VENEZUELA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 912,050 km2; land area: 882,050 km2 Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California Land boundaries: 4,993 km total; Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km Coastline: 2,800 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 15 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands Terrain: Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guyana highlands in southeast Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 39%; other 37%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America PEOPLE Population: 20,189,361 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991) Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan Ethnic divisions: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Indian 2% Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2% Language: Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior Literacy: 88% (male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.) Labor force: 5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985) Organized labor: 32% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Venezuela Type: republic Capital: Caracas Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular--estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (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, Yaracuy, Zulia; note--the federal dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain) Constitution: 23 January 1961 Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811) Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989) Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI), Eduardo FERNANDEZ, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD), Gonzalo BARRIOS, president, and Humberto CELLI, secretary general; Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Argelia LAYA, president, and Freddy MUNOZ, secretary general Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced Elections: President--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--Carlos Andres PEREZ (AD) 54.6%, Eduardo FERNANDEZ (COPEI) 41.7%, other 3.7%; Senate--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(49 total) AD 23, COPEI 22, other 4; note--3 former presidents (1 from AD, 2 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats; Chamber of Deputies--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--AD 43.7%, COPEI 31.4%, MAS 10.3%, other 14.6%; seats--(201 total) AD 97, COPEI 67, MAS 18, other 19 Communists: 10,000 members (est.) Other political or pressure groups: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic Action-dominated labor organization Member of: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro; Chancery at 2445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-3800; there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador Michael Martin SKOL; Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34037); telephone 58 (2) 285-3111 or 2222; there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo Flag: 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 Overview: Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP in 1989, but the economy recovered part way in 1990. GDP: $42.4 billion, per capita $2,150; real growth rate 4.4% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40.7% (1990) Unemployment rate: 10.4% (1990) Budget: revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989) Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures; partners--US 50.7%, Europe 13.7%, Japan 4.0% (1989) Imports: $8.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment; partners--US 44%, FRG 8.0%, Japan 4%, Italy 7%, Canada 2% (1989) External debt: $33.2 billion (1990) Industrial production: growth rate - 11% (1989 est.); accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum Electricity: 19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 16% of labor force; products--corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine do transit the country Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $10 million Currency: bolivar (plural--bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1--51.331 (January 1991), 46.900 (1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 542 km total; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned Highways: 77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels Pipelines: 6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas Ports: Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz Merchant marine: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,650 GRT/1,294,077 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 22 cargo, 1 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 9 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk Civil air: 58 major transport aircraft Airports: 296 total, 277 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: modern and expanding; 1,440,000 telephones; stations--181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite communications ground stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (including Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard) Manpower availability: males 15-49, 5,220,183; 3,782,548 fit for military service; 216,132 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991)