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 from 1999 to 2013 sought to implement his '21st Century Socialism' which purported to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking capitalist globalization and existing democratic institutions. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions political polarization a politicized military rampant violent crime 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

Area
Rank: 33
Land: 882,050 km²
Water: 30,000 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Border countries: (3) Brazil 2,200 km; Colombia 2,050 km; Guyana 743 km

Coastline: 2,800 km

Maritime claims
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 highest point: Pico Bolivar 5,007 m

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

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.71%
Other: 96.44% (2011)

Irrigated land: 10,550 km² (2008)

Total renewable water resources: 1233 km³ (2011)

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: 28,459,085 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 46
Growth rate: 1.44% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 84
Below poverty line: 31.6% (2011 est.)

Nationality
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%

Demographic profile:

Age structure
15-24 years: 18.8% (male 2,686,366/female 2,664,062)
25-54 years: 39.5% (male 5,520,689/female 5,727,432)
55-64 years: 7.3% (male 993,176/female 1,094,586)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 722,234/female 916,061) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 43.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.5 %
Potential support ratio: 10.6 (2013)

Median age
Male: 25.9 years
Female: 27.3 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.44% (2013 est.)
Rank: 84

Birth rate: 19.66 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 89

Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 182

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 106

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: CARACAS (capital) 3.051 million; Maracaibo 2.153 million; Valencia 1.738 million; Barquisimeto 1.159 million; Maracay 1.04 million (2009)

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 signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 94
Male: 23.18 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 16.14 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 113
Male: 71.12 years
Female: 77.5 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.37 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 92

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 70.3% (1998)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 1.94 physicians/1000 population (2001)

Hospital bed density: 0.9 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA; note - no country specific models provided
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 30.3% (2008)
Rank: 26

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.7% (2007)
Rank: 98

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 124

Literacy
Total population: 95.5%
Male: 95.7%
Female: 95.4% (2009 est.)

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

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 10 29 N 66 52 W
Time difference: UTC-4.5 (half an hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 23 states (estados singular - estado) 1 capital district* (distrito capital) and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas Anzoategui Apure Aragua Barinas Bolivar Carabobo Cojedes Delta Amacuro Dependencias Federales (Federal Dependencies)** Distrito Capital (Capital District)* Falcon Guarico Lara Merida Miranda Monagas Nueva Esparta Portuguesa Sucre Tachira Trujillo Vargas Yaracuy Zulia

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day 5 July (1811)

Constitution: many previous; latest adopted 15 December 1999 effective 30 December 1999; amended 2009 (2013)

Legal system: civil law system based on the Spanish civil code

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; state party to the ICCT

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President Nicolas MADURO Moros (since 8 March 2013); Executive Vice President Jorge Alberto ARREAZA Montserrat (since 8 March 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for unlimited reelection); election last held on 14 April 2013; note - this was a special election held following the death of President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias on 5 March 2013; the next scheduled election after this is expected to be held in October 2018 pending official convocation by the country's electoral body)
Election results: Nicolas MADURO Moros elected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros 50.08% Henrique CAPRILES Radonski 49% other 0.92%; note - official results pending

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (165 seats; members elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
Elections: last held on 26 September 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
Election results: percent of vote by party - pro-government 48.9% opposition coalition 47.9% other 3.2%; seats by party - pro-government 98 opposition 65 other 2

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation (an independent body of organizations dealing with legal issues and of the organs of citizen power) and appointed by the National Assembly; judges serve non-renewable 12-year terms
Subordinate courts: Superior or Appeals Courts (Tribunales Superiores); District Tribunals (Tribunales de Distrito); Courts of First Instance (Tribunales de Primera Instancia); Parish Courts (Tribunales de Parroquia); Justices of the Peace (Justicia de Paz) Network

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Caricom (observer) CD CDB CELAC FAO G-15 G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA LAS (observer) Mercosur MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW OPEC PCA Petrocaribe UN UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
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 consulate general: Boston Chicago Houston Miami New Orleans New York San Francisco San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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) 975-6,411 907-8,400 (after hours)
From the us FAX: [58] (212) 907-8,199

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; the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia the South American republic that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the riches of the land blue for the courage of its people and red for the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that united in the war of independence; in 2006 President Hugo CHAVEZ ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that sparked much controversy - to conform with the flag proclaimed by Simon Bolivar in 1827 and to represent the province of Guayana

National symbols: troupial (bird)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA

Economy overview: Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues which account for roughly 95% of export earnings about 45% of federal budget revenues and around 12% of GDP. Fueled by high oil prices record government spending helped to boost GDP growth by 4.2% in 2011 after a sharp drop in oil prices caused an economic contraction in 2009-10. Government spending minimum wage hikes and improved access to domestic credit created an increase in consumption which combined with supply problems to cause higher inflation - roughly 26% in 2011 and 21% in 2012. President Hugo CHAVEZ's efforts to increase the government's control of the economy by nationalizing firms in the agribusiness financial construction oil and steel sectors have hurt the private investment environment reduced productive capacity and slowed non-petroleum exports. In the first half of 2010 Venezuela faced the prospect of lengthy nationwide blackouts when its main hydroelectric power plant - which provides more than 35% of the country's electricity - nearly shut down. In May 2010 CHAVEZ closed the unofficial foreign exchange market - the 'parallel market' - in an effort to stem inflation and slow the currency's depreciation. In June 2010 the government created the 'Transaction System for Foreign Currency Denominated Securities' to replace the 'parallel' market. In December 2010 CHAVEZ eliminated the dual exchange rate system and unified the exchange rate at 4.3 bolivars per dollar. In January 2011 CHAVEZ announced the second devaluation of the bolivar within twelve months. In December 2010 the National Assembly passed a package of five organic laws designed to complete the transformation of the Venezuelan economy in line with CHAVEZ's vision of 21st century socialism. In 2012 Venezuela continued to wrestle with a housing crisis high inflation an electricity crisis and rolling food and goods shortages - all of which were fallout from the government's unorthodox economic policies. The budget deficit for the entire government reached 17% of GDP in 2012 and public debt as a percent of GDP climbed steeply to 49% despite record oil prices.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 34

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 51

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 98

Gross national saving:
Rank: 30

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 12.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 19.9%
Investment in inventories: 6.1%
Exports of goods and services: 25.8%
Imports of goods and services: -22.9%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 35.5%
Services: 60.8% (2012 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 chemical products paper products

Industrial production growth rate: 4.7% (2012 est.)
Rank: 60

Labor force: 13.49 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 40
By occupation industry: 21.8%
By occupation services: 70.9% (4th quarter 2011)

Unemployment rate: 8.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 87

Population below poverty line: 31.6% (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 32.7% (2006)

Distribution of family income gini index: 49.5 (1998)
Rank: 69

Budget
Expenditures: $165.3 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -14.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 213

Taxes and other revenues: 29.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 100

Public debt: 25.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 121

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 26.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 217

Central bank discount rate: 29.5% (31 December 2009)
Rank: 3

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 17.15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 27

Stock of narrow money: $99.46 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 23

Stock of broad money: $115.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 43

Stock of domestic credit: $92.82 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 45

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 89

Current account balance: $24.39 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 25

Exports: $92.81 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 39
Commodities: petroleum bauxite and aluminum minerals chemicals agricultural products basic manufactures
Partners: US 39.1% China 14.3% India 12% Netherlands Antilles 7.8% Cuba 4.6% (2012)

Imports: $46.78 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 50
Commodities: agricultural products livestock raw materials machinery and equipment transport equipment construction materials medical equipment pharmaceuticals chemicals iron and steel products
Partners: US 31.7% China 16.8% Brazil 9.1% Colombia 4.8% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $29.89 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 51

Debt external: $67.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 53

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $45.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 55

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $19.81 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 46

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 127.6 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 28
Consumption: 85.05 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 35
Exports: 626 million kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 62
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 146
Installed generating capacity: 27.5 million kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 29
Generation sources fossil fuels: 35.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 172
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 198
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 64.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 30
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 136

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 2.489 million bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 13
Crude oil exports: 1.645 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 8
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 137
Crude oil proven reserves: 297.6 billion bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 1

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.11 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 20
Products consumption: 571,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 32
Products exports: 638,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 12
Products imports: 16,660 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products imports rank: 110

Natural gas
Production: 25.28 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 30
Consumption: 27.11 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 30
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 201
Imports: 2.11 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 47
Proven reserves: 5.524 trillion m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 8

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 182.7 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 33

Telephones
Main lines in use: 7.65 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 24
Mobile cellular: 30.52 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 34

Telephone system
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; combined fixed and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 130 per 100 persons
International: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to the Caribbean Central and South America and US; 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; constructing submarine cable to provide connectivity to Cuba with an estimated date of completion in late 2011 (2010)

Broadcast media: government supervises a mixture of state-run and private broadcast media; 1 state-run TV network 4 privately owned TV networks a privately owned news channel with limited national coverage and a government-backed pan-American channel; state-run radio network includes 65 news stations and roughly another 30 stations targeted at specific audiences; state-sponsored community broadcasters include 244 radio stations and 36 TV stations; the number of private broadcast radio stations has been declining but many still remain in operation (2010)

Internet
Country code: .ve
Hosts: 1.016 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 46
Users: 8.918 million (2009)
Users rank: 32

Military expenditures: 0.7% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 154

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 30-month conscript service obligation; Navy requires 6th-grade education for enlisted personnel; all citizens of military service age (18-60 years old) are obligated to register for military service (2012)

Airports: 444 (2013)
Rank: 19
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 33
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 62
With paved runways under 914 m: 17 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 57
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 127
With unpaved runways: 130 (2013)

Heliports: 3 (2013)

Pipelines: extra heavy crude 981 km; gas 5,941 km; oil 7,588 km; refined products 1778 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 98
Standard gauge: 806 km 1.435-m gauge (41 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 48
Paved: 32,308 km
Unpaved: 63,847 km (2002)

Waterways: 7,100 km (the Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo are navigable by oceangoing vessels) (2011)
Rank: 21

Merchant marine
Rank: 69
By type: bulk carrier 4 cargo 12 chemical tanker 1 liquefied gas 5 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 14 petroleum tanker 16
Foreign owned: 9 (Denmark 1 Estonia 1 Germany 1 Greece 4 Mexico 1 Spain 1)
Registered in other countries: 14 (Panama 13 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: La Guaira Maracaibo Puerto Cabello Punta Cardon
Oil terminals: Jose terminal

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 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 Economic Exclusion Zone/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