Tuesday Trivia Travels South

New this month from UNP, Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andrés Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamail tells the story of the man who brought Venezuela into Major League Baseball. While other teams were looking to the Dominican Republic for new talent, Houston Astros’ scout Andrés Reiner saw an untapped niche in Venezuela. Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom recounts how, over the next fifteen years, Reiner signed nearly one hundred players, nineteen of whom reached the majors.

Today’s “TT” tests our blog readers’ knowledge of all things Venezuelan. Think you know a fair bit about this South American country? Let’s see about that, shall we?

1. True or false? Venezuela boasts the largest lake in South America.
2. Venezuela was ruled by what country for approximately 300 years?
3. Who was the first explorer to discover the Venezuelan coast?
4. Who is known as “El Liberator” for driving the Spanish out of present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia?
5. In what year did Venezuela become an independent country?
6. True or false? Venezuela translates to “Little Venice.”
7. True or false: Pico Bolívar, the highest point in Venezuela, is located at approximately 10,565 feet.
8. In what year was slavery abolished in Venezuela?
   A. 1756
   B. 1892
   C. 1854
   D. 1798
9. During the first part of the twentieth century, Venezuela was the world’s largest exporter of what product?
10. Who was elected President of Venezuela for the first time in 1998?

Don’t forget to check back with us tomorrow for the answers!