Venezuela

Republic of VenezuelaRepublica de Venezuela

republicIndependence 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Venezuela as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 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
Position8 00 N, 66 00 W
Area912,050 sq km
LocationNorthern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the
1997

Every edition of Venezuela

Populationas each edition published it
22.4 million July 1997 est. · 19.7m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.83% 1997 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
2.78 children per woman 1997 est. · 3.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
28.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 27 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$9,000 1996 est. · $2,800 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-1.6% 1996 · 7.3% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 912,050 sq km

arable land 4%permanent crops 1%permanent pastures 20%forests and woodland 34%other 41% (1993 est.)irrigated 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
912,050sq km
land: 882,050 sq kmwater: 30,000 sq kmslightly more than twice the size of California
Coastline
2,800km
contiguous zone: 15 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea : 12 nm
Highest point
5,007m
Pico Bolivar (La Columna)lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
4,993km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 66 00 W

Map references

South America

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

Natural hazards

subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides; periodic droughts

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

Environment - international agreements

party to :
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Tropical Timber 94

Geography - note

on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

People

15 fields
Population
22,396,407
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 1.83% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
23.67Death
5.03Net migration
-0.32

Ethnic groups

mestizo 67%white 21%black 10%Amerindian 2%
Literacy
91.1%
definition : age 15 and over can read and writemale: 91.8%female: 90.3% (1995 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years : 34% (male 3,964,886; female 3,720,984)

15-64 years:
61% (male 6,877,890; female 6,838,799)
65 years and over:
5% (male 456,182; female 537,666) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.85 male(s)/female
total population:
1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

28.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population :
72.37 years
male:
69.4 years
female :
75.58 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.78 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Venezuelan(s)
adjective:
Venezuelan

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994); President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994)

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

30.45%
Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (National Convergence) 30.45%Claudio FERMIN (AD) 23.59%Oswaldo ALVAREZ PAZ (COPEI) 22.72%Andres VELASQUEZ (Causa R) 21.94%other 1.3%election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA December 1998)

Senate, 177 seats, elected 5 December 1993one dot, one seat

AD 55COPEI 53MAS 24Causa R 40other 5

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form:
Venezuela
local long form:
Republica de Venezuela
local short form :
Venezuela

Administrative divisions

  • 22 states (estados, singular - estado),1 federal district* (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency** (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 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

23 January 1961

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA December 1998)
election results :
  • Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez elected president;
  • percent of vote - Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (National Convergence) 30.45%, Claudio FERMIN (AD) 23.59%, Oswaldo ALVAREZ PAZ (COPEI) 22.72%, Andres VELASQUEZ (Causa R) 21.94%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica consists of the Senate or Senado (53 seats, two from each state and the Federal District, and retired presidents; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (203 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA December 1998); Chamber of Deputies - last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA December 1998)
election results:
  • Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - AD 18, COPEI 15, Causa R 9, MAS 5, National Convergence 6;
  • note - three former presidents (2 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime Senate seats;
  • Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - AD 27.9%, COPEI 26.9%, MAS 12.4%, National Convergence 12.9%, Causa R 19.9%;
  • seats by party - AD 55, COPEI 53, MAS 24, National Convergence 26, Causa R 40, other 5

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), magistrates are elected by both chambers in joint session

Political parties and leaders

  • National Convergence (Convergencia), Jose Miguel UZCATEGUI, president, Juan Jose CALDERA, national coordinator;
  • Social Christian Party (COPEI), Luis HERRERA Campins, president, and Donald RAMIREZ, secretary general;
  • Democratic Action (AD), Pedro PARIS Montesinos, president, and Luis ALFARO Ucero, secretary general;
  • Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Gustavo MARQUEZ, president, and Enrique OCHOA Antich, secretary general;
  • Radical Cause (La Causa R), Lucas MATHEUS, secretary general

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

International organization participation

AG, BCIE, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Pedro Luis ECHEVERRIA
chancery:
1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone :
[1] (202) 342-2214

FAX

[1] (202) 342-6820; consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission :
Ambassador John Francis MAISTO
embassy:
Calle F con Calle Suapure, Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1060
mailing address:
P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037
telephone:
[58] (2) 977-2011

FAX

[58] (2) 977-0843

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 seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Economy

The petroleum sector dominates the economy, | accounting for roughly 25% of GDP, 70% of export earnings, and 50% of | central government revenues.

22 fields
Real growth rate
-1.6%
(1996)industrial production growth: 0.5% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate
13%
(1996 est.)
Labor force
8.8million
by occupation : services 64%, industry 23%, agriculture 13% (1993)

GDP - composition by sector(1993)

agriculture 5%industry 41%services 54% (1993)

Budget

Revenues
$11.99 billionExpenditures
$11.48 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $2.3 billion

Economy - overview

The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for roughly 25% of GDP, 70% of export earnings, and 50% of central government revenues. It is likely to become even more important as the state petroleum company plans to double its production over the next ten years. The non-petroleum sectors have been contracting, however, with GDP shrinking by 1.6% during 1996.

Realizing the failure of interventionist policies, the CALDERA administration embarked on a comprehensive reform program and successfully negotiated a $1.4 billion stand-by agreement with the IMF. The state eliminated price and exchange controls, reduced the long-standing subsidy on gasoline, and revitalized its stalled privatization program.

Foreign investors reacted positively and the Caracas stock exchange ended 1996 as the world's best performing stock market. The influx of foreign investment and a windfall of oil revenues resulting from higher-than-expected international oil prices raised Venezuela's reserves to over $15 billion.

As a result, Venezuela used only the first tranche of the IMF credit - $400 million. The currency depreciated sharply following the exchange liberalization, and caused an inflationary burst that led to a 103% yearly rate of inflation, the highest in Venezuelan history. The bolivar has since strengthened and inflation fell near the end of the year.

The macroeconomic adjustments should take hold in 1997, and the economy is expected to grow by 4% or more. Increased salary demands by public and private sector workers, however, threaten a renewal of inflationary pressures.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $197 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

18.966 million kW (1995)

Electricity - production

74.886 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

  • corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee;
  • beef, pork, milk, eggs;
  • fish

Exports

total value :
$22.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 72%, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
partners:
US and Puerto Rico 55%, Japan, Netherlands, Italy

Imports

total value :
$10.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
partners:
US 40%, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Canada

Debt - external

$26.5 billion (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $46 million (1993)

Currency

1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates

bolivares (Bs) per US$1 - 476.840 (January 1997), 417.333 (1996), 176.843 (1995), 148.503 (1994), 90.826 (1993), 68.376 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
1.44 million
(1987 est.)

Telephone system

modern and expanding

domestic:
domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
international:
3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 181, FM 0, shortwave 26

Radios

9.04 million (1992 est.)

Televisions

3.3 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Merchant marine, 28 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1996 est.)

bulk 4cargo 7combination bulk 1container 1liquefied gas tanker 2oil tanker 9passenger-cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 2short-sea passenger 1

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

total
261under 914 m
153
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 58

Networkskm

Highways
82,700Waterways
7,100
Highways: paved: 32,501 km · unpaved: 50,199 km (1995 est.) · Waterways: ; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Railways

total :
584 km (336 km single track; 248 km privately owned)
standard gauge:
584 km 1.435-m gauge

Highways

total:
82,700 km
paved:
32,501 km
unpaved:
50,199 km (1995 est.)

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 and harbors

Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon

Airports

360 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 99 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 92 (1996 est.)

Military

7 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : 5,997,099 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

  • illicit producer of cannabis, opium, and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale;
  • however, large quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia;
  • important money-laundering hub;
  • active aerial eradication program primarily targeting opium VIETNAM

Central Intelligence Agency. “Venezuela.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/venezuela/1997.

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