Venezuela
Republic of VenezuelaRepublica de Venezuela
republicIndependence 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Venezuela as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and | the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
18 fieldsLand useshare of 912,050 sq km
Location
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
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
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- Marine Dumping
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1999 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 33% (male 3,988,499; female 3,741,568)
- 15-64 years:
- 62% (male 7,231,546; female 7,184,769)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (male 484,071; female 573,013) (1999 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.08 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Government
Republic; President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999)
19 fieldsLegislature, 189 seatsone dot, one seat
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
Legal system
- based on Napoleonic code;
- judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); 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 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)
- election results:
- Hugo CHAVEZ Frias elected president; percent of vote--NA%
Legislative branch
bicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica consists of the Senate or Senado (52 seats, two from each state and the federal district (46), one for each of the retired presidents, and others representing minorities (6); members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (207 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate--last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003); Chamber of Deputies--last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)
- election results:
- Senate--percent of vote by party--NA;
- seats by party--AD 16, COPEI 14, Causa R 9, National Convergence 5, MAS 3, independents 5;
- note--two former presidents (1 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime Senate seats;
- Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--AD 25.6%, COPEI 24.6%, MAS 10.6%, National Convergence 8.7%, Causa R 19.3%;
- seats by party--AD 53, COPEI 51, Causa R 40, MAS 22, National Convergence 18, other 23
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), magistrates are elected by both chambers in joint session for a nine-year term, one-third are reelected every three years
Political parties and leaders
- National Convergence or Campins, president, and Donald RAMIREZ, secretary general];
- ALFARO Ucero, secretary general];
- Movement Toward Socialism or MAS
Political pressure groups and leaders
- FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group;
- Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action);
- VECINOS groups
International organization participation
CAN, 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, OPCW, 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 (vacant)
- chancery:
- 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
- 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
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 a third of GDP, around 80% of export | earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues.
31 fieldsGDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)
Electricity
Economy--overview
The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. As a result, the steep downturn in international oil prices has had a severe impact on the economy; fiscal cuts spurred by the loss of revenues, high interest rates, and the sharp downturn in export earnings drove the economy into recession in 1998.
The recession continued into 1999 with oil prices forecast to stay relatively low, but rising. Although the government has pursued moderate austerity measures to address the downturn in revenues, Venezuela's ongoing reform program has largely stalled. Pressure on the bolivar--overvalued by as much as 40%--was also significant through much of 1998, increasing the probability of an adjustment of the currency in 1999.
Newly elected President Hugo CHAVEZ will be hard pressed to address Venezuela's many economic ills. He has promised to strike a balance between reforms designed to address the structural deformities of the economy and addressing declining living standards. CHAVEZ has sought to play down the populism that marked his political campaign for the presidency in an effort to allay investor concerns. The wide range of viewpoints represented on CHAVEZ's economic team is likely to make rapid implementation of a coherent policy difficult.
Industries
petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Agriculture--products
- corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee;
- beef, pork, milk, eggs;
- fish
Exports--commodities
petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures (1998)
Imports--commodities
raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials (1998)
Exchange rates
bolivares (Bs) per US$1--570.267 (January 1999), 547.556 (1998), 488.635 (1997), 417.333 (1996), 176.843 (1995), 148.503 (1994)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
modern and expanding
- domestic:
- domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
- international:
- 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 32 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
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
Military
7 fieldsMilitary 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)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes--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 bound for US and Europe;
- important money-laundering hub;
- active eradication program primarily targeting opium
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Venezuela.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/venezuela/1999.