Arab Venezuelans
Total population | |
---|---|
(over 1,500,000[1] 5-7% of Venezuela's population) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Ciudad Guayana, Barcelona-Puerto La Cruz, Punto Fijo, Margarita Island | |
Languages | |
Spanish, Arabic | |
Religion | |
Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodoxy Islam Druze | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians |
Arab Venezuelans (Arabic: عرب فنزويلا; Spanish: Arabo-Venezolano) refers to Venezuelan citizens of Arab origin or descent. There are around 1,600,000 Venezuelans of Arab origin, mainly from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.[1] Most Arab Venezuelans are of Syrian descent with their number between 400,000 and nearly 1 million of inhabitants,[2][3] and of Lebanese descent with their number around 341,000[4] to 500,000[5]
Migration history
Arab immigration to Venezuela started as early as the 19th and 20th centuries. They came mostly from Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, and are present in significant numbers in Caracas.
Immigration of Arabs in Venezuela has influenced Venezuelan culture, in particular Arabic food and music.
In religion, the majority of Arab-Venezuelans are Christians who belong to the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. There are few Muslims.
Notable people
- Tarek El Aissami, Venezuelan interior minister and justice minister
- Tarek Saab, politician, lawyer, and poet
- Alexandra Kabche, survivor of the Conviasa Flight 2350 crash of September 2010
- Elizabeth Ayoub, singer and actress
- Samir Bazzi, host and singer
See also
- Syrian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela
- Islam in Venezuela
- List of Lebanese people (Venezuela)
- Arab diaspora
- Arab diaspora in Colombia
- Lebanese diaspora
- Syrian diaspora
- Palestinian diaspora
References
- 1 2 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/15/abdel-el-zabayar-from-parliament-to-the-frontlines.html "Venezuela, where the estimated 1.6 million people of Arab descent..."
- ↑ http://inserbia.info/today/2013/09/syrian-refugees-welcomed-by-south-america/ Venezuela boast a Syrian population that nears half a million
- ↑ http://www.aljadid.com/content/arabs-making-their-mark-latin-america-generations-immigrants-colombia-venezuela-and-mexico "These newcomers scattered throughout the country and are the core of today’s 400,000 Syrians living in Venezuela..." "hey have joined the approximately 500,000 prior immigrants and their descendants, reinforcing Arab culture amongst the older Arab community which had been almost totally assimilated. "
- ↑ http://identitychef.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/lebanese-diaspora.jpg Lebanese diaspora
- ↑ "Untitled Document". historico.notitarde.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.