Venezuela

republicIndependence 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Venezuela as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 124 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
LocationNorthern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Colombia
1994

Every edition of Venezuela

Populationas each edition published it
20.56 million July 1994 est. · 19.7m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.16% 1994 est. · 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
3.05 children per woman 1994 est. · 3.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
27.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 27 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$8,000 1993 est. · $2,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-1% 1993 est. · 7.3% in 1993

Geography

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Colombia | and Guyana

25 fields
Coastline
2,800km
Land boundaries
4,993km
total · Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
Irrigated land
2,640sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Colombia and Guyana

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

912,050 sq km

land area

882,050 sq km

comparative area

slightly more than twice the size of California

contiguous zone

15 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International 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);
  • Guiana Highlands in southeast

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

arable land

3%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

20%

forest and woodland

39%

other

37%

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

natural hazards

subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

international agreements

  • party to - Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping

Note

on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

People

21 fields
Population
20,562,405
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 2.16% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
25.74Death
4.63Net migration
0.47

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 67%white 21%black 10%Indian 2%
Labor force
5.8million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

27.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

73 years

male

70.12 years

female

76.03 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.05 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Venezuelan(s)

adjective

Venezuelan

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Languages

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

total population

88%

male

87%

female

90%

by occupation

services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)

Government

Republic

34 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

27.9%
AD 27.9%COPEI 26.9%MAS 12.4%Causa R 19.9%

Legislature, 52 seatsone dot, one seat

AD 18COPEI 15Causa R 9MAS 5

Legislature, 201 seatsone dot, one seat

AD 55COPEI 53MAS 24Causa R 40other 3

conventional long form

Republic of Venezuela

conventional short form

Venezuela

local long form

Republica de Venezuela

local short form

Venezuela

Type

republic

Capital

Caracas

Administrative divisions

  • 21 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 territory* (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

Independence

5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday

Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution

23 January 1961

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state and head of government

  • President Rafael CALDERA Rodriquez (since 2 February 1994);
  • election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998);
  • results - Rafael CALDERA (National Convergence) 30.45%, Claudio FERMIN (AD) 23.59%, Oswaldo ALVAREZ PAZ (COPEI) 22.72%, Andres VELASQUEZ (Causa R) 21.94%, other 1.3%

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica)

Senate (Senado)

  • elections last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (52 total) AD 18, COPEI 15, Causa R 9, MAS 5, National Convergence 5;
  • note - 3 former presidents (2 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats

Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

  • elections last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held December 1998);
  • results - AD 27.9%, COPEI 26.9%, MAS 12.4%, National Convergence 12.9%, Causa R 19.9%;
  • seats - (201 total) AD 55, COPEI 53, MAS 24, National Convergence 26, Causa R 40, other 3

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ Corro, President

Political parties and leaders

  • National Convergence (Convergencia), Jose Miguel UZCATEGUI, director;
  • Social Christian Party (COPEI), Hilarion CARDOZO, president, and Jose CURIEL, secretary general;
  • Democratic Action (AD), Pedro PARIS Montesinos, president, and Luis ALFARO Ucero, secretary general;
  • Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Argelia LAYA, president, and Freddy MUNOZ, secretary general;
  • Radical Cause (La Causa R), Pablo MEDINA, secretary general

Other political or pressure groups

  • FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group;
  • Venezuelan Confederation of Workers (CTV, labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action);
  • VECINOS groups

Member of

AG, BCIE, CARICOM (observer), CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-15, 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, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Pedro Luis ECHEVERRIA

chancery

1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone

(202) 342-2214

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission

Ambassador Jeffrey DAVIDOW

embassy

Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas

mailing address

P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO AA 34037

telephone

[58] (2) 285-2222

FAX

[58] (2) 285-0336

consulate(s)

Maracaibo (closed March 1994)

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 backbone of the economy, accounting for 23% of GDP, | 61% of central government ordinary revenues, and 77% of export | earnings in 1993.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$8,000
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
-1%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 6.1% (1992 est.); accounts for 40% of GDP, including petroleum
Unemployment rate
8.2%
(1993 est.)

Overview

Petroleum is the backbone of the economy, accounting for 23% of GDP, 61% of central government ordinary revenues, and 77% of export earnings in 1993. Former President PEREZ introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and the removal of price controls, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates threw the economy into confusion, causing an 8% decline in GDP in 1989.

The economy recovered part way in 1990 and grew by 9.7% in 1991 and 6.8% in 1992; economic activity fell by 1% in 1993, primarily because of business concerns over political instability.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $161 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$9.8 billion

expenditures

$11.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $103 million (1993 est.)

Exports

$14.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

petroleum 77%, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures

partners

US and Puerto Rico 42%, Japan, Netherlands, Italy

Imports

$11 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials

partners

US 50%, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Canada

External debt

$28.5 billion (1993)

capacity

21,130,000 kW

production

58.541 billion kWh

consumption per capita

2,830 kWh (1992)

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 transit the country from Colombia;
  • important money-laundering hub

recipient

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

Currency

1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates

bolivares (Bs) per US$1 - 107.260 (January 1994), 90.826 (1993), 68.38 (1992), 56.82 (1991), 46.90 (1990), 34.68 (1989)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

15 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
542Inland waterways
7,100
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

Railroads

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

total

81,000 km

paved

31,200 km

unpaved

gravel 24,800 km; earth and unimproved earth 25,000 km

Inland waterways

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

Pipelines

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

Ports

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

Merchant marine

47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 741,688 GRT/1,204,233 DWT, bulk 4, cargo 16, combination bulk 1, container 1, liquefied gas 2, oil tanker 17, passenger cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 1

total

425

usable

392

with permanent-surface runways

139

with runways over 3,659 m

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

15

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

92

Telecommunications

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

Defense Forces

3 fields

Branches

National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales, FAN) includes - Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada), Air Forces (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperation or Guardia Nacional)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 5,341,855;
  • fit for military service 3,875,523;
  • reach military age (18) annually 224,550 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.95 billion, 4% of GDP (1991)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Venezuela.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/venezuela/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →