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: an embattled president who is losing his once solid support among Venezuelans a divided military drug-related conflicts 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.

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N 66 00 W

Map reference: South America

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
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 2.99%
Permanent crops: 0.96%
Other: 96.05% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 540 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to floods rockslides mudslides; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

Population: 24,287,670 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.52% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 67% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Venezuelan
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% other 2%

Age structure
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 3,955,132; female 3,710,159)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 7,756,362; female 7,695,738)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 533,559; female 636,720) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.52% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 20.22 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 4.91 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.11 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 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; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.58 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.56 years
Female: 76.81 years (2002 est.)
Male: 70.53 years

Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.49% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 62,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 2000 (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: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Conventional short form: Venezuela
Local short form: Venezuela
Local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions
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: 30 December 1999

Legal system: based on organic laws as of July 1999; open adversarial court system; 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); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (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 (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
Election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - 60%
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)

Legislative branch
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)
Elections: last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2005)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Action or AD [Claudio FERMIN]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Garcia PONCE]; Homeland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNIZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan Jose CALDERA]; Radical Cause or La Causa R [Antonio HERRERA]; Social Christian Party or COPEI [Oswaldo ALVAREZ Paz]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]

International organization participation: CAN Caricom (observer) CCC CDB ECLAC FAO G-3 G-15 G-19 G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAES LAIA 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); Charge d' Affaires Luis HERERRA Marcano
In the us chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
In the us fax: [1] (202) 342-6,820
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 342-2,214
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles S. SHAPIRO
From the us embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 62,291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34,037
From the us telephone: [58] (212) 975-9,234, 975-6,411
From the us fax: [58] (212) 975-8,991

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. Venezuelan officials estimate that GDP grew by 2.7% in 2001. A strong rebound in international oil prices fueled the recovery from the steep recession in 1999. Nevertheless a weak nonoil sector and capital flight - and a temporary fall in oil prices - undercut the recovery. In early 2002 President CHAVEZ changed the exchange rate regime from a crawling peg to a free floating exchange rate causing the bolivar to depreciate significantly.

Real gdp growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,100 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5%
Industry: 40%
Services: 55% (2001 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: NA%

Labor force: 9.9 million (1999) (1999)
By occupation services: 64%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation agriculture: 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.1% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: 67% (1997 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 38% (1997) (1997)

Distribution of family income gini index: 49 (1997)

Budget
Revenues: $21.5 billion
Expenditures: $27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12.3% (2001) (2001)

Exports: $29.5 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: petroleum bauxite and aluminum steel chemicals agricultural products basic manufactures
Partners: US 60% Brazil 5.5% Colombia 3.5% Italy 3.5% Spain 3.4% (2000)

Imports: $18.4 billion f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: raw materials machinery and equipment transport equipment construction materials
Partners: US 35.8% Colombia 6.8% Brazil 4.5% Germany 3.9% Italy 3.9% (2000)

Debt external: $34.5 billion (2000) (2000)

Exchange rates: bolivares per US dollar - 761.225 (January 2002) 723.666 (2001) 679.960 (2000) 605.717 (1999) 547.556 (1998) 488.635 (1997)

Electricity
Production: 80.754 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 23%
Production by source hydro: 77%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 75.101 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.6 million (however 3,500,000 have been installed) (1998)
Mobile cellular: 2 million (1998)

Telephone system
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: 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

Internet
Country code: .ve
Service providers isps: 16 (2000)
Users: 1.3 million (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $934 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 0.9% (FY99)

Airports: 372 (2001)
With paved runways total: 127
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 61
With paved runways under 914 m: 18 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 32
With unpaved runways total: 246
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 97
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 139 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

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

Railways
Total: 682 km
Standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge
Note: 248 km of the existing system are privately owned; passenger services are nonexistent; however, a National Railways Plan, intended to provide a significant railway system, has been initiated (2001)

Waterways
Note: Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Merchant marine
Total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 716,361 GRT/1,267,095 DWT
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 2 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 10, 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; several Caribbean states protest Venezuela's claim to Islas des Aves (Bird Islands) 565 km from Venezuelan mainland

Illicit drugs: 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