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. Under Hugo CHAVEZ president from 1999 to 2013 and his hand-picked successor President Nicolas MADURO the executive branch has exercised increasingly authoritarian control over other branches of government. At the same time democratic institutions have deteriorated threats to freedom of expression have increased and political polarization has grown. The ruling party's economic policies have expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production and overdependence on the petroleum industry for revenues among others. Current concerns include: an increasingly politicized military rampant violent crime high inflation and widespread shortages of basic consumer goods medicine and medical supplies. Venezuela assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term.

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
Rank: 33
Comparative: almost six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 5,267 km
Border countries: (3) Brazil 2,137 km; Colombia 2,341 km; Guyana 789 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 5,007 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 24.5%
Forest: 52.1%
Other: 23.4%

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: 29,275,460 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 46
Growth rate: 1.39% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 85
Below poverty line: 31.6% (2011 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%

Demographic profile:

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.76%
15-24 years: 18.71%
25-54 years: 39.7%
55-64 years: 7.68%
65 years and over: 6.14% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 52.4%
Youth dependency ratio: 42.8%
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.5%
Potential support ratio: 10.5%

Median age
Total: 27.2 years
Male: 26.4 years
Female: 27.9 years

Population growth rate: 1.39% (2015 est.)
Rank: 85

Birth rate: 19.16 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 90

Death rate: 5.31 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 179

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 79

Urbanization
Urban population: 89% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.54% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: CARACAS (capital) 2.916 million; Maracaibo 2.196 million; Valencia 1.734 million; Maracay 1.166 million; Barquisimeto 1.039 million (2015)

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: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 0.97 male/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.91 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.29 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.37 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 92

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.54 years
Male: 71.4 years
Female: 77.83 years
Rank: 116

Total fertility rate: 2.32 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 91

Drinking water source:

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

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.55% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 61
People living with hivaids: 106,900 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 43
Deaths: 4,400 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 33

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 24.3% (2014)
Rank: 26

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.9% (2009)
Rank: 115

Education expenditures: 6.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 22

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96.3%
Male: 96.4%
Female: 96.2%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 15 years

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 29 N 66 52 W
Time difference: UTC-4.5

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
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: 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; accepts ICCT jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nicolas MADURO Moros ; Executive Vice President Jorge Alberto ARREAZA Montserrat (since 19 April 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Nicolas MADURO Moros ; Executive Vice President Jorge Alberto ARREAZA Montserrat (since 19 April 2013)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 6-year term ; election last held on 14 April 2013 - a special election held following the death of President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias on 5 March 2013 (next election expected in late 2018 or early 2019 pending official convocation by the country's electoral body)
Election results: Nicolas MADURO Moros elected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros 50.6% Henrique CAPRILES Radonski (PJ) 49.1% other 0.3%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional
Elections: last held on 26 September 2010
Election results: percent of vote by party - pro-government 48.9% opposition coalition 47.9% other 3.2%; seats by party - pro-government 99 opposition 65 other 1

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Tribunal of Justice
Judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation and appointed by the National Assembly; judges serve non-renewable 12-year terms
Subordinate courts: Superior or Appeals Courts ; 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 (national committees) ICCt (signatory) 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 UN Security Council (temporary) UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Maximilien SANCHEZ Arvelaiz (since July 2014)
In the us chancery: 1099 30th Street NW Washington DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] 342-2,214
In the us FAX: [1] 342-6,820
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Houston New Orleans New York San Francisco San Juan
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Lee MCCLENNY (July 2014)
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] 975-6,411 907-8,400 (after hours)
From the us FAX: [58] 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 then 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 historic province of Guayana

National symbols: troupial (bird); national colors: yellow blue red

National anthem
Name: 'Gloria al bravo pueblo'
Lyrics and music: Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA
Note: adopted 1881; lyrics written in 1810 the music some years later; both SALIAS and LANDAETA were executed in 1814 during Venezuela's struggle for independence

Economy overview: Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues which account for roughly 96% of export earnings about 40% of government revenues and 11% of GDP. The country ended 2014 with an estimated 4% contraction in its GDP 68.4% inflation widespread shortages of consumer goods and declining central bank international reserves. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that the GDP will shrink another 7% in 2015 and inflation may reach 80%. Under President Nicolas MADURO the Venezuelan government’s response to the economic crisis has been to increase state control over the economy and blame the private sector for the shortages. The Venezuelan government has maintained strict currency controls since 2003. Currently three official currency exchange mechanisms are in place for the sale of dollars to private sector firms and individuals with rates based on the government's import priorities. These currency controls present significant obstacles to trade with Venezuela because importers cannot obtain sufficient dollars to purchase goods needed to maintain their operations. MADURO has used decree powers to enact legislation to deepen the state’s role as the primary buyer and marketer of imports further tighten currency controls cap business profits and extend price controls. Falling oil prices since 2014 have aggravated Venezuela’s economic crisis. Insufficient access to dollars price controls and rigid labor regulations have led some US and multinational firms to reduce or shut down their Venezuelan operations. High costs for oil production and state oil company PDVSA’s poor cash flow have slowed investment in the petroleum sector resulting in a decline in oil production.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 35

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 213

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 88

Gross national saving:
Rank: 57

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 65.4%
Government consumption: 16.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 13.1%
Investment in inventories: 5.4%
Exports of goods and services: 16.7%
Imports of goods and services: -16.8%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.8%
Industry: 35.4%
Services: 60.8%

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

Industries: agricultural products livestock raw materials machinery and equipment transport equipment construction materials medical equipment pharmaceuticals chemicals iron and steel products crude oil and petroleum products

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 175

Labor force: 14.34 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 40
By occupation agriculture: 7.3%
By occupation industry: 21.8%
By occupation services: 70.9%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 86

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.7%
Highest 10: 32.7%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 67

Budget
Revenues: $142.6 billion
Expenditures: $204 billion
Surplus or deficit: -29.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 213

Taxes and other revenues: 68.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 3

Public debt:
Note: data cover central government debt as well as the debt of state-owned oil company PDVSA; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include some debt issued by subnational entities as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds such as for retirement medical care and unemployment; some debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions
Rank: 66

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 225

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 1

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 23

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 15

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 28

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 33

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 60

Current account balance:
Rank: 33

Exports:
Rank: 46
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products bauxite and aluminum minerals chemicals agricultural products
Partners: US 34.6% India 15.1% China 12.9% Cuba 5.3% Singapore 4.8% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 55
Commodities: agricultural products livestock raw materials machinery and equipment transport equipment construction materials medical equipment petroleum products pharmaceuticals chemicals iron and steel products
Partners: US 24.2% China 12.1% Brazil 9.9% Colombia 4.3% Argentina 4.1% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 59

Debt external:
Rank: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 55

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 46

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 127.6 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 29
Consumption: 94.83 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 33
Exports: 249 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 74
Imports: 480 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 79
Installed generating capacity: 27.5 million kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 30
Generation sources fossil fuels: 35.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 173
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 200
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 64.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 32
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 137

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 2.475 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 12
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: 138
Crude oil proven reserves: 297.7 billion bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 1

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.11 million bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 20
Products consumption: 784,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 24
Products exports: 638,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 10
Products imports: 16,660 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products imports rank: 110

Natural gas
Production: 28.4 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 30
Consumption: 30.5 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 31
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 202
Imports: 1.877 billion m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 50
Proven reserves: 5.562 trillion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 8

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 184.8 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 33

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 7.81 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27
Fixed lines rank: 23
Mobile cellular total: 30.5 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106
Mobile cellular rank: 40

Telephone system
General assessment: modern and expanding
Domestic: 2 domestic satellite systems 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-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership 130 per 100 persons
International: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Cuba and the Caribbean Central and South America and US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia Ecuador Peru and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network (2013)

Broadcast media: government supervises a mixture of state-run and private broadcast media; 13 public service networks 61 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 roughly 65 news stations and another 30 stations targeted at specific audiences; state-sponsored community broadcasters include 235 radio stations and 44 TV stations; the number of private broadcast radio stations has been declining but many still remain in operation (2014)

Internet
Country code: .ve
Users total: 13.6 million
Users percent of population: 47.2%
Users rank: 37

Military expenditures:
Rank: 98

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 total: 127
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
With unpaved runways total: 317
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
Total: 447 km
Standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 98

Roadways
Total: 96,189 km
Rank: 48

Waterways: 7,100 km (Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels) (2011)
Rank: 20

Merchant marine
Total: 53
By type: bulk carrier 4 cargo 12 chemical tanker 1 liquefied gas 5 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 14 petroleum tanker 16
Foreign owned: 9
Registered in other countries: 14 (2010)
Rank: 69

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: 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; 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 173,519 (Colombia) (2014)
Stateless persons: 11,000

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