Our series on Federations takes us to Venezuela, a country that first reached independence from Spain in 1811 and was then at time back under Spanish rule, part of Greater Colombia, and independent until it finally was established as a Republic in 1830. Ensued many years of struggle between liberals and conservatives about the nature of government, and the degree of autonomy of the various provinces. A brutal civil war lasted from 1858 to 1863 and established a federal structure that has been in place ever since.
There were 20 States and a Capital District initially, but that number grew to 23 States, 1 Federal District and 1 Federal Territory as of 2022.
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Venezuela in 2022
