VENEZUELA IN THE WORLD
Venezuela is located in the American continent, to the north
of America of the South. It is the only South American
country that possesses coasts open to the sea Caribbean and to
the ocean Atlantic, with an extension of costs that goes
from Castilletes to the promontory of it Gave birth to
in the sea Caribbean. With the ocean Atlantic extends from the
promontory of it Gave birth to until the coast of the
Guayana Esequiba. This position locates it in an axis
of communications among different points of the continent,
being connected to the big commercial nets thanks to its
equidistancia with the main centers of the western
hemisphere, so much of America of the North, as of Europe and
África. Venezuela is, to oneself time, a Caribbean,
Atlantic, Andean and amazon country.
The country has a surface of 916.445 km². These extensive
territories are expressed in a compact continental surface
whose maximum longitude is of 1.493 km in address this-west
and of 1.271 km in address north-south, what contributes to
facilitate the integration and internal cohesion. It has a
wide coast line that reaches in the sea Caribbean the 2.813
kms of longitude from Castilletes to the promontory of it Gave
birth to (sees you Peninsula of it Gave birth to); their form
is irregular and it is constituted by numerous gulves and
bays, among those that highlight the gulf of Venezuela and
those of Sad and Cariaco, and more than 314 islands, keys and
islands of Venezuelan sovereignty that extend for the north
until the island of Ave and its corresponding area of marine
economic exclusivity. In turn, it has 1.008 km of continental
riversides in the ocean Atlantic, from the promontory of it
Gave birth to tip Beach, including the gulf of it Gave birth
to, the island of Ducks and the coast facade of the delta of
the Orinoco and adjacent islands, where they highlight the
drops wild, muddy cost and covered with swamps.
Venezuela, name
of
Appears for the first time, written Veneçuela, in the map
that the Spanish cartographer Juan of the Thing drew in
1500 when returning of the trip that, under the orders of
Alonso of Ojeda, he had carried out in 1499 along the
costs of the current Republic of Venezuela. In this map
that name designates the area of the gulf of Venezuela,
located among the
peninsulas of Paraguaná and of the Peasant. Traditionally the
paternity of that name has been come attributing to the
Italian navigator Américo Vespucio who also participated
in the exploration of Ojeda; however, it should be kept
in mind that in its letter of The four sailings, printed
in Latin, by Martín Waldseemüller in 1507, Vespucci compares
the
populations indigenous palafíticas with Venice («…pagum
aut villam super aquas, ut Venetiae…») but it doesn't
use the word Venezuela neither the expression «small
Venice».
On the other hand, in a declaration given in 1512, Ojeda says
that after the admiral Christopher Columbus was him who
traveled and he discovered the coast «…hasta the gulf
of the Pearls… and of there it was discovering that entire
coast of the mainland from the Friars until in even of
the islands of the Giants and the gulf of Venice that is in
the
mainland and the county of Coquivacoa…» it is certain that
the view of one or several towns built natives on the
water by means of platforms sustained by stakes (palafitos)
he suggested Ojeda, the Thing and Vespucci the
comparison with Venice. However, the use of the
affective diminutive «Venezuela» (derived evidently of the
name of the Italian city) it must award with more
property to Juan of the Thing who included it in their map, or
to the
boss of the expedition, Ojeda, without this excludes the
possible participation of Vespucci.
In 1528, in the capitulation in which emperor Carlos V gave
the Welser the exploitation of the lands that you/they
are included between the End of the Candle and Maracapana,
is spoken of «…las lands of Venezuela and his
Counties…» so that Ambrosio Alfínger arrived to
Choir in 1529 as the first governor from Venezuela. The name
of Venezuela had papal consecration in a bull of
Clemente VII of June 21 1531 in which believes the
Bishopric of Choir. During the XVI and XVII centuries it is
used Government of Venezuela or county of Venezuela
indistinctly to refer to the territory of variable limits
that was adjacent with the county from New Andalusia to
the east and it reached for the occident until the End of
The Candle
TERRITORY
AND RESOURCES
In
the Venezuelan territory they combine the imposing reliefs of
the mountain range of you Walk them, the mountain range of the
Costa and the solid one Guianese, with the formations of half
altitude of the system Coriano and the depressions of the
states of Yaracuy and Lara, where the cities of Barquisimeto
and Carora are; also, the topography of the low lands of the
basin of the lake of Maracaibo is also recognized, of The
Plains, in the system of the delta of the Orinoco, and of the
plain of the river Casiquiare in the Venezuelan Amazons.
In
the occident of the country they are the mountainous lands of
you Walk them Venezuelans that are divided in the mountain
range of Perijá, with their maximum altitude in the pick
Tutari (3.750 m) located in the mountain of the Motilones, and
in the mountain range of Merida, where the highest point in
the country, the pick Bolivar is located (5.007 m) in the
mountain Nevada of Merida. In the north is distinguished other
important mountainous group, the mountain range of the Costa,
divided in serranía of the Central Coast whose maximum
altitude constitutes it the pick Naiguatá (2.765 m), and
serranía of the Interior, with its maximum altitude in the
pick Turimiquire (2.596 m) in the east of the same one (sees
you Sierra of Brig). Near to the coast of the sea Caribbean
the low lands of the depression of Maracaibo are located,
where is the lake of Maracaibo, an extension toward the
interior of the gulf of Venezuela.
They
have singular importance the formations of low lands of The
Plains, where is distinguished between The high Plains and The
low Plains, separated by the curve of level of the 100 meters.
The high Plains are not susceptible of flood and they present
waves originated by the fluvial erosion; they reach their
maximum altitudes in the llanero-Andean piedemonte, where
floors of great fertility are recognized. The low Plains are
conformed by alluvial plains that are flooded in the rainy
season, converging their net hidrográfica with the system of
the river Orinoco; their vegetation is of tropical pastizales
of savanna.
The
formations of the shield or solid Guianese are separated from
the rest of the country for the wide arch of the river Orinoco
and they are prolonged for the Venezuelan Amazonia in the
imposing mountains of Parima and Pacaraima, with numerous
tepuy (it names local that mentions to plateaus tabulares)
located next to the frontier with Brazil. In their
northeastern end they highlight the deltaic low lands of the
Orinoco. In turn, between the riversides of the Orinoco and
the 6° latitude N, the Guianese landscape is manifested in
plains with altitudes that oscillate between the 200 and the
500 m, dominating the climate llanero and the savanna
formations. To the south of this parallel one big tepuys
prevails, among those that the Auyan Tepuy highlights (2.450
m) that harbors the Jump Ángel, in the river Churún, flowing
of the Carrao, a spectacular cascade of 979 m, the highest in
the world. Here they dominate the wild formations.
Location
North of America of the South.
Limits
North: Territorial seas of Republic Of the Dominican Republic,
The Antilles, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands,
Martinique, Guadalupe, and Trinidad and Tobago. South:
Brazil and Colombia. This: Ocean Atlantic and
Guyana.
West: Colombia.
Coordinated
North latitude: Among the parallel ones 0°38´53´´, in the
birth of the river Arari (state Amazons) and the
12°11´46´´ in the end of San Román (state Falcon), more
northern point of the continental part of the country.
The Island of Ave is a key factor in the extension of
the limits of territorial waters.
Latitude west: Among the meridians 58°10´00´´, point
located in the oriental end of the river Esequibo, in
the Guayana Esequiba (Area in reclamation) and the
73°25´00´´, in the birth of the Intermediate river
(state Zulia). Their insular territories extend northernly
to Island from Ave to 15°40´33´´.
Surface
916 667 km2.
Extension of coasts
4 006 km.
Total population
22 105 265 inhabitants The
current Venezuelan population is product of a strong
miscegenation begun in the times of the colony between the
indigenous population and the Spaniard; later on, at the end
of the XVI century, an important contribution of population
slave coming from the African continent was observed. With the
step of the time increased the miscegenation process
characterized by the free union", accepted as institution
in the country. At the end of the decade of 1940, with the
beginning of the industrialization process, an important
immigration of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese origin began
that was increasing up to 1958. In the decade of 1970 took
place this same process but played by citizens of South
American origin, due to the development of the Venezuelan
economy and to the deterioration and economic recession of
their origin countries. At the present time all these
migrations have given origin to a population totally
integrated to each other, where any type of conflict
interracial doesn't exist.
The
population from Venezuela (according to estimates for 2002) it
belonged to 24.287.670 inhabitants, with a density of 27
hab/km². however, the distribution is not balanced: more than
the population's 80% groups in the coasts, valleys and
piedemontes of the mountain range of the Costa and the one of
you Walk them, being created this way big populational holes
to the south of the fluvial axis Orinoco-hurries. It is
necessary to point out that more than the population's 40% it
is seated in the eight more important urban complexes of the
country. In the south of Venezuela and partly of the region
zuliana most of the indigenous population is located that
grieve it reaches 1,5% of the national total. The population's
13% lives in rural areas.
Administrative
divisions
Division territorial politician
Venezuela
is structured in 23 states, the Capital District, seat of the
city of Caracas, and 74 islands in the sea Caribbean that
you/they constitute the Federal Dependences. In January of
1980 they were defined for ordinance the administrative
regions integrated by one or several states. These are the
nine regions removed by the states that integrate them.
Capital region: Capital district and states Vargas and
Miranda. Central region: states Aragua, Carabobo and Cojedes.
Insular region: New state Esparta and Federal Dependences.
Northeastern region: states Anzoátegui, Monagas and Sucre.
Region Guayana: states Bolivar, Amazons and Delta Amacuro.
Region Western Center: states Falcon, Lara, Portuguese and
Yaracuy. Region Zuliana: Zulia. Region of you Walk them:
states Barinas, Merida, Táchira, Trujillo and municipality of
Páez of the state Hurries; and Region of The Plains: states
Guárico and Hurry. The states are conformed by autonomous
municipalities that constitute the unit primigenia of the
territorial political administration.
CAPITAL CITIES
Caracas
The amazing Venezuelan capital, a collage of
"trees", feeways and high tech buildings, offers to
the tourist
its history as another tourism attrac-tion which is added to
the many which Venezuela has. The temperature stays between
15º in December and 28º in Au-gust. Moderns Caracas can be
divided into various sectors. The downtown area is the city's
historical and nerve center.
Begining the bridge that takes you to Plaza Venezuela, a
ver-satile, provocative city unfolds before yours eyes. Arts
galle-ries, office buildings, adversiting agencies and
bussinesses of all sizes line the principal avenues.
The Metro de Cracas, whic covers most of the city, is the
prefered transportation of Caraqueños. Among the sites of
historical interest which exist in Caracas, some are still:
Panteón Nacional, Escuela Superior de Música José Angel
Lamas, santa Capilla, Plaza Bolívar, Casa Amarilla, Catedral
de Caracas, Museo Sacro and the Casa Natal del Libertador
Simón Bolívar.
Maracaibo
Best known as the capital of Zulia, the state that pumps most
of Venezuela's oil wealth, Maracaibo's tourist attractions
tend to be overlooked. Nevertheless, its warm-hearted,
hospitable people take
pride in showing visitors their vibrant, colorful city. Both
colonial and modern, Maracaibo offers the the latest in luxury
hotels and shopping malls side by side with the old-time charm
and culinary skills of traditional neighborhoods and
restau-rants. No need to stay in town, either - visitors can
enjoy excur-sions
to enchanting Sinamaica Lagoon, San Carlos Island and the
natural lightning bolts on the Catatumbo River that have to be
seen to be believed. Old town Maracaibo gives the sightseer a
chance to stroll back to the beginning of the century and
savor the lifestyle and customs of a bygone Venezuela.
The homes, streets and shops belong to yester year around any
corner is a time-honored
saloon, a turn-of-the-century house serving typical food and
sweets of the region, even a barber shop for men only.
Maracaibo is also a modern, multifaceted powerhouse that is
not quaint at all, with de-luxe
hotels, gourmet cuisine, frenetic night life and shoppíng
malls with all the major brands. Its boast Venezuela's
first Palace of Events built to international standards for
conferences, seminars and exhibitions, one more example of the
city's leading role in the life of the na-tion.
Those born to shop can happily spend whole days doing
Maracaibos first-rate malls with their sophisticated
shops and food fairs. Not to be missed are the Galeria, Costa
Verde, La Chinita and the newest and trendiest,
Lagomall.
Barquisimeto
A tour through its colonial past reveals pre-cious
archaeological finds of long-gone civi-lizations.
Cheerful and brimming with cultural life, Barquisimeto also
offers good buys for the living room with its craftmanship and
music. And it is a grat eating place too: Lara State is the
home of the famous Caro-ran
goat and beef dishes. El Tocuyo hig-way- just before the
Carore exit-one finds Tintorero, known for its woven hammocks,
tapestries and covers. Further South lies Sa-nare, a farming
center with many touristics stops and an ideal place for
buying fresh vegetables. Close by its fumaroles, the Yacambú
dam is also located here. Eit-her
directly from Quíbor or taking a detour at Sanare, the next
stop is El Tocuyo. Carora is near, the most importan feature
in this cultural and cattle ranching center is its colonial
zone.
Cuidad Bolívar
With its picturesque location on a rocky elevation on the
southern banks of the Orinoco River, Ciudad Bolívar, the
capital of Venezue-la's largest state. The beginnings of
Ciudad Bolívar date from the 16th century. The heart of
Ciudad Bolívar still largely conserves the look of the past.
Appreciate the many interesting architectural details and
unique geographically influenced construction, check out
the shops, visit museums and historic structures -all within
easy walking distance of the Mirador. On the south side of
Paseo Orinoco, note the unique vintage commercial buil-dings
with deep enclosed upper balconies, supported by
tall columns and forming a protective roof over the side-walk
which provides welcome shade for pedestrians (sin-ce
average temperature is 28º C). In the Plaza Bolívar,
de-clared a national monument and focal point of historical
events in this city, along with the customary statue of Simón
Bolívar are five allegorical figures representing each
of the countries he liberated from Spanish rule: Venezuela,
Ecuador, Bolívar, Colombia, and Peru.
Some 10 blocks south of the plaza is Fortín Zamuro. Nearby,
facing Plaza Miranda is the Centro de las Artes.
Erected in 1870, in its "former life" it served
variously as a hospital, military barracks, jail, prefecture,
and even the
capitol building. It now holds changing expositions as well as
offices of the sta-te's cultural Department. On a more
contemporary note, not to be missed is the Museo de Arte
Moderno Jesús Soto. The first stage was designed by the
legendary Venezuelan ar-chitect, Carlos Raúl Villanueva, and
Edgar Parra responsible for the second part. The focus of the
complex's galleries is works of Jesús Soto, world-famous for
his kinetic art. He was born in this city.
In addition to Soto's creations, there are excellent
representations of the most important of his contemporaries
working with the same concepts. They also host changing shows
of artists with distinct styles.
Valencia
Valencia is the capital of an important Venezuelan State
located at the northern side of Venezuela, Carabo-bo,
where took place the Batalla de Carabobo, which sealed the
Independence of Venezuela. And to honor this historic event
was created El ParqueCampo de Carabobo in the same place where
the battle took place. This park is located 18 km away from
Valencia and houses an important monument called Batalla de
Carabobo con su Arco de
Triunfo and created by the Spanish sculptor Antonio Rodríguez
Villar. The park also houses a viewpoint
from where it is possible to admire the plains where the
battle took place and has a Centro de Interés Tu-rístico
(Tourist office) offering tourist services.
Carabobo also houses other interesting parks such as
Metropolitano de Valencia, which is perfect to relax and rest;
Recreacional del Sur, where all kind of expositions take
place; Turístico Guataparo, which is lo-cated
at the shores of Guataparo Lake and offers cabins, wonderful
gardens and motor boat services; Cristóbal
Mendoza, which stands out because of its sparkling fountains
and its sun-dial.Valencia's lake is the second in ex-tension
in Venezuela and houses several islands such as Tacarigua,
Chambergo, Otamo,
El Horno, and El Fraile. And Carabobo's spas and beaches are
also very popular among tourists.
Palma Sola and Playa Blanca are located in Puerto Cabello. The
former is a vast beach offering tourists
all the services they need to have a comfortable stay and to
practice water sports. The second is a public
beach offering restaurants and motor boats. Quizandal, a vast
public beach, is located very near to the aforementioned
beaches. And not so far is Guaicamacuto, perfect to enjoy of a
sunny day, and Gañango, where it is possible to take motor
boats. And Canaima, located in the road Palito-Morón, houses
places offering accommodation, food, locker rooms, and motor
boat services.
Official currency
The bolivar.
Official language
Castellano. 27 indigenous groups that you/they speak their own
language exist.
Religion
Cult freedom (the Catholic religion prevails).
Government's system
Representative democracy. The country has been developed as a
centralized State whose government is exercised from the
capital of the Republic, where they concentrate the
public powers (Executive, Legislative and Judicial). For
his operation it is a democratic and social State of
right. The states that conform it have as first authority a
governor. The municipal administration is represented by
its maximum authority, the mayors who jointly with the
governors and the representatives of the Assemblies
legislativas are chosen, the same as the president of
the Republic, for universal, direct and secret voting. In the
Federal District the governor is of free appointment on
the part of the president. The federal Dependences are
subordinate to the National Executive.
Economy
It rotates around the external trade, which is largely carried
out through marine transport. The development of the
economy has been sustained in the activity productive
oil company, what characterizes it like capitalism
financier's economy. It possesses considerable oil, gas,
carboniferous locations and an enormous hydroelectric
potential that
it allows him to have full energy independence. It has mineral
resources of great economic and strategic value as gold,
iron and aluminum; besides enough reservations of water
and floors of agricultural and forest vocation. Other
important industries are: construction materials,
textile, brewery, prosecution of foods, autopartes,
telecommunications, massive consumption, consultancy and
consultantship, television production, chemical,
fármacos, publicity and editorial. Their scenarios
paisajísticos of tourist projections and the existence
of other non conventional resources that are undeveloped or
sub-exploited, transform it into a privileged
region.
Economy
The
Venezuelan economy is based mainly on the exploitation of the
petroleum and its derived. In the last decades it spreads to
be diversified with exports of iron mineral, aluminum, coal
and cement, and non traditional products as petrochemical
matters, metallic factories of steel and others. Until
beginnings of the decade of 1980, Venezuela enjoyed a
discharge it produces oil company of external origin that
allowed to the State to constantly elevate its expense without
increasing the internal tribute (sees you Tribute), enjoying
the population of a high level of life with a notable improves
of the services of public health and education.
Venezuela
achieved an internal industrialization that substituted many
imports, the construction of an important infrastructure
viaria, of irrigable and hydroelectricity, and the formation
of big public companies. Ulteriorly a sustained fall of the
oil entrance took place, which decreased to a third in 1993,
accompanied with high payments of the external public debt and
one sustained financial pressure by the exit of international
monetary resources that culminated in 1994 with a serious
crisis bank, high levels of corruption and a descent in the
quality of life. In this time a new economic politics was
implanted with the unification and exchange flotation, the
liberalization of the internal prices and of the interest
rates, the beginning of the privatization of public companies
and the renegotation of the foreign debt. In this mark began,
in 1996, an economic change in which the privatization of
deficit public companies, the stimulus to the foreign
investment was accentuated in several industries, as the oil
company, petrochemical, mining of the gold, diamond, coal,
nickel, forest exploitation, tourism and other sectors. It was
expressed it, also, with the freedom of prices and of
acquisition of foreign currencies, and with changes in the
régime of Social Security. In 2000 the gross interior product
(GDP) it was of 120.484 million dollars, giving an entrance
per cápita of 4.980 dollars.
Agriculture
The
Venezuelan government approved a Law of Agrarian Reformation
in 1960, guided to expand and to diversify the agricultural
production that has also been stimulated with the increase
from the surface regable to 310.972 there are in 1994. In 1997
the agricultural activities occupied to 11% of the active
population of the country and they contributed with 5% of the
annual GDP. The cultivated surface ascended in 1999 to
3.490.000 hectares. The varied resources agrarian Venezuelans
are expressed in diverse productive systems that cover from
the agriculture of subsistence and semicomercial, developed in
traditional conucos (vegetable gardens) and in small
properties where products are cultivated for the domestic
consumption (caraotas, beans, yucca and tropical roots), until
plantations of diverse types, as the old ones (today been
modernized in their biggest part) dedicated to the cultivation
of coffee, cocoa, cane of sugar and other commercial products.
In these last decades they have multiplied the systems of
automated and modern annual cultivations, as the specialized
ones in corn, rice, sorghum, ajonjolí, peanut (peanut),
sunflower and cotton, thanks to the irrigation, the
fertilization and the control of plagues that have transformed
the agrarian geographical landscapes of the table of Guanipa
(state of Anzoátegui) and important extensions of The central
and western Plains. It highlights the recent introduction of
the innovative systems of fruticultura, viticultura,
horticulture and commercial floricultura in the Andean states
and of Zulia, Falcon, Lara, Guárico and Aragua, among others.
It
has been come securing an important production tropical
cerealista, of corn, rice and sorghum that in 2001 1.200.000 t
reached in the case of the corn and 690.000 t in that of the
rice, sustained fundamentally by the exploitations of The
Plains. Regarding the production of textile and oleaginous
(these last ones with a volume of 120.495 t in 2001), they
highlight the coconuts, the palm oil, cotton in branch, sisal
(sees you Agave), the sunflower and the ajonjolí. Among the
leguminous ones it highlights the caraotas production and
beans. It is fundamental the production of roots and tubers,
with 1.093.046 t in 2001 composed by 570.564 t of yucca
(manioc), 341.662 t of potato (potato), ocumo and yam. The
most important commercial cultivations are the coffee (69.000
tons), the cane of sugar (8.110.000 t), the cocoa (18.865 t),
and the tobacco (11.288 t). Among the productions frutícolas
they highlight the banana tree or cambur, the banana, the
orange, the pineapple and the mango.
Appreciable
advances are verified in the mobilization of cattle resources
with improvements in the yields of diverse cattle raising
types. In 2001 the cattle cabin of Venezuela had 15.800.000
heads of bovine livestock, 4.900.000 of swinish, 781.000 of
ovino and 110.000.000 of corral birds. The landscapes created
by the modernized cattle exploitations are observed in the low
lands of the Southwest of the basin of the lake of Maracaibo,
in Perijá, Bobures, Monay, Low Motatán, Carora, south of the
state of Falcon and in The Plains, where has settled down a
prosperous area of intensive production of meat and milk.
Forestry
and fishes
Although
the forests and forests cover great part of Venezuela, the
timber industry has only had a moderate development due to the
inaccessibility to the natural forest areas. From 1973 until
the present time have been carried out massive plantations of
pine caribe (sees you Pináceas), with commercial ends, to the
south of the states of Monagas and Anzoátegui, next to the
riversides of the Orinoco. The wood is used for the industries
of the construction and for the elaboration of furniture and
paper. In 2000 2.713.000 wooden m³ was obtained.
The
extensive fishing resources of Venezuela are compound for a
wide variety of marine life. The most important commercial
capture is that of the shrimp, continued by the tuna, the
sardine, the cazón (sees you Shark), the pargo, the grouper
and the squid. The maricultura of shrimps has been introduced
in the Caribbean coast, the upbringing of trouts in
piscifactorías of Merida and Táchira, and the fluvial
acuicultura in The Plains, Zulia and Guayana. In 1997 the
fishing production was of 502.728 t; the marine captures
supposed 373.562 t, highlighting the productions of Sucre, New
Esparta and Falcon.
Petroleum
and mining
The
petroleum is the base of the Venezuelan economy, generating in
1994 73,3% of the revenues for export. Options of great
magnitude are recognized in all the types of raw petroleum,
what explains that in 1999 1.100.498.300 barrels were
extracted, being exported most to United States, Europe and
other countries of Latin America. This great oil production is
extracted for the most part of the basin of the lake of
Maracaibo and of the basins it Barinas-hurries and Oriental.
The Venezuelan government nationalized the oil industry in
1976 that was in hands of Venezuela CORP.'S company Petroleums
(PDVSA) whose filial companies operate in six refineries of
the country of diverse magnitude and they have a capacity of
refined of petroleum of 1.265.000 daily barrels, besides other
nine abroad (in Curaçao, United States, Germany, Sweden and
Belgium) that process 1.860.000 additional daily barrels. You
prevé a great future in this sector, since there are
reservations estimated in 75.000 million barrels of petroleum,
being included the conventional reservations, like part so
much of those of the oil strip of the Orinoco, estimated in
around 250.000 million recoverable barrels, where they have
already begun to be mobilized by the orimulsión process,
bitúmenes emulsion (polish) and it dilutes, mainly for the
use of generating plants of energy. The country is one of the
main world producers of natural gas, 30.865 million m³ in
1999 (sees you gassy Fuel); the production was of natural gas,
liquefied gas, butane and propane. Venezuela is a member
founder of the Organization of Countries Exporters of
Petroleum (OPEC).
Other
minerals exploited with commercial ends are iron (11.100.000
t), bauxite (4.200.000 t), coal (7.547.777 t), I pray (7.332
kg), salt, phosphates (375.000 t) and calcareous. They were
discovered near the river Orinoco in the decade of 1940
extensive deposits of iron mineral in the call belt ferrífero
of Imataca; it was exploited by American companies until their
nationalization in 1975 and starting from this date position
of their exploitation the state company Ferrominera of the
Orinoco was made, subsidiary of the Venezuelan Corporation of
Guayana that extracted in 1994 a production of 18.309.000 t of
iron of Cerro Bolivar's Guianese locations, Hill San Isidro
and Hill The Ravines, of which 11.150.000 t was exported
Europe, Asia and United States.
The
extraction of the minerals of bauxite of The Pijiguaos
operates from 1987, with a production in 1994 of 2.530.000 t.
The iron is processed in Ciudad Guayana, in the facilities of
the Steel plant of the Orinoco, with an annual production of
2.682.277 t of steel, while the bauxite is transformed in the
same city by Interalúmina, subsidiary company of the
Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana that satisfies the demand of
the companies aluminum producers. The exploitation of the
carboniferous locations of Guasare in the state of Zulia,
Carbosuroeste in Táchira and Fila Maestra and Naricual in
Anzoátegui has reached the production of 4.434.000 t of coal
in 1994. There is abundance of minerals of gold (especially in
the states of Bolivar and Amazons) as much in veins as in
alluviums, representing their potential approximately 12% of
the well-known world reservations. The production of gold in
1994 ascended to 9.944 kg and the one of diamond to 314.000
karats. Venezuela is also an important producing of limestone
and dolomita, with 15.972.083 annual t that provide the matter
it prevails to a pay period of cement factories. Other
exploitations of great interest are the locations of
phosphates of Táchira that you began to explode in 1994 with
an annual production of 57.337 t, those of manganese in
Guayana and those of nickel in Aragua.
Industry
From
principles of the decade of 1960 the government has given
great priority to the development of the economic sector of
the industry manufacturer. The main industrial products are
derived of the petroleum, steel, aluminum, fertilizers,
cement, tires, motor vehicles, processed foods, drinks,
textile, clothes, footwear and articles of plastic and wood.
In 1997 the active population in the industrial sector was of
24%. The industry concentrates on the cities of the Capital
region and of the Central region. In the last decades of the
XX century leaves securing the localization of industries of
diverse type in the regions Western Center, Zulia, Walk and
Guayana, highlighting the importance of the industry weighed
in Ciudad Guayana.
Energy
Around
67,84% of the electricity takes place in hydroelectric
facilities with power stations summoned in the state Bolivar,
where the company state Venezuelan Corporation of
Guayana/Electrificación of the Caroní (EDELCA) it has
developed the megaproyecto of the hydroelectric power station
Raúl Leoni (installed capacity of 10.000 MW), Macagua I
(installed capacity of 370 MW) and, from January of 1997, the
central Macagua II (2.540 MW). Also has importance, in the
region of you Walk them, the company state Anonymous Company
of Administration and Electric Development (CADAFE) that it
has put into operation Sacred Domingo's hydroelectric power
station and it has enabled the hydroelectric complex
Uribante-Caparo, in their first stage, in the power station
San Agatón. In 1999 81.215 million KWh of electricity were
generated.
Currency
and banking
The
monetary unit of Venezuela is the bolivar of 100 cents (679,96
bolivars were equal to 1 American dollar in 2000). The Central
Bank of Venezuela, been founded in 1939, is the government's
bank dependence, the only issuing bank of the currency and the
exchange center for the commercial banks. The main stock
exchange of the country (sees you stock market) it is located
in Caracas.
Trade
external
The
main exports of Venezuela are the petroleum and those derived
of the petroleum that together they represented in 1994 more
than 73,3% of the external trade, although in previous years
they meant more than 80%. In the year 1998 783.059.480 barrels
were exported. Other outstanding exports are iron, steel,
aluminum, coal, gold, petrochemical products and basic
industries. In 2000 the total of the annual exports rose to
31.802 million dollars. The main imports are machinery, teams
of transport, chemical products, alimentary products and
manufactured goods. In 2000 the cost of the imports was of
16.298 million dollars. See you international Trade.
Their
main commercial partners are: United States, Colombia, United
Kingdom, Antillas Neerlandesas, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Germany,
Brazil, Canada, France and Spain. The trade has increased with
the countries members of the following organizations: the
Andean Group (sees you Andean Community), the Community of the
Caribbean (CARICOM), the Central American Common Market (MCCA)
and Mercosur (Market Common of the South).
Transport
Venezuela
had in 1999 96.155 km of highways, of which 34% was paved. The
density of freeways is high in the area center-north, in the
Capital District and in the states of Vargas, Miranda, Aragua
and Carabobo; these are prolonged in an extensive system of
freeways toward the interior of the country, connecting the
biggest urban centers with the most distant rural areas. The
country only has not 396 km of railroads in tracts connected
to each other, mainly a line of Puerto Cabello to Barquisimeto
and the tract Yaritagua-Acarigua. has been projected a new
railroad net for the year 2000. The most important marine
ports are Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo, The Guaira, Guanta,
Puerto Sucre (Cumaná), Guaranao and The Guamache. It is
important the transport for waters interiors, particularly in
the system of the axis Hurry-Orinoco. Several airlines exist,
among those that Avensa, Airmail, Wings of Venezuela
highlights (privatized) and other small companies. The company
air International Venezuelan of Aviation (VIASA) stopped to
exist in 1997, and it was substituted by a new call AVENSA. In
1996, the air transport was used by 5.498.000 passengers in
regular flights going to a thirty of airports, among those
that highlight several international as those of Maiquetía,
Porlamar, Maracaibo, Barcelona, Barquisimeto, Sacred Domingo
of the Táchira and San Antonio of the Táchira.
Communications
In
2000 Venezuela it had 108 telephone apparatuses for each 1.000
inhabitants (sees you Telephone). 373 stations or radio radio
stations Existed, belonging most to chains of national
environment. It has been extremely sustained and quick the
advance of television, of which several state and private
channels that are seen work in more than 80% of the Venezuelan
homes. 86 daily newspapers are published, among them those of
more circulation, are The Universal one, The National one, The
World, The Globe and last News, all published in Caracas, as
well as other newspapers published in the capitals of the
states.
Work
In
2000 the active population from Venezuela was considered in
9.880.696 people. Approximately 11% of the same one was used
in the agriculture, 65% in the trade and in activities of
services and the rest, 24%, in the oil and mining
exploitation, in industries manufacturers and bound activities
to the construction, the electricity and the transport. The
work organized in Venezuela is formed by unions, associations
and rural suspenders. The most important organization is the
Confederation of Workers from Venezuela (CTV), with near 1,5
millions of affiliated. See you Unions (Spain and Latin
America).
Climate
An astonishing climatic variety exists (27 areas), defined by
the plains with plane reliefs to wavy, the upper-class
Andean mountains of perpetual snow and the Guianese plateaus.
The heights on the level of the sea oscillate between 0
and 100 meters, generally in the coastal areas and the
plain of the Orinoco, until the highest summit, corresponding
to the pick Bolivar in the Andean mountain range with 5
007 meters on the level of the sea. The
temperature varies from less 0 °C in this geographical area,
until more than 26 °C in almost the whole country. The
precipitations are scarce in some areas with annual, or
very abundant 300-600 mm with more than 3 000 mm/año in
the south of the territory. They are distinguished only
two stations: a rainy one (of seven months) and another dry
one (of five months).
The
territorial diversity of Venezuela is reflected in a variety
of climates, which associate directly to the existent
landscapes. In the Caribbean Venezuelan coast, in the islands
and in the depressions of Lara a semi-arid climate prevails
with dry vegetation, annual precipitations of 600 mm and
annual temperatures of 24 ºC of average. In the mountain
range of the Costa, mountain range of you Walk them, fence
intramontanos and serranías, the climate varies from the
tropical of height, starting from the 900 m of altitude, until
the cold climates of mountain above the 3.500 meters; great
number of human establishments of the country has settled down
in these mountainous areas, with annual precipitations among
the 850 and the 900 mm, and temperatures that oscillate
between 18 and 22 °C of average. In the low lands of The
Plains it dominates the rainy tropical climate with a very
marked dry station; in the rainy station precipitations are
given yearly between the 1.200 and annual 1.600 mm and a
temperature of 28 °C of average. In the delta of the Orinoco
a rainy tropical climate is developed and of marine influence,
what favors the development of a dense vegetation. In the
south of Venezuela the pluviosidad increases, with annual
precipitations that overcome the 4.000 mm, with 10 and 11
rainy months to the year and temperatures that the 28 °C of
average overcomes, settling down this way always a good
condition for the development of dense wild vegetable
formations humid (pluvisilva).
Geography
Central mountain range Of tectonic origin, it includes
the serranía of the Coast (mountain range of the Costa)
that
has their biggest altitude in the pick Naiguatá with 2 765 m
and that of the Interior that harbors to the pick
Turimiquire with 2 595 m. The formation of these processes
gave origin to depressions of great magnitude: the basin
of the lake of Valencia and the valleys of the Tuy,
Caracas, Aragua and Windward. Hillsides of variable
inclination, sedimentary valleys, channels of rivers and
gulches, sharp costs with cliffs and beaches with waters of
low to
medium depth, as well as high mountains, conform this area.
The high Plains are to the south. The piedemonte,
transition sector that connects the south flank of the
serranía of the Interior with the central high Plains,
is furrowed by numerous geologic flaws.
Oriental mountain range
The phenomenon that gave origin to the basin of Cariaco
separated to the mountain range Caribbean of the north of
Venezuela, for that reason is defined the Central system and
the Oriental. The peninsulas of Araya to the west and it
Gave birth to the east, they are united by an itsmo with
more than 80 km of width and they are skirted to the south by
the gulves of Cariaco and it Gave birth to. The
serranía, in which highlights the solid of Turimiquire,
(2 600 m) and other mountains that the 1 500 m doesn't
overcome are continuation of the serranía of the
Interior of the Central mountain range, which finishes in
Caripe, where is the most famous formation cárstica: the
Cave of the Guácharo. Sea inside the multitude
of islands highlights. In the coastal tract that gives to
the west of the peninsula of Araya the salines of the
same name they are located.
System coriano
The relief is not very high, with altitudes between 500 and 1
700 m. The biggest territorial extension is the
mountainous system Falcon-Lara and the piedemonte
Falcon-Zulia. The first one has to the west the mountain
of Siruma that serves from limit to the basin of the lake
of Maracaibo. To the foot of the serranía Baragua the
depression of Carora is and in the southern slopes of the
serranías Matatere and Bobare the depression of Barquisimeto
is
had. The coastal portions understand the plains of the north
coast that it includes the peninsula of Paraguaná. Here
is the itsmo of The Dunes, the only desert of the
country, formed by a narrow fringe of dunes and a beach
to leeward, on the golfete of Choir. Be also had the
salines of The Cumaraguas and Bajarigua.
Lake of Maracaibo
The lake of Maracaibo, a bay with very narrow entrance, is the
most extensive in suramérica. It possesses a variety of
landscapes: to the west plane, wavy lands and
accident victims prevail. In the western end a landscape
exists with abrupt and mountainous wavy and other relief
in the serranía of Perijá. To the south they are the plains
of alluvial deposits on the depression caused by the
rising Andean orográfico with very plane topography,
explayamiento plains, deposition pale and muddy areas. The
convergence climatic cause the Lightning of the Catatumbo
that is observed in the nights to the Southwest of the
lake. San Carlos' islands, Toas and it Undermined they
close the strait of Maracaibo.
Walk them
It is a continuation of you Walk them Colombian that when
arriving to the Knot of Pamplona (Colombia) forks in two
chains: The mountain of Perijá and the mountain range of
Merida or of you Walk them Venezuelans. The separation between
the Colombian Oriental mountain range and that of Merida
is demarcated by the depression of the Táchira.
A long tectonic fissure divides to you Walk them in two
parallel blocks: the mountain of the North or of The
Breech and the mountain of Merida. In this last one they are
the most important heights in the country: the pick
Bolivar (5 007 m) and the Humboldt (4 940 m).
The fluvial excavations and the filling of the depressions
caused deyección cones, fluvial valleys and alluvial
terraces. In the high mountains they meet the valleys of
glacial origin with imposing lagoons.
The plains
More than the fourth part of the Venezuelan territory it is
included in the denomination of " Plain ". it
is immense surfaces of almost plane relief that extend
uninterruptedly. Their heights oscillate between 200 and
500 meters on the level of the sea. The dominant
element is the savannas that present a great variety of
types that you/they go from the thin and open, until the
arbustivas and hoisted, going by the inundables with
gramineous resistant to those
conditions, where they highlight: tidelands, palms and
undergrowth llaneras. Along the courses of water the
gallery forests grow. A subdivision would recognize the
western Plains, the central Plains, the oriental Plains
and the depression of the Unare.
Deltaic system
The delta of the Orinoco is almost only in the world for three
reasons: the bed of the Orinoco doesn't go centered, it
lacks lagoons and it is an oceanic delta. It is divided in
two deltas: the general, located from the left riverbank
of the pipe Araguao, in northwest address, until the pipe
Mánamo with north direction until the respective outlets in
Boca
Araguao and Flints. And the secondary one, located among the
right riverbank of the pipe Araguao and the left of the
Big River, main bed of the Orinoco in the delta. The
dominant landscapes are muddy plains, so much marine as
fluvial, with slopes that scarcely arrive to 2%, except
in the southeast of the region, where the relief is waved or
broken and the slopes can arrive to 25%.
South of the Orinoco
The Guianese shield is constituted by one of the oldest
geologic formations in the world. Here they are the
mountain range of Imataca and the serranía of the same name,
the plateau of Nuria and the area of Paragua; the valley
of the river Cuyuní, where the savannas of Guayana, and
the mountainous areas extend as The Callao. The savannas of
the Caroní are toward the occident and of the Paragua
and the valleys of the High Caura and of the
Erebato. Toward the south is the mountain of Pacaraima whose
better known portion is the Great Savanna, a high plain
to more than 1 000 m on the valley of the river Cuyuní. In
this area they are the tepuyes. The better known one is
the Auyán-tepui of whose summit comes off the jump
Churún - Merú or Jump Ángel, with 972 m.
The islands
The insular arch embraces a total of 311 islands that you/they
form a parallel line to the coast. Most is located
between 150 and 200 km to the mainland north, others as those
of Puerto La Cruz is to only 2 or 3 km, while the
most distant, the Island of Ave, is to 500 km to the
north of the coast. Their floors were formed starting from
igneous-metamorphic, very old rocks and erosionadas that
appear until the surface: The Monks, The Asleep ones,
The Orchila, The Blanquilla, The Siblings, The Friars and
The Witness. There are other islands,
as the archipelago of The Ave and partially The Orchila and
The Blanquilla where the rocky basement is completely
covered for a thick calcareous layer, fruit of the growth
and the erosion of old coralline reefs.
Rivers
and lakes
Venezuela
has an enormous quantity of resources hídricos. They have a
special importance the fluvial waters, of those that 74,5%
belongs to the slope of the ocean Atlantic and 20,7% to that
of the sea Caribbean; 4,5 remaining% pours its waters to the
system of the river Amazons for the Guainía-black and other
rivers, excepting a minimum that drena to the basin endorreica
of the lake of Valencia.
The
sea Caribbean receives the waters of the rivers that in turn
pour in the basin of the lake of Maracaibo, where they
highlight the proportionate ones for the Chama, the Motatán,
the Escalante, the Catatumbo, the Apón, the Lemon and the
smallest contributions of several basins that go directly to
this sea, among them those corresponding to the rivers Tocuyo,
Aroa, Neverí and Orchards.
The
slope of the ocean Atlantic receives the waters of the San
Juan's basins and of the Cuyuní, besides the extraordinary
contribution of the river Orinoco that receives in its 2.560
kms of longitude direct or indirectly the waters of numerous
and important rivers, as the Padamo, the Ventuari, the Sipapo,
the Cuchivero, the Caura, the Hoop, the Caroní, the Goal, the
Arauca, the one Hurries, with its numerous ones tributary, and
many others. The presence of the river Orinoco is fundamental
in the Venezuelan geography, as much for its extension as for
the quality and quantity of its waters, accompanied by great
variety of natural resources in its basin that covers some
643.481 km2 of Venezuelan territory.
It
is important the sailing in the lake of Maracaibo through the
channel natural homonym, useful for the mobilization of the
oil resources. In spite of not being good the conditions of
navigability of great number of rivers, there is in the
country 5.400 km of navigable waterways. Of this total 404 km
is channeled in the river Orinoco, in the tract Boca
Grande-Ciudad Guayana, and 665 km in the tract Ciudad
Guayana-Puerto Gumilla. In the river San Juan 70 km is
channeled between Caripito and the gulf of it Gave birth to.
Among the navigable roads not channeled they highlight great
part of the course of the Orinoco and the rivers it Hurries,
Arauca, Goal, Barima, Portuguese, Capanaparo,
Ventuari-Manapiare and Zulia-Catatumbo, among others.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Petroleum
The potential of hydrocarbons is so high that if the
reservations were used as only energy source to supply
the internal consumption, would have a 150 year-old duration,
considering that the consumption averages yearly of that
lapse was double the current one. The proven reservations
of petroleum overcome the 64 000 million barrels. Venezuela is
the sixth country with bigger reservations proven in the
world. The current production is located in
about 2 700 000 daily barrels, occupying the seventh place
like world producer. One of the biggest reservations of
heavy and extra heavy petroleum is in the bituminous strip of
the Orinoco, with 51% of the world total. The one in
charge of gerenciar and to administer the oil resources
is the State through Petroleums of Venezuela (PDVSA).
Natural gas
Natural, associate enormous reservations of gas exist and not
associated with locations of raw petroleum. They have
been new reservations in the northeastern region, so much in
the continent as coast out that make to already ascend
those proven to 3,9 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.
This locates Venezuela in the seventh place at world
level.
Coal
There are considerable proven reservations and without proving
of mineral coal, and the production goes in increase
thanks to the internal and external demands. Those derived
of the coal, coke and tar they are used in the
miner-industrial complexes. The carboniferous energy can
be used in the industrial sector, replacing partially to the
petroleum.
Resource hídrico
Abundance of this resource exists. Annually there are about
700 million cubic meters of superficial waters and 22 000
million cubic meters of underground waters, being able
to take advantage of 68% of the total of the superficial
waters potentially. Near 85% of the total glide it
corresponds to the territory located to the south of the
Orinoco.
Hydroelectricity
The potentialities of hydroelectric resources have been
estimated in 83 430 MW, equivalent to 2 500,00 daily
barrels of petroleum. The mobilization is carried out through
the plants summoned in the region of Guayana and of you
Walk them. Their execution is competition of the
Anonymous Company of Administration and Electric Development
and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana.
Floor
They exist more than 34 types of different agricultural
vocation. They go from alluvial regosoles and grumosoles
of high agricultural value; to renzinas, planosoles, gley
little húmicos, of half agricultural value; until floors
lateríticos of low quality and productivity.
The lands of high potential are limited, while the floors of
intermediate productivity are the most abundant.
Mineral and non minerals
The minerals, so much metallic as not metallic, they pass of
150. Those of more importance are: iron, bauxite, gold,
diamond, phosphate, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, common
salt, plaster and limestone. Big proven reservations of
iron and bauxite exist. The auriferous locations and
diamantíferos are located in Guayana, where the biggest
production in the mining is of free use. The reservations
of these minerals represent 12% of the reservations
proven worldwide.
Flora
A varied vegetation exists, characterized by a complex mosaic
of units florística-fisionómicas, where they are
distinguished more than 150 types of vegetation. More
than 50% of the territory it is covered with forests.
However, the timber industry is highly dependent, with a
great wooden import and pulp.
The
differences paisajísticas, climatic and topographical of the
regions of Venezuela they give origin to an enormous vegetable
variety. In the cloudy forests of the mountain ranges of the
Costa and of you Walk them, as well as in the serranías, it
highlights the presence of sweet cedar, jarillo or apamate
that are trees maderables, besides the presence of several
species of palms (sees you Palmáceas) and orchids like the
catleya, national flower. In the pluvisilvas of the south of
Venezuela they are trees of until 40 m of height, as the ceiba
and the yagrumo, and numerous endemic species of epifitas. The
araguaney or tree of yellow Ipé is the national tree of
Venezuela. The arboreal vegetation of the forest piedemontana
of the states of Barinas and Hurry it is rich in species like
yokel, granadilla, mahogany and will see, among others. It is
important to point out that so far they are located in
Venezuela more than 300 species arboreal maderables. In The
low Plains and means the vegetation is characterized by
pastizales and formations of palms moriche associated to the
courses of water. In the deltaic areas of the Orinoco and in
the coastal lagoons of the states of Zulia and Falcon
extensive formations of white and red mangrove are located.
Other important species of the country are the yame or cardón
and the white guácimo.
Fauna
It has one of the most varied biotas in the world. There are
around 200 species of reptiles, birds and profitable
mammals for different uses. The marine and submarine areas
are abundant in alive resources (fish, shellfish and
avifauna) of great value, being the industry of the very
active fishing, so much to supply the national market as for
the export.
The
fauna is diverse and abundant with presence of characteristic
mammals of the tropical area, as the bear anthill, bear
frontino, lazy, armadillo, ocelot, jaguar, puma, deer
