Background: Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada which became Colombia). 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. Hugo CHAVEZ president since 1999 has promoted a controversial policy of 'democratic socialism' which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions political polarization 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.

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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 15 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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: 2.85%
Permanent crops: 0.88%
Other: 96.27% (2005)

Irrigated land: 5,750 km² (2003)

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: 25,730,435 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 1.38% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 47% (1998 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: 29.1% (male 3,860,116/female 3,620,440)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 8,494,944/female 8,410,874)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 609,101/female 734,960) (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 26 years
Male: 25.4 years
Female: 26.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.38% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 18.71 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 4.92 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.07 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 21.54 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 24.58 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 18.27 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.54 years
Male: 71.49 years
Female: 77.81 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 110,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 4,100 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.4%
Male: 93.8%
Female: 93.1% (2003 est.)

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

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Caracas
Geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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: open adversarial court system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held December 2012)
Note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this new constitution
Election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 63%, Manuel ROSALES 37%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0

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: Christian Democrats or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA]

International organization participation: 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 IPU ISO ITU LAES LAIA Mercosur MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW OPEC PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ Herrera
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, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD
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 eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Economy overview: 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. Government revenue also has been bolstered by increased tax collection which has surpassed its 2005 collection goal by almost 50%. Tax revenue is the primary source of non-oil revenue which accounts for 53% of the 2006 budget. 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. Output recovered strongly in 2004-2005 aided by high oil prices and strong consumption growth. Venezuela continues to be an important source of crude oil for the US market. Both inflation and unemployment remain fundamental problems.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $162.1 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 9.3% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $6,400 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 41.9%
Services: 54.1% (2005 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (2005 est.)

Labor force: 12.31 million (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 13%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 64% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line: 47% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 0.8%
Highest 10: 36.5% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 49.1 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $39.63 billion
Expenditures: $41.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.6 billion (2005 est.)

Public debt: 34.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 16% (2005 est.)

Current account balance: $25.36 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $52.73 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: petroleum bauxite and aluminum steel chemicals agricultural products basic manufactures
Partners: US 51.2% Netherlands Antilles 7.3% Canada 2.4% (2005)

Imports: $24.63 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: raw materials machinery and equipment transport equipment construction materials
Partners: US 31.6% Colombia 11% Brazil 9.1% Mexico 6.9% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $29.64 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $41.51 billion (2005 est.)

Exchange rates: bolivares per US dollar - 2,090 (2005) 1891.3 (2004) 1607 (2003) 1161 (2002) 723.7 (2001)

Electricity
Production: 87.44 billion kWh (2003)
Consumption: 81.32 billion kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Natural gas
Production: 29.7 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 29.7 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2004 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2004 est.)
Proven reserves: 4.191 trillion m³ (2005)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 3,605,500 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 12.496 million (2005)

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: 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

Internet
Country code: .ve
Hosts: 126,500 (2006)
Users: 4.14 million (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months; all citizens of military service age (between 18 and 50 years old) are obligated to register for military service (2006)

Airports: 390 (2006)
With paved runways total: 128
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 34
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 61
With paved runways under 914 m: 18 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 262
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 97
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 149 (2006)

Heliports: 2 (2006)

Pipelines: extra heavy crude oil 992 km; gas 5,369 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 682 km
Standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 96,155 km
Paved: 32,308 km
Unpaved: 63,847 km (1999)

Waterways
Note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2005)

Merchant marine
Total: 59 ships (1000 GRT or over) 808,721 GRT/1,285,783 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 14, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 1
Foreign owned: 12 (Denmark 3, Greece 3, Mexico 3, Panama 1, Russia 1, Spain 1)
Registered in other countries: 11 (Bahamas 1, Panama 10) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Amuay La Guaira Maracaibo Puerto Cabello Punta Cardon

Disputes international: 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 the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006 an estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities along the border in Venezuela; US France and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island thereby claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's full effect claim

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