Venezuela is a country in northern South America, known for its oil resources, diverse landscapes, and Caribbean coastline. Its capital city is Caracas.
The name comes from Italian 'Veneziola' or Spanish 'Venezuela', meaning 'Little Venice'. Early explorers thought the stilt houses on the water along the coast looked like the Italian city of Venice.
It’s striking that a South American country is named after an Italian city it only vaguely resembled to European eyes. The name ‘Little Venice’ shows how explorers tried to understand new places by comparing them to old ones. It’s a reminder that maps and names tell you as much about the namers as the places.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.