Map of Venezuela | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Venezuela was one of the 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: drug-related conflicts along the Colombian border increasing internal drug consumption overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations and irresponsible mining operations which are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.


top of page


Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 2,800 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 15 nm
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain: Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos; Guyana highlands in southeast

Elevation

Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Land use: arable land: 3%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 39%; other 37%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America


top of page


Population: 20,189,361 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Venezuelan(s; adjective--Venezuelan

Ethnic groups: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Indian 2%

Languages: Spanish (official; Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 28 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 4 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 88% (male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela

Government type: republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular--estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (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, Yaracuy, Zulia; note--the federal dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution: 23 January 1961

Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989)

Legislative branch: Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (including Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro; Chancery at 2,445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 797-3,800; there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico; US--Ambassador Michael Martin SKOL; Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62,291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34,037; telephone [58] (2) 285-3,111 or 2,222; there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo

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 Venezuela VenezuelaVenezuela

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP in 1989, but the economy recovered part way in 1990.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 6% of GDP and 16% of labor force; products--corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat

Industries: petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly

Industrial production growth rate: - 11% (1989 est.), accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)

Unemployment rate: 10.4% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
Commodities: petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures
Partners: US 50.7%, Europe 13.7%, Japan 4.0% (1989)

Imports: $8.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodities: foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment
Partners: US 44%, FRG 8.0%, Japan 4%, Italy 7%, Canada 2% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $33.2 billion (1990)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1--51.331 (January 1991), 46.900 (1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985)


top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 296 total, 277 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: 6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Merchant marine: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,650 GRT/1,294,077 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 22 cargo, 1 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 9 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine do transit the country