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.

Map reference: South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 912,050 km²
Land: 882,050 km²

Land boundaries: total 4,993 km, Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

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; Guiana Highlands in southeast

Natural resources: petroleum, 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%

Irrigated land: 2,640 km² (1989 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

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

Population: 20,562,405 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 2.16% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Venezuelan(s)

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%

Population growth rate: 2.16% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 25.74 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 4.63 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.47 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Environment
Current issues: 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

Infant mortality rate: 27.7 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73 years
Male: 70.12 years
Female: 76.03 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 88%
Male: 87%
Female: 90%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela
Conventional short form:

Government type: republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 21 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 territory* (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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:President Rafael CALDERA Rodriquez (since 2 February 1994; election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998; results - Rafael CALDERA (National Convergence) 30.45%, Claudio FERMIN (AD) 23.59%, Oswaldo ALVAREZ PAZ (COPEI) 22.72%, Andres VELASQUEZ (Causa R) 21.94%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales, FAN) includes - Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada), Air Forces (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperation or Guardia Nacional)
Senate Senado: elections last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (52 total) AD 18, COPEI 15, Causa R 9, MAS 5, National Convergence 5; note - 3 former presidents (2 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats
Chamber of Deputies Camara de Diputados: elections last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998); results - AD 27.9%, COPEI 26.9%, MAS 12.4%, National Convergence 12.9%, Causa R 19.9%; seats - (201 total) AD 55, COPEI 53, MAS 24, National Convergence 26, Causa R 40, other 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ Corro, President

International organization participation: AG, BCIE, CARICOM (observer), CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-15, 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, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey DAVIDOW
From the us chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
From the us telephone: [58] (2) 285-2,222
From the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us embassy: Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 62,291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO AA 34,037
From the us FAX: [58] (2) 285-0336
From the us consulates: Maracaibo (closed March 1994)

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

Economy overview: Petroleum is the backbone of the economy, accounting for 23% of GDP, 61% of central government ordinary revenues, and 77% of export earnings in 1993. Former President PEREZ introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and the removal of price controls, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates threw the economy into confusion, causing an 8% decline in GDP in 1989. The economy recovered part way in 1990 and grew by 9.7% in 1991 and 6.8% in 1992; economic activity fell by 1% in 1993, primarily because of business concerns over political instability.

Real gdp growth rate: -1% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $8,000 (1993 est.)

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: 6.1% (1992 est.), accounts for 40% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 5.8 million
By occupation services: 56%
By occupation industry: 28%
By occupation agriculture: 16% (1985)

Unemployment rate: 8.2% (1993 est.)

Budget: revenues:$9.8 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $14.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: petroleum 77%, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
Partners: US and Puerto Rico 42%, Japan, Netherlands, Italy

Imports: $11 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
Partners: US 50%, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Canada

Debt external: $28.5 billion (1993)

Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1 - 107.260 (January 1994), 90.826 (1993), 68.38 (1992), 56.82 (1991), 46.90 (1990), 34.68 (1989)

Electricity
Capacity: 21,130,000 kW
Production: 58.541 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 2,830 kWh (1992)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $1.95 billion, 4% of GDP (1991)

Airports: 425
Usable: 392
With permanentsurface runways: 139
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 15
With runways 1220-2439 m: 92

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

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

Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 741,688 GRT/1,204,233 DWT, bulk 4, cargo 16, combination bulk 1, container 1, liquefied gas 2, oil tanker 17, passenger cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 1

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

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine transit the country from Colombia; important money-laundering hub