Venezuela
Bolivarian Republic of VenezuelaRepublica Bolivariana de Venezuela
federal republicIndependence 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Venezuela as the 2004 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political environment, a divided military, drug-related conflicts along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
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;
- threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations
Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
Geography - note
on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall
People
19 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2004 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 30.5% (male 3,930,413; female 3,687,744)
- 15-64 years:
- 64.5% (male 8,107,382; female 8,034,905)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (male 571,289; female 685,654) (2004 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:
- 0.83 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Government
Federal republic; President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999)
18 fieldsNational Assembly or Asamblea Nacional, 165 seats, elected 30 July 2000one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
- conventional short form:
- Venezuela
- local long form:
- Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
- local short form:
- Venezuela
Administrative divisions
- 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
Legal system
- based on organic laws as of July 1999;
- open, adversarial court system;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- 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
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2006)
- election results:
- Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - 60%
note: a special presidential recall vote on 15 August 2004 resulted in a victory for CHAVEZ; percent of vote - 58% in favor of CHAVEZ fulfilling the remaining two years of his term,
42% in favor of terminating his presidency immediately
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (165 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
- elections:
- last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held July 2005)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 108 (MVR 92, MAS 6, indigenous 3, other 7), opposition 57 (AD 33, COPEI 6, Justice First 5, other 13)
Judicial branch
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term)
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup];
- Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ];
- Homeland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ];
- Justice First [Julio BORGES];
- Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA];
- National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan Jose CALDERA];
- Radical Cause or La Causa R [Andres VELASQUEZ];
- Social Christian Party or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ];
- Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group;
- VECINOS groups;
- Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action)
International organization participation
CAN, CDB, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ
- 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 William R. BROWNFIELD
- 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
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
Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues.
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. Despite higher oil prices at the end of 2002 and into 2003, domestic political instability, culminating in a disastrous two-month national oil strike from December 2002 to February 2003, temporarily halted economic activity.
The economy remained in depression in 2003, declining by 9.2% after an 8.9% fall in 2002. In late 2003, President CHAVEZ committed himself to $1 billion in new social programs, money the government does not have.
Agriculture - products
- corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee;
- beef, pork, milk, eggs;
- fish
Industries
petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Exports - commodities
petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
Imports - commodities
raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
Exchange rates
bolivares per US dollar - 1,607.79 (2003), 1,160.95 (2002), 723.666 (2001), 679.96 (2000), 605.717 (1999)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- 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:
- country code - 58;
- 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
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Waterways
7,100 km note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2004)
Pipelines
- extra heavy crude 992 km;
- gas 5,262 km;
- oil 7,360 km;
- refined products 1,681 km;
- unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2004)
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
Merchant marine
- total:
- 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 740,919 GRT/1,191,483 DWT
- by type:
- bulk 6, cargo 7, container 2, liquefied gas 5, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 16, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1
- foreign-owned:
- Belgium 1, Denmark 2, Greece 2, Spain 1, United States 2
- registered in other countries:
- 4 (2004 est.)
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 - including marines and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)
Military manpower - military age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary;
- Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that the Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters;
- maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea;
- US, France and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea;
- Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation and other states' recognition of it
Illicit drugs
- 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Venezuela.” The World Factbook 2004. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/venezuela/2004.