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Venezuela Country Guide
Explore Venezuela in South America
Venezuela with the capital city Caracas is located in South America (Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 912,050 square kilometres (slightly more than twice the size of California) with 26,414,000 citizens.
The landscape offers Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest with central plains (llanos) and Guiana Highlands in southeast. The average density of population is approximately 29 per km². The notable climate conditions in Venezuela can be described as tropical with hot, humid and more moderate in highlands. Potential threats by nature are subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides or periodic droughts.
To reach someone in Venezuela dial +58 prior to a number. There are 6,867,000 installed telephones. And there are 28,124,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".ve". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 120V - 60Hz.
About the flag and history of Venezuela
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 eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band; the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; yellow is interpreted as standing for the riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for the blood shed in attaining independence; the seven stars on the original flag represented the seven provinces in Venezuela that united in the war of independence; in 2006, President Hugo CHAVEZ ordered an eighth star added to the star arc - a decision that sparked much controversy - to conform with the flag proclaimed by Simon Bolivar in 1827 and to represent the province of Guayana.
Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). 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. Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, sought to implement his "21st Century Socialism," which purported to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking capitalist globalization and existing democratic institutions. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, rampant violent crime, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: South America Neighbours: Guyana, Brazil, Colombia Capital: Caracas |
| Size | 912,050 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 352,144 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly more than twice the size of California |
| Population | 26,414,000 |
| Currency | Name Bolivar, Currency Code:VEB |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .ve |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +58 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 28,124,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 6,867,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 912,050 (sq km) | 33 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 28,459,085 | 45 |
| Population growth rate | 1.44 (%) | 83 |
| Birth rate | 19.66 (births/1,000 population) | 88 |
| Death rate | 5.23 (deaths/1,000 population) | 180 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 92.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 78 |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.75 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 94 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74.23 (years) | 113 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.37 (children born/woman) | 92 |
| Health expenditures | 4.90 (% of GDP) | 144 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 30.30 (%) | 26 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 3.70 (%) | 98 |
| Education expenditures | 3.60 (% of GDP) | 124 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 17.50 (%) | 72 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 408,500,000,000 | 34 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.50 (%) | 54 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 13,800 | 97 |
| Labor force | 13,700,000 | 41 |
| Unemployment rate | 8.00 (%) | 95 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.00 | 69 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 19.30 (% of GDP) | 108 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 30.40 (% of GDP) | 91 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -15.40 (% of GDP) | 214 |
| Public debt | 49.00 (% of GDP) | 65 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 20.90 (%) | 217 |
| Central bank discount rate | 29.50 (%) | 3 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 17.15 (%) | 28 |
| Stock of narrow money | 175,700,000,000 | 22 |
| Stock of broad money | 188,200,000,000 | 43 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 176,400,000,000 | 43 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 3,991,000,000 | 89 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 3.40 (%) | 82 |
| Current account balance | 20,600,000,000 | 18 |
| Exports | 96,900,000,000 | 42 |
| Imports | 56,690,000,000 | 53 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 25,230,000,000 | 54 |
| Debt - external | 63,740,000,000 | 54 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 49,600,000,000 | 56 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 21,950,000,000 | 44 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 127,600,000,000 (kWh) | 29 |
| Electricity - consumption | 85,050,000,000 (kWh) | 35 |
| Electricity - exports | 633,000,000 (kWh) | 58 |
| Electricity - imports | 260,000,000 (kWh) | 85 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 27,500,000 (kW) | 29 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 35.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 175 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 64.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 27 |
| Crude oil - production | 2,470,000 (bbl/day) | 14 |
| Crude oil - exports | 1,645,000 (bbl/day) | 10 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 209,400,000,000 (bbl) | 3 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 1,176,000 (bbl/day) | 21 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 571,000 (bbl/day) | 33 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 638,000 (bbl/day) | 11 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 16,660 (bbl/day) | 112 |
| Natural gas - production | 31,200,000,000 (cu m) | 28 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 33,100,000,000 (cu m) | 29 |
| Natural gas - imports | 1,446,000,000 (cu m) | 53 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 5,524,000,000,000 (cu m) | 9 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 158,400,000 (Mt) | 33 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 7,332,000 | 24 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 28,782,000 | 35 |
| Internet hosts | 1,016,000 | 46 |
| Internet users | 8,918,000 | 32 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 492 | 15 |
| Railways | 806 (km) | 98 |
| Roadways | 96,155 (km) | 44 |
| Waterways | 7,100 (km) | 21 |
| Merchant marine | 53 | 69 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.70 (% of GDP) | 153 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Canaima National Park Canaima National Park is spread over 3 million ha in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. Roughly 65% of the park is covered by table mountain (tepui) formations. The tepuis constitute a unique biogeological entity and ... | 1994 |
| Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas The Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, built to the design of the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, between 1940 and 1960, is an outstanding example of the Modern Movement in architecture. The university campus integrates the large number of buildings ... | 2000 |
| Coro and its Port With its earthen constructions unique to the Caribbean, Coro is the only surviving example of a rich fusion of local traditions with Spanish Mudéjar and Dutch architectural techniques. One of the first colonial towns (founded in 1527), it has some 60 ... | 1993 |