Venezuela North of South America Area 916,445 sq km Population 24.2 million Oficial Language Spanish Capital Caracas President Hugo Chavez Frias
.INTRODUCTION
Located at the Northen coast of South America, the Venezuelan territory covers 916,445 sq km, including 72 islands and 2,813 km coast on the Caribbean Sea. Its border countries are: Colombia to the West, Brazil to the South and Guyana to the East. Venezuela presents a great variety of landscapes and natural monuments distributed in 43 national parks besides countless species of animals that inhabit the territory. The country is divided in 4 geographical areas, the Andes Mountains to the West; the beaches and islands to the North; the savanas of The Plains (Los Llanos) to the Center and the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Savanna to the Southeast. Venezuela is divided politically in 23 states, 1 federal district and the federal dependences. The name Venezuela (small Venice) was given by the Spaniard navigator Alonso de Ojeda in the 15th century, after finding the palafittes (natives houses over the Maracaibo Lake). In Latin America, Venezuela is one of the countries with more miscegenation. The local population was initially formed by mixtures of Spaniards with natives and African slaves. In the middle of this century, there was a migration from Italian, Portuguese, German and Spaniards and more recently, a migration from different Latin America countries, mainly from Colombia. The country's capital Caracas is the most populated city with 4.6 million inhabitants and it is the cultural, economic and political centre. The Maracaibo City on Zulia State is the second most populated city with 2.8 million inhabitants and it is the main centre for the oil industry.
.The Country
Official Name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Capital: Caracas Nationality: Venezuelan Language: Spanish (official) and numerous native dialects Religion: 96% Roman Catholic; 2% Protestant Currency: Bolivar (Bs.)
.Geography
Localization: Northen coast of South America Border countries: Brazil, Colombia and Guyana Characteristics: Coast with several peninsulas and islands, 2 chains of the Andes Mountain (North and Northwest), Maracaibo Lake, Río Orinoco's delta (Southeast coast), plains (East of the Orinoco), Guyana's plateau (West of the Orinoco) and mountains (Southeast) Climate: Tropical Area: 916,445 sq km Population (*): 24.2 millions (67% Mestizo, 21% European, 10% African, 2% Natives) Major cities: Caracas, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracaibo, Maracay, Puerto La Cruz
.Government
Type: Federal Republic Administrative division: 23 states, 1 federal district and 72 federal dependences Chief of State: President Hugo Chavez Frias (Curriculum )
.Economy
Agriculture: sugar cane, banana, plantain, corn, rice, orange Breeding: bovine, swine, goat like, poultry, fish Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, bauxite, gold, iron, diamonds, copper, lead Industry: petrochemical, oil refining, metallurgy, steel, food, chemical (textile and paper), comunications Major commercial partners: USA, Colombia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom
(*) year 2000, source: CONAPRI
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