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Communications

Airports [time series]

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

Civil air [time series]

58 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Merchant marine [time series]

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

Pipelines [time series]

6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas

Ports [time series]

Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

542 km total; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (including Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 5,220,183; 3,782,548 fit for military service; 216,132 reach military age (18) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

bolivar (plural--bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $10 million

Electricity [time series]

19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

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)

Exports [time series]

$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)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$33.2 billion (1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$42.4 billion, per capita $2,150; real growth rate 4.4% (1990 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$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)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate - 11% (1989 est.); accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum

Industries [time series]

petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

40.7% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

10.4% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Coastline [time series]

2,800 km Contiguous zone: 15 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of California

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo

Land boundaries [time series]

4,993 km total; Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 39%; other 37%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources [time series]

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Note [time series]

on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

Terrain [time series]

Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guyana highlands in southeast

Area (Total area) [time series]

912,050 km2; land area: 882,050 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Caracas

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

10,000 members (est.)

Constitution [time series]

23 January 1961

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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

Executive branch [time series]

president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989) 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

Legal system [time series]

based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

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)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Venezuela

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic Action-dominated labor organization

Suffrage [time series]

universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced 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

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

28 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Indian 2%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

26 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

71 years male, 78 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

88% (male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan

Net migration rate [time series]

1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

32% of labor force

Population [time series]

20,189,361 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.4 children born/woman (1991)