JOURNEY TO VENEZUELA

[Music] [Music] hello I'm Kyle Thomas I've just been reading about Simone believer believer the great Patriot of Latin America fought for the freedom of not just one country but for the freedom of six Spanish colonies in Latin America an entire country Bolivia is named in honor of him another country he freed from a rule of Spain is Venezuela where he was born and which today uses the believer as a unit of currency in believers de Venezuela was a land of mountains Plains and jungles broken by scattered plantations called haciendas and with only a handful of Spanish towns and villages but great changes have come to Venezuela in recent years I'd like you to join me on a journey to this modern country our visit to Venezuela begins in Caracas it's dynamic capital city Caracas is in the highlands nestled among cloud crown mountains which encircle it with dramatic scenery Caracas presents some of the most beautiful architecture in Latin America it is one of the busiest and most modern cities new buildings seem to sprout up every day [Music] Venezuelan architecture is crisp and modern gigantic mosaics like this one on an apartment building lend a striking artistic touch among the proudest building achievements in Caracas are these twin skyscrapers called the Centro Siwan Boulevard the center straddles the main artery avenida de bolivar it rises 30 storeys above ground and has an underground parking and shopping area it was built at a cost of one hundred and eighty million dollars Venezuela devotes a large part of her budget to the development of communications Caracas as a new Thruway system to handle its fast-growing traffic outside Caracas to transportation is keeping pace with the country's economic growth and the highways are undergoing constant expansion a network of four-lane super highways is reaching out to all major cities [Music] Venezuela builds most of her roads of asphalt a petroleum product in abundance sublime [Music] modern machines lay it down in continuous ribbons making venezuela's new highways among the best in the world [Music] another sign of this country's vigor is it seaports the most important one is La Guaira - its ports Venezuela each year receives imports of goods and services worth more than a billion dollars almost 60% of them from the United States [Music] this makes Venezuela a nation of only six million people an important customer for American products [Music] any country that imports well over 150 dollars worth of goods and services for every man woman and child each year must have something valuable to trade in return Venezuela does have something the rest of the free world needs Nature has endowed her with some of the world's most precious resources oil iron ore and other minerals Venezuela exports almost 2 billion dollars worth of oil and oil products every year selling them to free people around the world [Music] oil under the Venezuelan soil and under Venezuelan waters is the country's greatest single source of trade working with creole petroleum corporation an affiliate of Standard Oil Company New Jersey and with other private oil companies Venezuela has developed her resources for the benefit of not only the Venezuelan people but many other nations and people's fields already discovered in Venezuela are producing more than 2 and 3/4 million barrels of oil a day using the most modern conservation methods to assure long term production the most important fields are under the waters of Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela Lake Maracaibo oil is being constantly tapped by new offshore drilling here oil men both Venezuelan and North American are searching for more oil conservation and production go hand in hand to ensure the most efficient long-term use of this resource here's the end of a work shift and the men leave for home not far from Lake Maracaibo is the creole refinery at Amway this refinery has a daily capacity of more than 250,000 barrels of oil that means it can turn out more than 10 million gallons of gasoline kerosene and other fuels every day from my these products go to markets abroad in big tankers oil does more than maintain national prosperity and a trade balance for Venezuela it also gives employment to 50 thousand Venezuelan workers each year to house its own workers creole has built modern well designed housing projects the company is encouraging local contractors to build houses for sale to employees and to outsiders as well through a loan plan the company offers help with a down payment to employees who desiring this is the home with them mr. Whelan oil work Venezuelans live comfortably and enjoy a wide choice of domestic and imported foods [Music] Venezuela does many good things with the money she earns from the development of her resources important among her achievements is the modern school system her primary schools now number almost 7,000 and her secondary schools total more than 225 here is a group of young Venezuelans in the science class they are preparing themselves for jobs which require special skills and study by taking courses in the sciences the need for trained men has developed an increasing emphasis on technical training and every year more and more boys are choosing technical careers but expert technicians are still in short supply in this fast-growing country industry also is helping to train young people to take over the highly skilled jobs which are so important to the nations present and future development [Music] the nation's cultural and scientific development is evident in many ways and Venezuelans make leisure time for what they consider the finer things in life the enjoyment of music and art [Music] at the Museum of Fine Arts in Caracas art lovers can find a variety of exhibits this one is devoted to colonial religious works by Venezuelan artists here is an anonymous painting of the Virgin Mary and here is a statue of Christ there are many secular paintings too one is Miranda imprisoned by the painter Arturo Mitch Elena ten miles outside of Caracas is the brand-new Institute for neurology and brain research it is part of a science center designed to include nuclear research [Music] the Institute has the very latest scientific equipment here a professor is making nuclear studies venezuela is proud of the institute which when completed in a decade will be one of the world's leading centers of nuclear research for another project at fellow scientists prepares organic specimens for the oven specimens which must be baked hard before they can be sliced and inspected under the electronic microscope a quite different kind of institution has also been established in Caracas the North American soda fountain this is a popular meeting place particularly for the younger set hamburgers and french fries coming up Venezuela today is indeed a country on the move expanding and developing in all directions simone believer would have difficulty in recognizing this nation he have found here are brought together the elements that make great people and great nations working together or an indulgent mother nature the farsighted enterprise of an industrious people and the good neighborliness of north and south america [Music] that ends our journey to Venezuela I hope it has given you an idea of how a friendly nation lives and works and grows perhaps you'll join me soon on another journey until then goodbye [Music]