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National Map
Of |
Venezuela |
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National Flag
Of |
Venezuela |
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Flag Description:
three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red
with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band
and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the
blue band
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Venezuela |
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.png)
New Venezuelan Coat of Arms (as approved on March 9, 2006)
Old Venezuelan Coat of Arms |
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National Anthem
Of |
Venezuela |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Venezuela |
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Background:
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Venezuela
was one of three countries that emerged from the
collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being
Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the
20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally
benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil
industry and allowed for some social reforms.
Democratically elected governments have held sway since
1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political
environment, a politicized military, drug-related
violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal
drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum
industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible
mining operations that are endangering the rain forest
and indigenous peoples. |
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Location:
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Northern
South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 N,
66 00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
912,050 sq km
land: 882,050 sq km
water: 30,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
4,993 km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050
km, Guyana 743 km |
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Coastline:
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2,800 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 15 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation |
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Climate:
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tropical;
hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
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Terrain:
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Andes
Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central
plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other
minerals, hydropower, diamonds |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 2.95%
permanent crops: 0.92%
other: 96.13% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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540 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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subject
to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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sewage
pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution
of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation;
urban and industrial pollution, especially along the
Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from
irresponsible mining operations |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed but not ratified:: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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on major
sea and air routes linking North and South America;
Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's
highest waterfall |
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Population:
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25,375,281 (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 29.9% (male 3,909,876/female 3,667,958)
15-64 years: 65% (male 8,287,255/female
8,209,599)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 590,236/female
710,357) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
25.6 years
male: 24.98 years
female: 26.24 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.4%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.91
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.9
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
22.2 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.31 years
male: 71.27 years
female: 77.58 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.26
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.7% -
note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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110,000
(1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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4,100
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous
people |
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Religions:
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nominally
Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), numerous indigenous dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.4%
male: 93.8%
female: 93.1% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica Bolivariana de
Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela |
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Government type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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Caracas
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Administrative divisions:
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23 states
(estados, singular - estado), 1 federal district* (distrito
federal), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia
federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas,
Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias
Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara,
Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa,
Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11
federally controlled island groups with a total of 72
individual islands |
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Independence:
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5 July
1811 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 5 July (1811) |
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Constitution:
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30
December 1999 |
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Legal system:
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open,
adversarial court system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3
February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale
(since 28 April 2002); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias
(since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente
RANGEL Vale (since 28 April 2002); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote for
a six-year term; election last held 30 July 2000 (next
to be held NA 2006)
election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected
president; percent of vote - 60%
note: a special presidential recall vote on 15
August 2004 resulted in a victory for CHAVEZ; percent of
vote - 58% in favor of CHAVEZ fulfilling the remaining
two years of his term, 42% in favor of terminating his
presidency immediately |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (165
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous
peoples of Venezuela)
elections: last held 30 July 2000 (next to be
held July 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - pro-government 108 (MVR 92, MAS 6,
indigenous 3, other 7), opposition 57 (AD 33, COPEI 6,
Justice First 5, other 13) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia
(magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a
single 12-year term) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fifth
Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Homeland for All
or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES];
Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA];
National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan Jose
CALDERA]; Radical Cause or La Causa R [Andres
VELASQUEZ]; Social Christian Party or COPEI [Eduardo
FERNANDEZ]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS
Romer] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS
groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV
(labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action)
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International organization participation:
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CAN, CDB,
CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur
(associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ Herrera
chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC
20007
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214
FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston,
Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San
Juan (Puerto Rico) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD
embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion
Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080
mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A;
APO AA 34037
telephone: [58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411
FAX: [58] (212) 975-8991 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red
with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow
band and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars
centered in the blue band |
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Economy - overview:
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Venezuela
continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum
sector, accounting for roughly one-third of GDP, around
80% of export earnings, and over half of government
operating revenues. A disastrous two-month national oil
strike from December 2002 to February 2003, temporarily
halted economic activity. The economy remained in
depression in 2003, declining by 9.2% after an 8.9% fall
in 2002. Despite continued domestic instability, output
recovered strongly in 2004, aided by high oil prices.
Both inflation and unemployment remain fundamental
problems. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$145.2
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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16.8%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 46.5%
services: 53.4% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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12.25
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 13%, industry 23%, services 64% (1997 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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17.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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47% (1998
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 36.5% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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49.5
(1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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22.4%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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12.9% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $26.91 billion
expenditures: $30.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of $2.6 billion (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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43.1% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn,
sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee;
beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish |
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Industries:
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petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food
processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle
assembly |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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12.3%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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89.7
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 31.7%
hydro: 68.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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89.3
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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450
million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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30
million kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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2.6
million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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500,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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2.1
million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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78
billion bbl (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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29.4
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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29.4
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m
(2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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4.19
trillion cu m (2004) |
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Current account balance:
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$14.59
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$35.84
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals,
agricultural products, basic manufactures |
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Exports - partners:
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US 55.6%,
Netherlands Antilles 4.7%, Dominican Republic 2.8%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$14.98
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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raw
materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment,
construction materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US 28.8%,
Colombia 9.9%, Brazil 7%, Mexico 4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$25.75
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$33.29
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$74
million (2000) |
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Currency (code):
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bolivar
(VEB) |
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Currency code:
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VEB |
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Exchange rates:
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bolivares
per US dollar - 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003), 1,161
(2002), 723.7 (2001), 680 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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2,841,800
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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6,463,600
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth
stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone
service in rural areas; substantial increase in
digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;
installation of a national interurban fiber-optic
network capable of digital multimedia services
international: country code - 58; 3 submarine
coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction
of an international fiber-optic network |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 201,
FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998) |
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Radios:
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10.75
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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66 (plus
45 repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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4.1
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ve |
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Internet hosts:
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35,301
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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16 (2000)
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Internet users:
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1,274,400
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
682 km
standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
96,155 km
paved: 32,308 km
unpaved: 63,847 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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7,100 km
note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo
navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km
(2004) |
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Pipelines:
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extra
heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,262 km; oil 7,360 km; refined
products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2004)
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Ports and harbors:
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Amuay, La
Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 740,919 GRT/1,191,483 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 16, chemical
tanker 1, container 1, liquefied gas 5, passenger/cargo
9, petroleum tanker 19, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 2, Greece 1, Hong Kong
2, Mexico 1, Russia 2, Spain 1)
registered in other countries: 20 (2005) |
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Airports:
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369 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
127
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 61
under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
242
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 88
under 914 m: 144 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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National
Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales, FAN): Ground
Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval
Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada - includes Marines,
Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion),
Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas
Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 6,236,012 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 4,907,947 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
252,396 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$1.687
billion (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.5%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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claims
all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana,
preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana
has expressed its intention to join Barbados in
asserting claims before UNCLOS that the Trinidad and
Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into
their waters; dispute with Colombia over Los Monjes
islands and maritime boundary near the Gulf of
Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and
paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared
border region resulting in several thousand residents
migrating away from the border; US, France and the
Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full
effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan
EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of
the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
protest Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains
human habitation and other states' recognition of it
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Illicit drugs:
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small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the
processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however,
large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana
transit the country from Colombia bound for US and
Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering
activity, especially along the border with Colombia and
on Margarita Island; active eradication program
primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of
drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on
border |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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