Venezuela

• tropical;
• hot, humid;
• more moderate in highlands

• Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
• central plains (llanos);
• Guiana Highlands in southeast

• 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

party to:

Antarctic Treaty, 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

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Dumping

0-14 years:

31.6% (male 3,955,132; female 3,710,159)

15-64 years:

63.6% (male 7,756,362; female 7,695,738)

65 years and over:

4.8% (male 533,559; female 636,720) (2002 est.)

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:

0.84 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

noun:

Venezuelan(s)

adjective:

Venezuelan

conventional long form:

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

conventional short form:

Venezuela

local short form:

Venezuela

local long form:

Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela

• 23 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, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia

note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

• based on organic laws as of July 1999;
• open, adversarial court system;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

• President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999);
• Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999);
• Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL (since 28 April 2002);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

election results:

Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - 60%

elections:

president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)

• Democratic Action or AD [Claudio FERMIN];
• Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Garcia PONCE];
• Homeland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNIZ];
• Justice First [Julio BORGES];
• Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA];
• National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan Jose CALDERA];
• Radical Cause or La Causa R [Antonio HERRERA];
• Social Christian Party or COPEI [Oswaldo ALVAREZ Paz];
• Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires Luis HERERRA Marcano

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)

FAX:

[1] (202) 342-6820

telephone:

[1] (202) 342-2214

chief of mission:

Ambassador Charles S. SHAPIRO

embassy:

Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080

mailing address:

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

telephone:

[58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411

FAX:

[58] (212) 975-8991

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

38% (1997) (1997)

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

general assessment:

modern and expanding

domestic:

• domestic satellite system 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

international:

• 3 submarine coaxial cables;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat;
• participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network

total:

682 km

standard gauge:

682 km 1.435-m gauge

note: 248 km of the existing system are privately owned; passenger services are nonexistent; however, a National Railways Plan, intended to provide a significant railway system, has been initiated (2001)

total:

96,155 km

paved:

32,308 km

unpaved:

63,847 km (1997 est.)

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

total:

45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 716,361 GRT/1,267,095 DWT

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 2 (2002 est.)

ships by type:

bulk 7, cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea passenger 1

• claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo (river);
• maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela;
• several Caribbean states protest Venezuela's claim to Islas des Aves (Bird Islands), 565 km from Venezuelan mainland

• 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