SPAMfighter information about
Venezuela
| The data on this page is obtained from The World Factbook. |
 Communications information
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| SPAMfighters: | 23,815 |
| Internet users: | 3.04 million (2005) |
| Internet hosts: | 51,968 (2006) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 16 (2000) |
| Internet country code: | .ve |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 3,605,500 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 12.496 million (2005) |
| Telephone 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 |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998) |
| Radios: | 10.75 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: | 4.1 million (1997) |
 Geographical information
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| Location: | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana |
| Geographic coordinates: | 8 00 N, 66 00 W |
| Map references: | South America |
| Area: |
total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly more than twice the size of California |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km |
| Coastline: | 2,800 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate: | tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
| Terrain: | Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds |
| Land use: |
arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.88% other: 96.27% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 5,750 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts |
| 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements |
| 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 information
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| Population: | 25,730,435 (July 2006 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 29.1% (male 3,860,116/female 3,620,440) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 8,494,944/female 8,410,874) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 609,101/female 734,960) (2006 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 26 years male: 25.4 years female: 26.6 years (2006 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.38% (2006 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 18.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 74.54 years male: 71.49 years female: 77.81 years (2006 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.23 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.7% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 110,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 4,100 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Venezuelan(s) adjective: Venezuelan |
| Ethnic groups: | Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people |
| Religions: | nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects |
| Literacy: |
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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Governmental information
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| Country name: |
conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela conventional short form: Venezuela local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela local short form: Venezuela |
| Government type: | federal republic |
| Capital: |
name: Caracas geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: |
23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), 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 |
| Independence: | 5 July 1811 (from Spain) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 5 July (1811) |
| Constitution: | 30 December 1999 |
| Legal system: | open, adversarial court system |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: |
chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jose Vicente RANGEL Vale (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 Vale (since 28 April 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held December 2012) note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this new constitution election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 63%, Manuel ROSALES 37% |
| Legislative branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela) elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0 |
| 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: | Christian Democrats or COPEI [Eduardo FERNANDEZ]; Democratic Action or AD [Jesus MENDEZ Quijada]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA] |
| 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, CSN, 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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, 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 Herrera 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, 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 eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band |
 Economical information
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| Economy - overview: | Venezuela continues to be highly dependent on the petroleum sector, accounting for roughly one-third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and over half of government operating revenues. Government revenue also has been bolstered by increased tax collection, which has surpassed its 2005 collection goal by almost 50%. Tax revenue is the primary source of non-oil revenue, which accounts for 53% of the 2006 budget. 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. Output recovered strongly in 2004-2005, aided by high oil prices and strong consumption growth. Venezuela continues to be an important source of crude oil for the US market. Both inflation and unemployment remain fundamental problems. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $162.1 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $106.1 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 9.3% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $6,400 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 4% industry: 41.9% services: 54.1% (2005 est.) |
| Labor force: | 12.31 million (2005 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 13% industry: 23% services: 64% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12.2% (2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 47% (1998 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 36.5% (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 16% (2005 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $39.63 billion expenditures: $41.27 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.6 billion (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish |
| Industries: | petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 7.2% (2005 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 87.44 billion kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 31.7% hydro: 68.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 81.32 billion kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Oil - production: | 3.081 million bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 530,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 2.1 million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day |
| Natural gas - production: | 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 29.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $25.36 billion (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | $52.73 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures |
| Exports - partners: | US 51.2%, Netherlands Antilles 7.3%, Canada 2.4% (2005) |
| Imports: | $24.63 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials |
| Imports - partners: | US 31.6%, Colombia 11%, Brazil 9.1%, Mexico 6.9% (2005) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $29.64 billion (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $41.51 billion (2005 est.) |
| Currency (code): | bolivar (VEB) |
| Currency code: | VEB |
| Exchange rates: | bolivares per US dollar - 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003), 1,161 (2002), 723.7 (2001) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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Transportations information
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| Airports: | 375 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 129 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 60 under 914 m: 19 (2006) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 246 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 90 under 914 m: 147 (2006) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2006) |
| Pipelines: | extra heavy crude 992 km; gas 5,369 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2006) |
| Railways: |
total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) |
| Roadways: |
total: 96,155 km paved: 32,308 km unpaved: 63,847 km (1999) |
| Waterways: |
7,100 km note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2005) |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 56 ships (1000 GRT or over) 824,941 GRT/1,327,924 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 18 foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 3, Greece 3, India 1, Mexico 3, Panama 1, Russia 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 1, Panama 14) (2006) |
| Ports and terminals: | Amuay, La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon |
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Military information
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| Military branches: | National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN): Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) |
| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49: 6,236,012 females age 18-49: 6,137,622 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49: 4,907,947 females age 18-49: 5,151,843 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 252,396 females age 18-49: 237,300 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $1.61 billion (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.2% (2005 est.) |
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Information about transnational issues
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| Disputes - international: | claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago´s maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over Los Monjes islands and maritime boundary near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela´s shared border region resulting in several thousand residents migrating away from the border; 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 |
