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KOSHER DELIGHT - YOUR JEWISH ONLINE MAGAZINE!
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VENEZUELA |
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GENERAL
INFO:
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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: an embattled president, 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. |
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Location:
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Northern
South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Colombia and Guyana |
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Geographic coordinates:
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8
00 N, 66 00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
912,050 sq km
land: 882,050 sq km
water: 30,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
4,993 km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743
km |
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Coastline:
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2,800
km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 15 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
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Climate:
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tropical;
hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
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Terrain:
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Andes
Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos);
Guiana Highlands in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower,
diamonds |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 2.95%
permanent crops: 0.92%
other: 96.13% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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540
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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subject
to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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on
major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in
the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall
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Population:
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25,017,387 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
25.2 years
male: 24.6 years
female: 25.8 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.44%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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19.34 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.04
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
22.99 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.06 years
male: 71.02 years
female: 77.32 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.31 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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62,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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2,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people |
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Religions:
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nominally
Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), numerous indigenous dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.4%
male: 93.8%
female: 93.1% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela |
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Government type:
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federal
republic |
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Capital:
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Caracas |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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5
July 1811 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence
Day, 5 July (1811) |
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Constitution:
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30
December 1999 |
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Legal system:
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based
on organic laws as of July 1999; open, adversarial court system; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 NA 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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are
elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 [Antonio HERRERA]; Social Christian Party or COPEI [Eduardo
FERNANDEZ]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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FEDECAMARAS,
a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation
of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic
Action) |
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International organization participation:
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CAN,
Caricom (observer), 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, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $117.9 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-9.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
5%
industry: 50%
services: 45% (2001) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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12.6% of GDP (2003) |
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Population below poverty line:
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47%
(1998 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest
10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 36.5% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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49.5
(1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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31.1% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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11.38 million (2003) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
13%, industry 23%, services 64% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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18% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$19.33 billion
expenditures: $24.34 billion, including capital expenditures of
$2.6 billion (2003) |
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Public debt:
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38.8% of GDP (2003) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn,
sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk,
eggs; fish |
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Industries:
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petroleum,
iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles,
steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-15.4% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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87.6 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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81.47 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0
kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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3.08 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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505,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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63.95 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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31.71 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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31.71 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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4.202 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$9.659 billion (2003) |
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Exports:
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$25.86 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum,
bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic
manufactures |
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Exports - partners:
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US
48.1%, Netherlands Antilles 12.1%, Dominican Republic 2.7% (2003 est.) |
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Imports:
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$10.71 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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raw
materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction
materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US
27.4%, Brazil 8.1%, Colombia 6.7%, Mexico 4.1% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$20.67 billion (2003) |
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Debt - external:
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$32.51 billion (2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$74
million (2000) |
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Currency:
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bolivar
(VEB) |
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Currency code:
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VEB |
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Exchange rates:
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bolivares
per US dollar - 1,607.79 (2003), 1,160.95 (2002), 723.666 (2001), 679.96
(2000), 605.717 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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2,841,800 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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6,463,600 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM
201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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66
(plus 45 repeaters) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ve |
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Internet hosts:
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35,301 (2003) |
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Internet users:
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1,274,400 (2002)
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Railways:
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total:
682 km
standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
96,155 km
paved: 32,308 km
unpaved: 63,847 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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7,100
km
note: Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels |
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Pipelines:
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extra
heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,262 km; oil 7,484 km; refined products 1,681
km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Amuay,
Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas,
Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta
Cardon |
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Merchant marine:
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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 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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368
(2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
128
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 31
914 to 1,523 m: 63
under 914 m: 18 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
240
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 89
under 914 m: 139 (2003 est.)
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Military branches:
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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) |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18
years of age (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 6,886,775 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 4,953,803 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
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males:
250,730 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$1,125.6 million (2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.3% (2003)
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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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
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