Venezuela Celebrates 200 Years of Independence
Today Venezuelans have been celebrating 200 years of independence with formal ceremonies and cultural events around the country, as well as a giant civic-military parade in Caracas.
On 5 July 1811 the congress of Venezuelan provinces adopted and signed the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence, marking the point when Venezuelans decided to break away from the Spanish Crown and establish a new nation. The new nation was based on a range of premises including equality, abolition of censorship, and freedom of expression that were radically opposed to the practices applied during the preceding three centuries of colonisation.
