Venezuela

Geography

Venezuela is a country on the north coast of South America on the Caribbean Sea. The land has a total area of 912,050 km² (352,144 mi²) and a total coastline of 2,800 km (1,739.8 mi). This land area is approximately 131% of the area of Texas. Venezuela is thus one of the largest countries in the Americas and the 33rd biggest in the world. An exceptionally high proportion of residents (88%) belongs to the urban population.

Venezuela is comparatively low at an average elevation of 450 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Pico Bolívar) is at 4,981 meters. The country has 418 partially uninhabited islands in the open sea. There are direct national borders with the three neighboring countries Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. The distance between New York City and the Capital Caracas is about 3,430 km (2,131 mi).

The climate in Venezuela

In Venezuela, as in all equatorial countries, there is a tropical climate. Unlike in Europe or the USA, there is almost no difference between the seasons. The daylight hours vary little, and the temperature differences between summer and winter are also lower. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 32 and 33 degrees. In some parts of the country, the temperature rises to 35 °C. In the colder months, and depending in the region, the temperature drops to 22 °C in a month's average.

• Detailed climate data for Venezuela and 9 individual regions
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis
• Hurricanes

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Spanish	96.9 %
Goajiro	0.4 %
Warrau	0.1 %
other	2.6 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Roman Catholics	96.0%
Protestants	2.0%
other	2.0%

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Economy

GDP:	482.36 bn $
Exportations:	83.40 bn $
Importations:	18.43 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	546.00 M $
› Unemployment rate:	6.4 %
› Inflation rate:	2,959.80 %
› Corruption index:	14 (very bad)
› Energy consumption:	72.0 bn kWh

According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Venezuela is a developing country because of its lower economic performance.

Land use

4% Urban areas:	34,404 km²
24% Agricultural areas:	223,361 km²
52% Forest:	478,005 km²
3% Water areas:	30,000 km²
19% Others:	176,280 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	96,189 km
Railways:	447 km
Waterways:	7,100 km
Commercial harbors:	281
› Airports:	20