In 1499, the Spanish navigator Alonso de Ojeda explored the coast of South America. When his ships entered a gulf, he found that Amerindians had built their homes on stilts along the swampy shore of what became known as Lake Maracaibo. This reminded the explorers of the city of Venice, in Europe, so they named the region Venezuela (Spanish for "Little Venice"). The socialist government of Hugo Chávez, who ruled from 1999 until his death in 2011, put in place new laws that it said would improve the lives of poorer Venezuelans. However, the laws have instead resulted in economic problems, including rising inflation rates. Venezuela is also troubled by high levels of crime and violence, as well as government corruption. As a result, in recent years the Venezuelan people have publicly demonstrated to demand changes. There's a lot to discover about Venezuela!