Portuguese Venezuelans

Portuguese Venezuelans

Luso-venezuelanos Luso-venezolanos
Total population
400.000[1](Portuguese ancestry)[2] & 55,441(Portuguese born)[3]
Regions with significant populations
Portugal: 24,603[4]
Venezuela	455,441[5][6]
United States	80,500[7]
Peru	40,000[8]
Colombia	20,500[9]
Chile	20,300[10]
Ecuador	10,800[11]
Languages
Spanish and/or Portuguese
Religion
Roman Catholicism

Portuguese Venezuelans (or Luso-Venezuelans) are Portuguese-born citizens with Venezuelan citizenship or Venezuelan-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship. Mostly located in Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo, the Portuguese community of Venezuela are among the largest ethnic groups in the country. The State of Portuguesa takes its name from the Portuguesa River, in which a Portuguese women is said to have drowned.

Portuguese arrived to Venezuela in the early and middle 20th century, as immigrants, mostly from Madeira Island. Venezuela has the second largest Portuguese diaspora in America, after Brazil. There is strong interest among a large segment of the Portuguese in Venezuela to preserve the culture and familial bond with the old country Portugal, while they have been important in the development of Venezuela holding a substantial number of businesses in the retail trade.

Notable Portuguese Venezuelans

• Danny Alves, footballer
• Nico Castel, liric singer
• Vanessa Gonçalves, Miss Venezuela 2010
• Laura Gonçalves, Miss Portugal 2011
• Marjorie de Sousa, model and actress
• Osmel Sousa, Miss Venezuela president (born in Cuba)
• Fernando de Ornelas, former footballer
• Leonardo Jardim, football manager
• Natusha, singer
• Lance dos Ramos, actor, model and animator
• Kimberly dos Ramos, actress, model and singer
• Alberto Santos, mayor of Kearny, New Jersey
• Catherine Joy Perry, Competes as Lana in WWE - professional wrestling valet, actress, model and singer (born in Florida, United States)

References