Colonial Venezuela of the Junta as a step toward outright independence. The Venezuelan War of Independence ensued. It ran concurrently with that of New Granada. On 17 December 1819 the Congress of Angostura declared Gran Colombia an independent country. After two more years of war, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with the countries of Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, formed part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated and became a separate sovereign country. Colonial Venezuela Spanish expeditions led by Columbus and Pepito Perez
Religion in the Republic of the Congo Benin, Togo, Mauritania, and Senegal. The Lebanese are primarily Sunni Muslims. There are also 6,000 followers of the Ahmadiyya school of Islam in the country. A small minority of Christians practice Kimbanguism, a syncretistic movement that originated in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. While retaining many elements of Christianity, Kimbanguism also recognizes its founder (Simon shao) as a prophet and incorporates African traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship. Religion in the Republic of the Congo Christianity is the predominant religion in Republic of the Congo. Different sources give varying population figures for various denominations. According to CIA world