Venezuela (/ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə/; American Spanish: [beneˈswela](listen)), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela),[10] is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It has a territorial extension of 916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 28 million in 2019.[6] The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.
The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east and on the east by Guyana. The Venezuelan government maintains a claim against Guyana to Guayana Esequiba.[11] Venezuela is a federalpresidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District and federal dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America;[12][13]the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north and in the capital.
The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish-American territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part, as a department, of the first federal Republic of Colombia (historiographically known as Gran Colombia). It separated as a full sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. Since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to major political crises and widespread social unrest, including the deadly Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of a President for embezzlement of public funds charges in 1993. The collapse in confidence in the existing parties saw the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election, the catalyst for the Bolivarian Revolution, which began with a 1999 Constituent Assembly, where a new Constitution of Venezuela was imposed. The government's populistsocial welfare policies were bolstered by soaring oil prices,[14] temporarily increasing social spending,[15] and reducing economic inequality and poverty in the early years of the regime.[16] However, poverty began to increase in the 2010s.[17] The 2013 Venezuelan presidential election was widely disputed leading to widespread protest, which triggered another nationwide crisis that continues to this day.[18]
Revolution of 19 April 1810, the beginning of Venezuela's independence, by Martín Tovar y Tovar
The signing of Venezuela's independence, by Martín Tovar y Tovar.
Flag of Venezuela between 1954 and 2006.
Rómulo Betancourt (president 1945–1948 / 1959–1964), one of the major democracy leaders of Venezuela.
Table where the Puntofijo Pact was signed on 31 October 1958
Sabana Grande district, Caracas (1973)
President Carlos Andrés Pérez was impeached on corruption charges in 1993.
Chávez with fellow South American presidents Néstor Kirchner of Argentina and Lula da Silva of Brazil
Nicolás Maduro with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at the 48th Mercosur Summit in Brazil in 2015.
Maduro was inaugurated for a contested and controversial second term on 10 January 2019.
Topographic map of Venezuela
Venezuela map of Köppen climate classification
The national animal of Venezuela is the troupial (Icterus icterus),
Valencia Lake, formerly praised by Alexander von Humboldt for its beauty, is massively polluted due to the countless sewage systems pouring residuals.[152]
Amazon rainforest and Autana River, Amazonas state
Bolívar Peak, the highest mountain in Venezuela
Los Llanos, Apure state
Valle de Mifafí, Mérida State
Médanos de Coro National Park, Falcón State
National Assembly of Venezuela building
Protests in Altamira, Caracas (2014)
The Guayana Esequiba claim area is a territory administered by Guyana and historically claimed by Venezuela.
President Maduro among other Latin American leaders participating in a 2017 ALBA gathering
A Sukhoi Su-30MKV of the Venezuelan Air Force
Murder rate (murder per 100,000 citizens) from 1998 to 2018. Sources: OVV,[218][219] PROVEA,[220][221] UN[220][221][222] * UN line between 2007 and 2012 is simulated missing data.
Number of kidnappings in Venezuela 1989–2011 Source:CICPC[223][224][225] * Express kidnappings may not be included in data
The Corrupt Venezuelan Regime, according to the United States Department of Justice
Map of the Venezuelan federation
A proportional representation of Venezuela exports, 2019
Annual variation of real GDP according to the Central Bank of Venezuela (2016 preliminary)[259][260]
Líder Mall, one of the main shopping centers in Caracas
Ángel falls one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, the world highest waterfall
Empty shelves in a store in Venezuela due to shortages in 2014
Venezuela's exports of crude oil from January 2018 to December 2019[296]
A map of world oil reserves according to OPEC, 2013. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves.
Caracas Metro in Los Jardines Station
Venezuelan diaspora in the world
Venezuela
+ 1,000,000
+ 100,000
+ 10,000
+ 1,000
Moreno (Mestizo) population of Venezuela in 2011
White population of Venezuela in 2011
Amerindian population of Venezuela in 2011
Black and Afrodescendant population of Venezuela in 2011
The Venezuelan Academy of Language studies the development of the Spanish in the country.
Religion in Venezuela (2011)[2]
Catholic (71%)
Protestant (17%)
No religion (7%)
Other religion (3%)
No answer (1%)
University Hospital, Central University of Venezuela
Illiteracy rate in Venezuela based on data from UNESCO[356][357] and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) of Venezuela[358]
The joropo, as depicted in a 1912 drawing by Eloy Palacios
Antonio Herrera Toro, self portrait 1880
The Guanaguanare dance, a popular dance in Portuguesa State
Venezuela national baseball team in 2015
Venezuela national football team, popularly known as the "Vinotinto"
), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela),[10] is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It has a territorial extension of 916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 28 million in 2019.[6] The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.
