Venezuela
From World travel guide
| Flag | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Caracas |
| Government | federal republic |
| Currency | bolivar (VEB) |
| Area | total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km |
| Population | 24,287,670 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects |
| Religion | nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
Venezuela is a country in Northern South America. With a Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean northern coast, it has Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Venezuela lies on the major sea and air routes linking North and South America.
The Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall.
Contents |
Regions
- Amazonas
- Andes
- Caribbean Islands
- Central
- Guayana
- Llanos
- Northeast
- Northwest
- Orinoco Delta
- Gran Sabana
- Administrative divisions
- 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 federal district* (distrito federal), 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
Cities
- Ports and harbors
- Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon
Other destinations
Understand
Climate
Tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
- highest point
- Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 4,981 m
History
Venezuela was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). 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 1958.
Electricity
Venezuela uses a 60 Hz and 120 V power system. The power plugs are identical to those used in North America (referred to as A and B type power plugs).
Money
Venezuela uses the "Bolivar," abbreviated "Bs" as its currency. It is typically not easy to obtain Bolivar cash in one´s country of origin. Instead, it is easier to bring US dollars, and exchange them in Venezuela for local currency. Exchanging Bolivars back to other currencies is typically not possible. Inflation in Venezuela makes the exchange rate quite variable. Currently, banks and official money exchangers give 2150 Bs per US dollar. However, a number of other places (including many hotels and corner stores) may advertise that they exchange money. Currently these vendors seem willing to give a rate of 2400 Bs per US dollar (although this is obviously subject to change).
Many merchants (including bus drivers and taxis) do not like making change. It is best to have many small denominations of local currency, rather than large bills.
Get in
By plane
The main international airport is Maiquetia airport, located in the Vargas state. It is approximately a 40 minutes ride from Caracas (busses are available during the day; a taxi ride from the airport will cost Bs. 30000 / US$15 during the day, or Bs. 60000 / US$30 at night). International flights into Maracaibo and Valencia exist, but the choice is limited.
You can travel non stop from the US or most major european capitals. Continental links Caracas with Houston and Newark daily. American Airlines offers daily flights to Miami, Dallas and New York. Delta Airlines offers a daily flight to Atlanta. Air Canada offers a non stop flight to Toronto twice a week.
From Europe, there is non stop service with Air France, Alitalia, Iberia, Lufthansa and Tap from their respective hubs in Europe.
Varig, Avianca, Lan Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas provide flights to the rest of South America.
For international departures, the airport tax is Bs. 73500 / US$38.3 and a departure tax Bs. 29400/ US$15. These taxes are paid at the airport, although many airline tickets already include these taxes.
For domestic flights, the airport tax is Bs. 14700.
By car
By bus
By boat
Get around
Travellers in Venezuela are obliged to carry id. Along most roads there are military checkpoints checking your passport, so while travelling by car or bus keep you passport handy. The military presence is constant, yet is not usually cause for concern. That having been said, there are corrupt officials. It is wise to keep a close eye on your belongings when, for instance, bags are being checked for drugs. A solider of the Guardia Nacional sometimes plants drugs to solicit a bribe or steal valuables. Police may also demand bribes.
There are no trains in Venezuela, which leaves three options for travel inside the country: car rental, using busses, and using cars-for-hire. Drivers in Venezuela are, compared to typical North American drivers, more aggressive and less concerned with traffic regulations. Thus, car rental is not recommended in general. The very cheap price of gas, however, makes this option fairly economical. The expensive part of renting a car will be the insurance. The bus system is extensive and extremely affordable (in part due to the low price of gas). Bus terminals are hectic, but it is usually easy to find a bus to any major city leaving within a short amount of time. Short bus rides (2 hours) may cost 8,000 Bs (about $4 US), and even extremely long bus rides (9 hours) will only cost 30,000 Bs to 40,000 Bs per person (equal to about $15 or $20 US). The larger busses are typically air-conditioned. In fact, they are usually overly air-conditioned, so it is worth bringing a blanket with you. Busses are an easy and convenient way to get around the country.
For smaller towns, there may not be regular busses. In such cases, one can use cars-for-hire, called "por puestos." These are typically old and run-down vehicles, but they are affordable. They are more expensive than busses, typically costing 15,000 Bs per person for a one or two hour ride (about $8 US). The main problem is that they typically wait to have a full car (4 or 5 passengers) before undertaking a route. The driver will usually try to convince you to pay for the extra passengers if you want to leave right away. The cars are popular, however, and one usually does not wait long for a car to fill up.
Travel within city is usually via taxi. The taxis are more expensive than any other form of transport, but still very affordable when compared to North American or European equivalents. A ride across town will usually cost 8,000 Bs to 15,000 Bs (depending on the city). The taxis will charge more at night. This is normal in Venezuela and typically cannot be argued.
Talk
- Languages
- Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects. English is not commonly spoken, even in the major cities (including Caracas).
Buy
Eat
Arepas, Hallacas, Cachapas and the best "Perros Calientes" (Hot Dogs)
Drink
Sleep
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Venezuela has its fair share of poverty and crime. It is necessary to be vigilant when in crowded cities, as pickpockets and muggers may be around. There are certain sections of large cities that are not safe to walk at night. The outskirts of many cities are very poor and crime-ridden, and are not appropriate for tourists. In general, if one looks like a (presumably wealthy) tourist, these sections of town should be avoided. When in doubt, ask local inhabitants or taxi drivers whether an area is safe or not. Additionally, one must be wary of the corruption of officials (police and National Guard). Some officials may demand bribes or otherwise extort travellers. Keep watch of your belongings at all times. Despite all these recommendations, one is usually quite safe in Venezuela if they apply a little common sense, and avoid looking overly wealthy when travelling.
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact
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Geography
- Geographic coordinates
- 8 00 N, 66 00 W
- 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
- Coastline
- 2,800 km
- Maritime claims
- contiguous zone: 15 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM - Natural resources
- petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
- Land use
- arable land: 2.99%
permanent crops: 0.96%
other: 96.05% (1998 est.) - Irrigated land
- 540 sq km (1998 est.)
- Natural hazards
- subject to floods, earthquakes, 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
People
- Population
- 24,287,670 (July 2002 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 3,955,132; female 3,710,159)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 7,756,362; female 7,695,738)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 533,559; female 636,720) (2002 est.) - Population growth rate
- 1.52% (2002 est.)
- Birth rate
- 20.22 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Death rate
- 4.91 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- 24.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 73.56 years
female: 76.81 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.53 years - Total fertility rate
- 2.41 children born/woman (2002 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
- 0.49% (1999 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%
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.1%
male: 91.8%
female: 90.3% (1995 est.)
Government
- Country name
- conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela - Government type
- federal republic
- Independence
- 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
- Constitution
- 30 December 1999
- Legal system
- based on organic laws as of July 1999; open, adversarial court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
- 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 seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
Economy
- Economy - overview
- The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. Venezuelan officials estimate that GDP grew by 2.7% in 2001. A strong rebound in international oil prices fueled the recovery from the steep recession in 1999. Nevertheless, a weak nonoil sector and capital flight - and a temporary fall in oil prices - undercut the recovery. In early 2002, President Chávez changed the exchange rate regime from a crawling peg to a free floating exchange rate, causing the bolivar to depreciate significantly.
- Population below poverty line
- 67% (1997 est.)
- Labor force
- 9.9 million (1999) (1999)
- Labor force - by occupation
- services 64%, industry 23%, agriculture 13% (1997 est.)
- Unemployment rate
- 14.1% (2001 est.)
- Industries
- petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
- Electricity - production
- 80.754 billion kWh (2000)
- Electricity - production by source
- fossil fuel: 23%
hydro: 77%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% - Electricity - consumption
- 75.101 billion kWh (2000)
- Agriculture - products
- corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
- Exports - commodities
- petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
- Imports - commodities
- raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
- Currency
- bolivar (VEB)
- Currency code
- VEB
- Exchange rates
- bolivares per US dollar - 2,147.30 (June 2005), 761.225 (January 2002), 723.666 (2001), 679.960 (2000), 605.717 (1999), 547.556 (1998), 488.635 (1997)
- Fiscal year
- calendar year
Communications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 2.6 million (however, 3,500,000 have been installed) (1998)
- Telephones - mobile cellular
- 2 million (1998)
- 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: 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)
- Internet country code
- .ve
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 16 (2000)
- Internet users
- 1.3 million (2002)
Transportation
- Railways
- total: 682 km
standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge
note: 248 km of the existing system are privately owned; passenger services are nonexistent; however, a National Railways Plan, intended to provide a significant railway system, has been initiated (2001) - Highways
- total: 96,155 km
paved: 32,308 km
unpaved: 63,847 km (1997 est.) - Waterways
- 7,100 km
note: Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels - Pipelines
- crude oil 6,370 km; petroleum products 480 km; natural gas 4,010 km
- Airports
- 372 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 127
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 61
under 914 m: 18 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 32 - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 246
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 97
under 914 m: 139 (2002) - Heliports
- 1 (2002)
External Links
- Venezuela Tuya (Venezuela Yours - Le Venezuela Votre): A Country To Love - Venezuelan touristic portal.
