United States of Venezuela

The United States of Venezuela (Estados Unidos de Venezuela) was the official name of Venezuela, adopted in its 1864 constitution under the Juan Crisóstomo Falcón government. This remained the official name until 1953, when the constitution of that year renamed it the Republic of Venezuela. In 1999 under newly elected president Hugo Chávez and his modification to the Constitution, Venezuela's official name became the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Flag
The United States of Venezuela used three official flags in its time:

Original name
From 1830 to 1857 the official name of the country was Estado de Venezuela ("State of Venezuela"). The 1858 constitution gave it the official name República de Venezuela ("Republic of Venezuela"). After the Liberal Party (Partido Liberal) won power in the Federal War it called for a constitutional convention, to establish the constitution on federal principles. On 28 March 1864, members of the convention met in Caracas to sign it. President Falcón ordered its publication and circulation on 13 April, and on 22 April it was finally ratified by the Ministers of the Interior and Justice, Finance, Development, and War and Sea.

Change of name
The 1953 constitution included a transitional provision to change the official name from Estados Unidos de Venezuela ("United States of Venezuela") to República de Venezuela ("Republic of Venezuela"). The next constitution, of 1961, confirmed the new name. Venezuela is currently, under the new Constitution of 1999, officially known as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela),

Borders
The 1864 constitution established the borders of the United States of Venezuela to be the same of those of the 1810 Captaincy General of Venezuela. This statement has been preserved throughout subsequent constitutions.

Because of long-running territorial dispute between the United States of Venezuela and the United Kingdom over the Essequibo region, several countries called for an international court of justice to settle the matter, which was held in Paris in 1899, and ruled in the UK's favour. From 1900 to 1905, Venezuela participated in the Joint Committee of the British-Venezuelan Border for the final demarcation between the two countries, which was signed in September 1907. In 1932, Juan Vicente Gómez agreed a point on the summit of Mount Roraima as the three-way boundary between Brazil, British Guiana and Venezuela.

In 1941 President Eleazar López Contreras and the Colombian President signed the Venezuela–Colombia Boundary Treaty of 1941, the border treaty between the two countries, which ceded 108000 km2 of territory to Colombia.

1864
The 1864 constitution gave these former provinces the status as states:


 * Apure
 * Aragua
 * Barcelona
 * Barinas
 * Barquisimeto
 * Carabobo
 * Caracas
 * Cojedes
 * Coro
 * Sucre (Cumaná)
 * Guárico
 * Bolívar (Guayana)
 * Nueva Esparta (Margarita Island)
 * Monagas (Maturín)
 * Mérida
 * Portuguesa
 * Táchira
 * Trujillo
 * Yaracuy
 * Zulia (Maracaibo)

It was stated that the boundaries would remain as in 1856.

1881
The 1881 constitution merged the states created in 1864 into eight, larger states:


 * : comprising Barcelona, Cumaná and Maturín.
 * Guzmán Blanco: comprising Bolívar, Guzmán Blanco (Aragua), Guárico and Nueva Esparta.
 * Carabobo: comprising Carabobo and Nirgua.
 * Sur de Occidente: comprising Cojedes, Portuguesa and Zamora (Barinas).
 * Norte de Occidente: comprising Barquisimeto and Yaracuy, except for Nirgua.
 * Los Andes: comprising Guzmán (Mérida), Trujillo and Táchira.
 * Bolívar: comprising Guayana and Apure.
 * Falcón Zulia: comprising Zulia and Coro.

1891
The 1891 constitution established new state boundaries:


 * Bermúdez: comprising Barcelona, Cumaná and Maturín.
 * Miranda: comprising Bolívar, Guzmán Blanco, Guárico and Nueva Esparta.
 * Carabobo: comprising Carabobo and Nirgua.
 * Zamora: comprising Cojedes, Portuguesa and Zamora.
 * Lara: comprising Barquisimeto and Yaracuy, but excluding the Nirgua department.
 * Los Andes: comprising Guzmán, Trujillo and Táchira.
 * Bolívar: comprising Guayana and Apure.
 * Zulia: unitary state.
 * Falcón: unitary state.

1901
The 1901 constitution established new divisions of the states:


 * Apure
 * Aragua
 * Bolívar (previously Guayana)
 * Barcelona
 * Carabobo
 * Cojedes
 * Falcón (previously Coro)
 * Guárico
 * Lara (previously Barquisimeto)
 * Mérida
 * Miranda (previously Caracas)
 * Maturín
 * Sucre (previously Cumaná)
 * Nueva Esparta (previously Margarita)
 * Portuguesa
 * Táchira
 * Trujillo
 * Yaracuy
 * Zamora (previously Barinas)
 * Zulia (previously Maracaibo)

1904
New division of territory:


 * Aragua
 * Bermúdez
 * Bolívar
 * Carabobo
 * Falcón
 * Guárico
 * Lara
 * Mérida
 * Miranda
 * Táchira
 * Trujillo
 * Zamora
 * Zulia

1909
Another division of territory, and new names for some of the states:


 * Distrito Federal
 * Anzoátegui
 * Apure
 * Aragua
 * Bolívar
 * Carabobo
 * Cojedes
 * Falcón
 * Guárico
 * Lara
 * Mérida
 * Miranda
 * Monagas
 * Nueva Esparta
 * Portuguesa
 * Sucre
 * Táchira
 * Trujillo
 * Yaracuy
 * Zamora
 * Zulia
 * Federal territories: Amazonas and Delta Amacuro

1925
Creation of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela (Dependencias federales), shore islands belonging to Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Venezuela.

However, Margarita Island (Isla Margarita or Isla de Margarita) became part of the State of Nueva Esparta.

1928
Coche Island (Isla de Coche) was incorporated into the State of Nueva Esparta.

Minor changes under Juan V. Gòmez.

1947
The state of Zamora was renamed to Barinas and Cubagua Island (Isla de Cubagua) was incorporated into Nueva Esparta.

Constitutions
After the 1864 Constitution of the United States of Venezuela, there were several revisions under different governments.

These were in 1874, 1881, 1891, 1893, 1901, 1904, 1909, 1914, 1922, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1945.

After a Decree of the Revolutionary Government, the constitution was revised further in 1947 and 1953.