Venezuela, officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. Its territory consists of the continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean. Previously part of New Granada, the republic won its independence from Spain in 1821.
Venezuela borders Guyana to the east of the Essequibo River, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the west. Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Leeward Antilles lie just north, off the Venezuelan coast. Its size is 916,445 km² with an estimated population of 26,414,816. Its capital is Caracas.
Venezuela remained neutral during the Great War.[1] However, in 1925, it had a border dispute with Colombia. The United States backed Colombia, warning Germany not to aid Venezuela. Germany denied it had done so, and issued the same warning to the U.S. The conflict was resolved without bloodshed.[2] In 1940, Venezuela was in talks with the Empire of Brazil regarding a border dispute.[3]
