Hugo Chavez Leaves Venezuela Rich in Oil, But Ailing

National Geographic: Venezuela's oil wealth fueled Hugo Chavez's socialist programs at home and policies abroad, but the world's largest petroleum reserves were never enough to deliver prosperity in his 14-year rule. One of Chavez's final acts, ordered last month from his hospital bed, was to cut the price of the national currency by a third—the seventh devaluation of his presidency—in an attempt to narrow a staggering deficit with a hike in the cost of living for Venezuelans. He died yesterday at the age of 58, leaving...

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/03/130306-hugo-chavez-venezuela-oil/
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