Venezuela

republicIndependence 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Venezuela as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalCaracas

Area912,050 km2

Populationas each edition published it

20.19 million July 1991 · 19.7m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.22% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 24.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 72.69 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.4 children per woman 1991 · 3.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

26 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 27 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $2,800 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 7.3% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Total area

912,050km2

land area: 882,050 km2Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries

4,993km total

Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Coastline

2,800 km Contiguous zone: 15 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes

claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela

Climate

tropical;
hot, humid;
more moderate in highlands

Terrain

Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest;
central plains (llanos);
Guyana highlands in southeast

Natural resources

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Land use

arable land 3%;
permanent crops 1%;
meadows and pastures 20%;
forest and woodland 39%;
other 37%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment

subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides;
periodic droughts;
increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo

Note

on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

People

14 fields

Population

20,189,361

(July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

28Death

4Net migration

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 67%white 21%black 10%Indian 2%

Literacy

88%

(male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

Nationality

noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan

Religion

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Language

Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior

Labor force

5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)

Government

Republic

17 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

54.6%

Carlos Andres PEREZ (AD) 54.6%Eduardo FERNANDEZ (COPEI) 41.7%other 3.7%4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993)

Senate, 49 seats, elected 4 December 1988one dot, one seat

AD 23COPEI 22other 4

Administrative divisions

20 states (estados, singular--estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (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 dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Legal system

based on Napoleonic code;
judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Executive branch

president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989) Social Christian Party (COPEI), Eduardo FERNANDEZ, secretary general;
Democratic Action (AD), Gonzalo BARRIOS, president, and Humberto CELLI, secretary general;
Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Argelia LAYA, president, and Freddy MUNOZ, secretary general

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced President--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993);
results--Carlos Andres PEREZ (AD) 54.6%, Eduardo FERNANDEZ (COPEI) 41.7%, other 3.7%;
Senate--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(49 total) AD 23, COPEI 22, other 4;
note--3 former presidents (1 from AD, 2 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993);
results--AD 43.7%, COPEI 31.4%, MAS 10.3%, other 14.6%;
seats--(201 total) AD 97, COPEI 67, MAS 18, other 19

Other political or pressure groups

FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic Action-dominated labor organization

AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro;
Chancery at 2445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 797-3800;
there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Michael Martin SKOL;
Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34037);
telephone [58] (2) 285-3111 or 2222;
there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo

Flag

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

Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989.

17 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$42.4billion

per capita $2,150; real growth rate 4.4% (1990 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

40.7%

(1990)

Unemployment rate

10.4%

(1990)

External debt

$33.2billion

(1990)

Budget

Revenues

$8.4 billionExpenditures

$8.6 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)

Overview

Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP in 1989, but the economy recovered part way in 1990.

Exports

$12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures;
partners--US 50.7%, Europe 13.7%, Japan 4.0% (1989)

Imports

$8.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment;
partners--US 44%, FRG 8.0%, Japan 4%, Italy 7%, Canada 2% (1989)

Industrial production

growth rate - 11% (1989 est.); accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity

19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 6% of GDP and 16% of labor force;
products--corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish;
not self-sufficient in food other than meat

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine do transit the country

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $10 million

Currency

bolivar (plural--bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates

bolivares (Bs) per US$1--51.331 (January 1991), 46.900 (1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 58 ships by typeone square, one ship

short-sea passenger 1passenger cargo 1cargo 22container 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 2petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 17chemical tanker 1liquefied gas 2bulk 9vehicle carrier 1combination bulk 158 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,650 GRT/1,294,077 DWT

Airports, 296 total, 277 usable

permanent-surface runways

137runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

13runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

77,785Railroads

542Inland waterways

7,100Pipelines

6,370

Highways: ; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned · Inland waterways: ; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels · Pipelines: ; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas

Railroads

542 km total;
363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned;
179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned

Highways

77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

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

Pipelines

6,370 km crude oil;
480 km refined products;
4,010 km natural gas

Ports

Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz

Civil air

58 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

modern and expanding;
1,440,000 telephones;
stations--181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave;
3 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite communications ground stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic