World Languages Cultural Corner: Venezuela

This article was last modified on April 9th, 2021.

Venezuela is known throughout the world for its petroleum, numerous Miss Universe beauty queen finalists, and a scientific phenomenon that puts Venezuela on the map.  Did you know that the lightning capital of the world is found in Catacumbo, Venezuela? This particular region is famous for its spectacular light show that typically illuminates the South American sky for 300 nights a year.  In fact, Catatumbo lightning (Relámpago del Catatumbo in Spanish) is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo.  Lightning flashes several times per minute and this place has the highest number of lightning strikes per square kilometer in the world.

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