A Look at Venezuela
Gilda talks about the different regions in his home country and names some nice places to visit.
Katie: So I don't really know much about Venezuela in terms of the different regions and things. So could you tell me something about it?
Gilda: Well, in terms of weather we have only two seasons. We have a rainy season and the rest is dry. But so, you get to enjoy the four seasons in a way if you go to the west side of the country. We have like high mountains and you can see some snow and also, like it's a little bit cold over there.
But if you go to the middle, in the middle of the country, the center, is hot. It's quite hot and dry. So it's where the – it's like the cowboys' area in Venezuela. So a lot of horses and they eat a lot of meat.
In a little bit of north, in facing the Caribbean Sea, is the capital, Caracas. There, we have a very nice weather. I guess, that's the reason why it's the capital, maybe because the weather is really nice. We can wear the same clothes the whole year around.
Katie: Nice.
Gilda: So we don't have to think about winter clothes or anything like that. You can wear shorts all the time. So it's really, really nice. Yeah.
Katie: What's the average temperature in Caracas?
Gilda: While the, all this weather reports would say like 30, 35 and people will be like, "Oh, it's really, really hot."
Katie: Yeah.
Gilda: It's not. When you're there, you feel like probably 27 is like the body temperature, probably.
Katie: Still pretty hot though, right?
Gilda: It is but it's dry. It's not so humid. Even though we are close to the Caribbean Sea, it's not so humid. So it's a very nice weather. Yeah. I really like it. Yeah.
Katie: So, outside of Caracas, are there any other famous cities in Venezuela?
Gilda: Yes. There is one called Maracaibo. This is famous. It's the oil city. Venezuela is famous for having a lot of petroleum, and that's the city where all, most of the petroleum is concentrated and all the companies, oil companies. And since they have oil, the city is pretty modern and, yeah. So it's another major city in the country.
There is another city that is kind of developing now is in the middle of the country. It's called Valencia. And also, it's famous because it has lots of industries and factories. So many people are moving there for job opportunities. And yeah, they have very nice places as well. Yeah.
Katie: Are there any resort towns in Venezuela?
Gilda: Yes, there are many especially because Venezuela is facing the Caribbean Sea. So there are many places for enjoying to see the ocean, beach side. There is an island called Margarita island. It's also very famous for occasion like to enjoy the summer at the fullest, and it's famous. That city has a lot of foreigners, visitors, yeah, all year around.
Katie: So it's popular all over the world.
Gilda: Yes, it's popular. Yeah.
facing
It is facing the Caribbean Sea
When an object or person faces one direction, it is pointed toward that area. Notice the following:
- Our hotel room was facing the beach.
- Alright students, please face the board.
humid
It's not so humid.
When there is lots of water in the air, it is humid. The noun is humidity. Notice the following:
- It is really humid in summer.
- I hate humid weather. I prefer dry climates.
petroleum
Most of the petroleum is there.
Petroleum is a natural resource used to produce gasoline. Notice the following:
- There is a lot of petroleum in Venezuela.
- When petroleum drops in price, so do gas prices.
concentrated
Most of the petroleum is concentrated there.
When things are concentrated, they are placed near each other. Notice the following:
- All the banks are concentrated downtown.
- All the science books are concentrated in the back of the library.
industry
It has lots of industries and factories.
Here, industry means the creation of goods and products. Notice the following:
- I live in an industrial area.
- The economy is bad so local industries are not doing well.
resort town
Are there any resort towns in Venezuela?
A resort town is a place popular for tourists. A resort town often consists of more tourists than local people. Notice the following:
- I grew up in a resort town.
- The beach resort town is dead in winter.
Vocabulary Quiz
petroleum • industry • resort town
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Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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