of European refugees. They were escaping the devastation caused by World War II and were in search of new horizons. A larger contingent of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians created what is now known as AltaVista, northwest of the city and near Catia, a populous area, as reported in a review by the Mini Parque La Cruz communal council:

“Most of them, with good professional training, were not similar to factories and shops.”

Three Orthodox churches were also founded in the area, one of them made of wood, built in 1948, which served to bring the community together. With the arrival of Hugo Chávez and after the agreements with Russia, there has been an exchange of professionals in which many Russians and Belarusians have temporarily entered Venezuela.

African migration

The introduction of African slaves to Venezuela began approximately in the year 1528 with the aim of replacing the aboriginal workforce. The Welsers, German bankers from Augsburg, built plantations on the coast of Falcón and received licenses to import some 4,000 slaves as payment for the debts contracted with them by King Charles V. In 1536 Juan Despes received licenses to import slaves to the Mina de Buria in Yaracuy. During this century, other imports of slaves to Maracaibo, La Guaira and Margarita Island are included. Colonial economic activities mostly linked to the slave exploitation of cocoa, sugar cane and coffee, mining and pearl fishing. These activities increase in productivity during the XVII century and increase the importance of slaves within the mode of production and labor..

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, shipments of slaves arrived at the ports of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello, either under licenses or seats, and were distributed to landowners from different regions of the territory. Due to the demand for slaves, blacks are also brought by Coro, Cumaná, Maracaibo and Margarita Island as smuggled by English and French pirates. According to Luis Brito Figueroa (1960), 6,596 slaves were imported to Venezuela in the XVI century, 10,147 in the XVII and 34,099 in the XVIII, without including blacks who arrive by smuggling and as refugees or maroons; Altogether, it is estimated that more than 100,000 blacks entered Venezuela during the entire colonial period. Since the journey began in Africa and in each distribution port, individuals from different African ethnicities began to intermingle, which caused a certain type of syncretism in their descendants.

The majority of blacks come, either by importance, smuggling or as refugees, from the Caribbean islands and other continental American coasts, not including a few shipments of slaves from the coasts of Lower Guinea and Central Africa.

Blacks in Venezuela are distributed mainly along the coast. This is due, more than anything, to the locations of plantations and haciendas. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, centers of black populations were progressively established.

American

Caribbean

Due to the geographical location of Venezuela as a gateway to South America, bordered by a group of islands in the Antilles, the immigration of Caribbean people has been one of the events that has taken place over many centuries., including pre-Columbians. Various aboriginal groups crossed in various directions entering and leaving Venezuelan territory. In more recent centuries, a contingent of Afro-descendants from the Caribbean carried out migratory movements to Venezuela. By 1980, a number of more than 60,000 people were estimated, which represented 5% of the foreign population in Venezuela. The largest group made up of Dominicans, Cubans followed by Trinidadians. To this figure must be added Guyanese (many of them entering through Guyana Esequiba), Haiti, Jamaica, the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire), Martinique, Grenada, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados. In short, it can be concluded that Caribbean people who emigrated from various islands chose Venezuela as their destination.

Many of them turned to Venezuela as a bridge to later emigrate to first world countries such as the United States (English speaking), Canada (English and French speaking), France (French speaking), the United Kingdom (English speaking) and the Netherlands (Dutch speaking).).

Cubans

Since Fidel Castro came to power in the Caribbean nation in 1959, 20 years before the Mariel exodus, a large number of Cubans left their island and emigrated to Venezuela, including future celebrities such as María Conchita Alonso and Osmel Sousa.. Most of those Cubans in exile prospered incredibly in Venezuela. At the beginning of the XXI century, around the year 2003, medical, sports and security professionals entered Venezuela due to a binational mutual aid agreement between Cuba and Venezuela. The exchange was based on Cuban professionals helping in the areas of health, sports and state security in exchange for discounted Venezuelan oil for the island. Cuban doctors primarily participated in a primary medical care program in Venezuelan neighborhoods called Misión Barrio Adentro. Many of these doctors (men and women) married Venezuelan men and women, requesting permanent residence in Venezuela or deserting the program with which they obtained their entry. However, many of these Cuban doctors have in turn emigrated to other countries, as part of the exodus of Venezuelans due to the critical situation in the country today.

Dominicans

With the arrival of the military regime of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, a large number of Dominicans emigrated to Venezuela, most with high educational levels who were not in favor of the new mandate in the Dominican Republic. In the 1980s there were approximately 37,000 Dominican nationals in Venezuela, finding in Venezuela a rapid welcome and integration into society, where they were well received, even establishing "Dominican zones", such as Quinta Crespo in Caracas, where a large number of Dominicans reside.

After the 1990s, the Dominican who emigrated to Venezuela did so more out of curiosity than necessity, or as a bridge to emigrate to other nations in the region since Venezuela, by tradition, always kept its doors open to Dominican citizens at the time when they suffered from the dictatorship of the military regime of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.

Guyanese

This group of immigrants, mostly illegal due to the border problem between Venezuela and Guyana inherited since their independence from the United Kingdom, has mostly taken place in the Caroní Municipality in the Bolívar State. This immigration is hidden under Venezuela's claim to Guayana Esequiba. The vast majority of Hindustani origin (originally from India who came to work in English Guiana when the British crown decided to abolish slavery).

Guyanese immigration can be organized into three groups. First there are those who were rich in their country, came to Venezuela and maintain their economic position. Secondly, those who enjoy good financial income, but not a high social level, are called the new rich. Many of them are professionals in the area of administration and lithography. A palpable characteristic is that this second group of Guyanese have a second generation in Venezuela, young people and adolescents who are inserted in the Venezuelan community due to the fact that they are already bilingual (English and Venezuelan Spanish). Finally, Guyanese who do not have a high financial income and remain living in the community, among them are the majority of illegals.

The cause of immigration is due to economic reasons in their country of origin. The states of Bolívar and Delta Amacuro are the ones that present uncontrolled immigration problems for this group. More than 70% of Guyanese in Venezuela settle in San Félix. They have a monopoly on the sale of ice cream, as well as mosques and evangelical churches in English, and they resist integrating into Venezuelan culture.

This group of immigrants has suffered (see news) and in turn generate various types of problems in Venezuelan society, such as crime, the common underworld; in which they are victims or are part of criminal gangs in communities such as La Victoria, in the Caroní Municipality. Many of them linked to fuel smuggling to Guyana.

Haitians

In 1816 the liberator Simón Bolívar declared:

"If the favors bind men, do not hesitate, General Alexandre Pétion, that I and my compatriots will always love the Haitian people."

As victims of the racism and classism that exists in Venezuela, Haitian immigration has not been valued or documented unlike European immigration. However, they have left their legacy in the nation of Bolívar. On December 24, 1815, the Liberator set foot on Haitian soil for the first time. In 1816, Bolívar with 400 men, all Haitians dedicated to the liberating cause, arrived in Venezuela. On March 10, 1806, Francisco de Miranda raised the first Venezuelan flag in Jacmel (Southern Haiti).

The immigration of Haitians in the 20th century can be differentiated into three phases. The first from the beginning of the 1960s at the beginning of the Duvalier dictatorship, originating the wave of immigrants to Venezuela. Then, with the oil boom in the Venezuelan economy, a greater flow of Haitian nationals entered Venezuela (from the Netherlands Antilles). In the mid-1980s, the last group entered directly from Haiti, settling first in Caracas (Carapita, Antímano, San Martín, Catia and La Vega) working as ice cream makers, street vendors, and so on. Then Valencia and Barquisimeto (San Juan and El Tostao). Many of them are trilingual, as they speak French, Haitian Creole and Venezuelan Spanish.

Trinitarians

Trinitarians entered Venezuela during the gold rush in the middle of the 19th century. They settled in the Bolívar State in the region of the city of El Callao. Their maximum cultural expression: Calypso, is an expression resulting from the mixture or amalgamation of musical cultural expressions from various places in the world, in a very special way. Trinidad and Granada, with Venezuelan Creole influence, hence Calypsos lyrics still persist with words in English, French and even with African phonemes, what was called speaking and singing in Patois (“patuá”) in the middle of the last century. One of the representatives of this tradition was Madame Cleotilde Stapleton who performed Miss Marksman/Niger Man in the same way as the Yuruari band. Said Patuá English and/or French dialect is still used in towns such as El Callao, Tumeremo, San Félix, Puerto Ordaz (Bolívar State), Macuro, Pária, Güiria and Carúpano (Sucre State). Many of them have held important positions in Venezuela as professors and even English instructors.

The architecture of the houses similar to the English style of Trinidad and Tobago However, in the last 3 years the Trinidadian community has been emigrating to their country of origin or Europe.

Other Antilleans in Venezuela

Many people from Granada and Curacao made their contribution to Venezuela in immigration matters. Many of them arrived individually, marrying Venezuelans, and their descendants are integrated into the Venezuelan population, going unnoticed. Among them, the president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros, who is the grandson of a Jew from Curacao who emigrated to the state of Falcón, the national tennis champion Iyo Pimentel, a native of Curacao, and the singer of Granada origin Henry Stephens, among others.

Latin American

Argentines

During the 70s, Venezuela was a highly chosen destination for Argentines fleeing the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla. Another important contingent migrated to Venezuela during the 2001-2002 crisis.

Chileans

During the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, a large number of Chilean immigrants arrived in Venezuela. At which time about 80,000 people arrived. However, today this figure has been reduced to 20,000 nationally and 3,000 internationally. Valencia, according to the spokesperson for the Chilean consulate in Carabobo, explained that when democracy was restored in his nation, the inhabitants returned.

Colombians

The emigration of Colombians to Venezuela was derived from the economic inequality between both countries (in 1980, the Venezuelan GDP per capita tripled that of its neighboring country), and the intensification of the internal conflict towards the end of the century XX in Colombian territory, leading Colombians to seek new opportunities in Venezuela. The flow of Colombian migrants to Venezuela reached its highest point during the decades of the 70s and 80s, reaching approximately 2.2 million Colombian citizens.

According to the 2011 Census of the INE, more than 700 thousand Colombians by birth resided in Venezuela. In recent years, and as a result of the difficult social, political and economic situation of the Bolivarian Republic, a large number of Colombians by birth reside from Venezuela have returned to their country of origin; Likewise, many Colombian-Venezuelans and Venezuelans with family ties to Colombia have chosen this country as a destination country or bridge in their migratory journey.

Ecuadorians

Ecuadorians emigrated to this country due to the dictatorial process of Guillermo Rodríguez Lara in the 1970s. In addition to observing the advantages of the oil boom and economic boom that prevailed at the time, many Ecuadorians made their lives in this country (see). Approximately 400,000 Ecuadorians emigrated to Venezuela. Today the population of Ecuadorians in Venezuela exceeds 190,000 nationals. Even today Ecuadorian citizens enjoy certain benefits granted to them by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which provided them with support in legal matters, primary health care, recreation and comprehensive service to 600 citizens who make up the community of Ecuadorian migrants residing in the country.

Mexicans

During the expansion of the oil industry in Venezuela, Mexicans arrived as qualified employees and English-Spanish interpreters.

Panamanians

In the last years of the 80s, Panama was going through a complex situation, which is why between 1984 and 1989 many Panamanians emigrated to the United States, Costa Rica, Canada and Spain. There are no official figures that reflect the exact number of Panamanians who emigrated to Venezuela at that time. After Noriega's fall, the majority returned to Panama; but others made Venezuela their new home. According to a UN report titled Panama Migration Profile of 2015, there were 142,706 Panamanians living abroad, of which 893 live in Venezuela.

Peruvians

The Peruvians who entered Venezuela, during the boom in the Venezuelan economy, due to high oil prices (read book). Today, the figure is completely the opposite, there are more Venezuelans in Peru (close to One million) than Peruvians in Venezuela (One thousand). The Peruvian community is a group of approximately 300 thousand people, today there are only a few Peruvians left and These numbers are in clear decline, due to the dramatic situation experienced in Venezuela, many Peruvians and their descendants, the result of union with Venezuelans, are returning to Peru, Peru offers them a more stable situation, since this country has one of the strongest economies on the continent and according to international experts, it is in a cycle of irreversible sustained growth. Among the prominent Peruvian immigrants in Venezuela we can mention: the physicist Jaime Wong, professor at the USB, the mathematician Jorge Sáenz, author of several books, the television producer José Enrique Crousillat, the journalist and sports narrator César Díaz, the linguist Martha Hildebrandt, Rabbi Pynchas Brener, wrestler Gustavo Seclen known as "El Chiclayano", soccer player Perico León, musicians Luis Alva, Ernesto Linares and José "Cholo" Ortiz, the actors Roberto Moll and Jorge Aravena, the singers Karina and Melissa, the entertainer Félix Nakamura, the journalists Cholo Lajo, José Ratto Ciarlo, Rocío Amoretti and Domérico Chiappe, etc.

North American

_{(*) Mexico will be taken into account as Latin American.}

Canadians

Many of them are evangelical missionaries who come to Venezuela for a period of time. The Chinese community of Venezuela who were born in Canadian territory and currently live in Venezuela must also be added, thus maintaining dual or triple nationality.

Americans

Many of them arrived in Venezuela at the beginning of the XX century as evangelical missionaries or other Christian denominations such as Mormons., New Tribes, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Then, with oil exploitation, the number of American expatriates who set foot on Venezuelan lands to work for transnational companies was added, settling in a higher percentage in cities such as Caracas, Maracaibo, and Ciudad Guayana. However, the presence of these foreigners, partly coveted by a sector of the Venezuelan population and hated by others, is in decline due to the social situation in the nation. The presence of Americans or gringos (as they are called colloquially, without the pejorative meaning of the same word in other countries) is due to the pro-class segregation system (apartheid) that was implemented in the oil fields where there was a marked difference between the American whites and the rest of the workers who were made up of Chinese, Trinidadian, Grenadians, American blacks, Venezuelans among other Spanish speakers. Class segregation was one of the triggers for the oil strike of 1936, the most important social conflict of the first half of the century XX. No sector of Venezuelan society had had a confrontation of such magnitude with the large monopoly capital represented by the oil companies.

As for religion, also at the national level you can find various English-speaking or bilingual congregations (English and Venezuelan Spanish). Many expatriates generally try to stay together in places that can keep them up to date with national events and their country of origin.

The late President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez more than once denounced the transculturation within the Venezuelan population around the presence of Americans and their system of segregation by social strata. It is not justifiable that the aboriginal peoples of the Zulia State lived in conditions of misery while expatriates from the United States of America, via passport and university degree, went from a simple life in North America to a life of luxury (as in the photographs) in lands of the tropics.

There were schools intended for the children of these immigrants such as the Christiansen Academy in Rubio, Táchira state, intended exclusively for the children of evangelical missionaries. Education purely in English in which over the decades Other Latin American students joined. Thus they managed to establish schools in cities such as Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, El Tigre, Maturín, among others.

In sports, baseball and basketball, many Venezuelan teams have incorporated Americans into their ranks. For example: Clarence Gaston, Dave Parker, Pete Rose, Terry Francona, Cedric Landrum, Jeff Cirillo, Jeff Carter, Derek Watcher, John Massarelli, Sam Shepherd, Steve Carter, Quinn Mack, Andy Ashby, Kelly Stinnett, Joe Hall, Jamie Dismuke, Terry Burrows and Todd Trafton.

Also, it is necessary to mention the large number of Venezuelans who were born in United States territory and live in Venezuela, as well as those who in some other way obtained the nationality of the aforementioned country; who have dual nationality, that is, Venezuelan and American.

Asia

Far Eastern Asians

Chinese

The Chinese colony in Venezuela is known for being numerous, hardworking and very good cooks. The expansion of what until a few years ago was a small community of emigrants fleeing the Chinese communist regime, mainly concentrated in the business of typical restaurants and the food trade, is today an immense community that would reach 200 thousand Chinese living in lands Venezuelans. Most Chinese citizens live mainly in the cities of Caracas, Valencia, Barquisimeto and Puerto La Cruz and mostly come from the province of Guangdong and Hong Kong. In the absence of updated official figures on the makeup of those who live in Venezuela today, we would assume that the Chinese colony in Venezuela could be the largest community of foreigners in the country. An intense and silent expansion that occurred under the shelter of the Agreements that no one sufficiently explained or justified. Many of them adopting Venezuelan customs, some of them confess the Catholic faith, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Evangelical Baptist, among others independently among Evangelical Pentecostal churches.

Japanese

Before relations were established between Venezuela and Japan, in 1894, the National Congress would approve the Immigration Law, through which the state would protect European, American and Asian citizens (especially from Japan) who wanted to immigrate. in search of a better quality of life and strengthening bilateral relations.

Venezuelan-Japanese relations began in 1928, when a Japanese merchant named Seijiro Yazawa (who was a worker for the oil company Nippon Oil) traveled to Venezuela, where it was reported that the government of Juan Vicente Gómez authorized the tender to exploit new oil fields in the Lake Maracaibo basin. The Nihon Sekiyu won a tender for lot 7 in the southern area of the lake with an area of about 200 km² and Yazawa was in charge of supervising the work. The company proceeded to hire several Venezuelan workers to exploit oil, move it to the United States and take it to Japan at the lowest cost, and a Nihon Sekiyu branch office was built in Maracaibo, which would doubt exploitation for almost 23 years.

During World War II, Emperor Hirohito's Japan joins the Axis forces along with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolini's fascist Italy. At this time, Venezuela broke bilateral relations with Japan and a group of Japanese citizens, far from the war, with the support of the United States and France, traveled to South America in search of a new life. In 1941, 150 Japanese arrived at the port of La Guaira on an American ship and were soon received by President Isaías Medina Angarita. Since then, they obtained Venezuelan citizenship to avoid being persecuted and began to reside in large cities such as Caracas and Valencia..

With the attack on Pearl Harbor the bilateral rupture with Japan would continue. After the Second World War ended after the fall of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, President Medina Angarita was overthrown. The revolutionary government junta under the presidency of Rómulo Betancourt begins to normalize diplomatic relations with Japan. Later, during the mandate of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez, the Treaty of San Francisco was signed in New York, Venezuela reopened relations and in 1954, the new modernization of the city of Caracas began. Thanks to the support of different countries, some 28,000 foreign citizens came to Venezuela (on the list, about 300 Japanese arrived) to help in the construction of important infrastructure works such as the El Silencio Towers in the center of Caracas, the Mérida Cable Car, the Central Regional Highway, the UCV University Stadium and other urbanized buildings in the country.

Given the political and economic situation in Venezuela between the 70s and the beginning of the XXI century, the Japanese population in Venezuela It was about 2,850 inhabitants (being slightly surpassed by the Hungarians or the French in the immigrant population of Venezuela), but the majority returned to Japan, but others decided to live in Venezuela, almost a third of the population not to return to Japan, due to to the serious economic situation at this time.

In 1989, President Carlos Andrés Pérez opened the oil business to several international companies and PDVSA was in charge of bidding for service contracts throughout the country, including Japanese companies such as Teikoku and Idemitsu Kosan.

The majority settled in Maracay, Barquisimeto, Valera, San Cristóbal, Puerto Ordaz, Porlamar and Maturín, where they began to develop new businesses, technology, cultural and sports centers, with the support of the State Government of Japan and Venezuela.

In the 90s, several organizations created by Japanese-Venezuelans were founded, such as the Colegio de las Cintas Negras (which would be the first martial arts school in Valencia), the Venezuelan-Japanese Chamber and the establishment of several companies. Japanese companies in Venezuela such as Yamaha, Mitsubishi, Casio Computer, Toyota, Japanese commercial companies and the first Japanese-made motorcycle company, Corporación Bera S.A.

South Koreans

"You have everything here, we envy this country because you have everything. Korea now has technology and good human resources, so the relationship between the two countries is complementary. If we strengthen the relationship between the two nations, the result will be very successful. -Dal-youn Maeng.

Businessmen and representatives of vehicle dealers such as Hyundai, Kia Motors; others as evangelical missionaries; others as cultural ambassadors of their countries of origin.

Arab and Semitic migration

For many years there has been a large Arab colony throughout Venezuela made up mainly of Syrians, Libyans, Lebanese, Palestinians, Turks, among others who decided to seek new horizons of life in distant lands with hopes of progress, due to existing limitations. in their lands of origin due to sociopolitical conflicts. Working for many years in different types of businesses such as fabrics, shoe repair, sale and repair of appliances, clothing, restaurants, among other things. In past times it was common throughout the country to see street vendors with a suitcase full of merchandise, which they bought from some people and paid for it in weekly installments. They called them Turks, but not all of them were, since many of them were from different backgrounds. Middle Eastern countries. They were knocking on the doors of the houses and when the inhabitants of those homes opened them, the seller told them "buy cheap country cut". Even in the midst of the current crisis that Venezuela is experiencing, the Arab community has a great influence on politics and the current government, they have also positioned themselves as the first in importing and selling automobiles, food and provisions in general.

Lebanese

Lebanese immigration to Venezuela began well into the 19th century as a result of the repressive policies applied by the Ottoman Empire. against the Maronite Catholics. The first in the 1860s and then in the 1920s.

The first wave began to arrive in the country during 1862, in the last months of the Federal War. Once they landed in the ports of Venezuela, they were classified by the authorities as Turkish, because they had only been issued passports with that nationality.

The second wave of Lebanese immigration developed from 1918. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, the French Mandate of Syria was established, with one of its subdivisions being the State of Greater Lebanon. The harsh post-war conditions once again motivated the Lebanese to embark on a path similar to that of the 19th century towards the American continent, including to Venezuela. Although the Lebanese had arrived in Venezuela on several occasions, it was not until the mid-60s and early 70s that immigration gained greater strength, since at that time, Venezuela had many employment opportunities and of good living.

Syrians

It began in the mid-1920s, and in the middle of the XX century it intensified as a result of the economic boom that arose with the oil industry. In 2015, after the start of the Syrian civil war, new refugees from the Middle Eastern country have arrived in Venezuela. Today, between one and two million descendants of Syrians live in Venezuela.

Jews

Jews have lived in Venezuela since the arrival of the Spanish to the American continent, with whom Sephardic Jews also came. Throughout the 20th century, Venezuela received large waves of immigrants from Europe, among whom were numerous Jews, this time of mainly Ashkenazi origin.

According to historians, the presence of the Venezuelan Jewish community probably began in the middle of the XVII century in Caracas, Coro and Maracaibo. According to a national census carried out at the end of the 19th century, 1,247 Jews lived in Venezuela as citizens. But we must remember that the Welser banking family of Augsburg was of Jewish-Ashkenazi origin, who since 1527 King Charles I granted them the right to populate Venezuela, whose attempt failed. Although many scholars emphasize that there is no evidence with everything discovered to prove that a Sephardic Jewish community existed in Tucacas since the XVII century., Venezuelan popular belief says that groups of Sephardim went to Caracas and Maracaibo starting in 1693, and disappeared without leaving any trace behind. However, due to Venezuela's geographical proximity to countries that had organized Jewish communities, for example the Dutch colonies, it can be assumed that Curacao Jews traveled to Venezuela to trade.

Between the years 1920 - 1937, prominent European Jews visited Maracaibo to start doing business, taking advantage of the country's oil boom. Many lived and had families parallel to those they left in Europe. There was a very great mix of cultures and religions in Maracaibo. By 1943, almost 2,600 German Jews (Ashkenazi Jews) had entered the country. By 1950, the community had grown to around 11,000 individuals, despite strong immigration restrictions.

During the 20th century, Venezuela was home to one of the most important and vibrant Jewish communities in Ibero-America, just because behind those of Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico; However, since the beginning of the XXI century, many Venezuelan Jews have emigrated in large numbers to other countries in the region, as well as also to Israel, the United States and Europe.

Currently, the Jewish population in Venezuela is estimated at approximately 15,000 people.

Data

Information on the number of foreign residents by country according to the 2011 census. according to redatam

Source: National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), 1991, 2001, 2010.