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.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 66 00 W

Map reference: South America, Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 912,050 km²
Land: 882,050 km²
Water: 30,000 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,993 km
Border countries: (3) 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 the 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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 4%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 34%
Other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,900 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides; periodic droughts

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

Population: 23,203,466 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.71% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 31.3% (1989 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Venezuelan(s)
Adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people

Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Age structure
0-14 years: 33% (male 3,988,499; female 3,741,568)
15-64 years: 62% (male 7,231,546; female 7,184,769)
65 years and over: 5% (male 484,071; female 573,013) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.71% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 22.25 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.93 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.23 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 26.51 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.95 years
Male: 69.97 years
Female: 76.16 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.61 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.1%
Male: 91.8%
Female: 90.3% (1995 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela
Conventional short form: Venezuela
Local long form: Republica de Venezuela
Local short form: Venezuela

Government type: republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 22 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, Yaracuy, Zulia
Note: the federal dependency 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: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); note_the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); 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 five-year term; election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)
Election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias elected president; percent of vote_NA%

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica consists of the Senate or Senado (52 seats, two from each state and the federal district (46), one for each of the retired presidents, and others representing minorities (6); members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (207 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003); Chamber of Deputies_last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_AD 16, COPEI 14, Causa R 9, National Convergence 5, MAS 3, independents 5; note_two former presidents (1 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime Senate seats; Chamber of Deputies_percent of vote by party_AD 25.6%, COPEI 24.6%, MAS 10.6%, National Convergence 8.7%, Causa R 19.3%; seats by party_AD 53, COPEI 51, Causa R 40, MAS 22, National Convergence 18, other 23

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), magistrates are elected by both chambers in joint session for a nine-year term, one-third are reelected every three years

International organization participation: CAN, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
In the us chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-2,214
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 342-6,820
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John Francis MAISTO
From the us embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1060
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 62,291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34,037
From the us telephone: [58] (2) 977-2011
From the us FAX: [58] (2) 977-0843

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: The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. As a result, the steep downturn in international oil prices has had a severe impact on the economy; fiscal cuts spurred by the loss of revenues, high interest rates, and the sharp downturn in export earnings drove the economy into recession in 1998. The recession continued into 1999 with oil prices forecast to stay relatively low, but rising. Although the government has pursued moderate austerity measures to address the downturn in revenues, Venezuela's ongoing reform program has largely stalled. Pressure on the bolivar_overvalued by as much as 40%_was also significant through much of 1998, increasing the probability of an adjustment of the currency in 1999. Newly elected President Hugo CHAVEZ will be hard pressed to address Venezuela's many economic ills. He has promised to strike a balance between reforms designed to address the structural deformities of the economy and addressing declining living standards. CHAVEZ has sought to play down the populism that marked his political campaign for the presidency in an effort to allay investor concerns. The wide range of viewpoints represented on CHAVEZ's economic team is likely to make rapid implementation of a coherent policy difficult.

Real gdp growth rate: -0.9% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $8,500 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 63%
Services: 33% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1995 est.)

Labor force: 9.2 million
By occupation services: 64%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation agriculture: 13% (1997est.)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 31.3% (1989 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $11.99 billion
Expenditures: $11.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $3 billion (1996 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $16.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures (1998)
Partners: US and Puerto Rico 57%, Colombia, Brazil (1997)

Imports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials (1998)
Partners: US 53%, Japan, Colombia, Italy, Germany (1997)

Debt external: $26.5 billion (1996)

Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1_570.267 (January 1999), 547.556 (1998), 488.635 (1997), 417.333 (1996), 176.843 (1995), 148.503 (1994)

Electricity
Production: 73 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 20.55%
Production by source hydro: 79.45%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 72.85 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 150 million kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Telephones: 1.44 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: modern and expanding
Domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
International: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.1 billion (1998)
Percent of gdp: 1% (1998)

Airports: 371 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 122
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 32
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 59
With paved runways under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 249
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 94
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 145 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Railways
Total: 584 km (248 km privately owned)
Standard gauge: 584 km 1.435-m gauge

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

Merchant marine
Total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 535,882 GRT/937,461 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 9, combination bulk 1, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5, short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)

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, opium, and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; important money-laundering hub; active eradication program primarily targeting opium