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