Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

I started with a quick google search on this one, and according to the Telegraph, Venezula is the most violent country in South America, with a record of 21, 692 murders last year, along with a surge of kidnappings, prison riots and random shootings.

And just below that, I found various links for tourism. It just so happens, that despite the political situations and violence, Venezula is home to some beautiful world landmarks. While home to a few national parks, it also owns the stunning Angel Falls natural wonder, the longest waterfall on Earth.

Typical things to note

• Venezula is a Spanish speaking country, due to the Spanish colonising the country in the 16th century.
• It also has very, very big oil reserve, which is incredibly important to the economy, and also very much involved in the history of the country. "Petroleum and nothing else is the theme of Venezuela's contemporary history." - Arturo Uslar Pietri.
• Venezula is home to the Cuatro guitar.

And if you've seen Venezula in the news recently, it's probably about their president. Just after their elections, the prime minister had surgery in Cuba, and has not been able to return. Tension is building on his return, and the opposition are calling for a re-election.

More Information

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/venezuela/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/20/world/americas/ap-lt-venezuela-chavez.html?_r=0
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-venezuela-chavez-chatter-20130119,0,4396671.story
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/venezuela
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html 

Books
- http://books.google.hu/books?id=Cq-5QRDNVDEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=venezuela&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ToL8UI-yNOmg0QWjhoGYDQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=venezuela&f=false
-  Venezuela: A Century of Change By Judith Ewell