Lunch is the main meal of the day in Venezuela, and friends will often visit unannounced and stay for over two hours. It is considered rude to point with your index finger. Caracas was founded in 1567, and cocoa became the most important export in the 1620s. Venezuela discovered oil in the 1920s and declared independence from Spain in 1811 but did not gain freedom yet. Hugo Chavez is the current president, first elected in 1998 and reelected in 2000 and 2006. Venezuela has a republic form of government.
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