PROFILE
PROJECT GLOBE COUNTRY LEAD:
Dr. Ada Vedilei
Past President Venezuelan Family
Physicians Association
OFFICIAL NAME: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
GEOGRAPHY
Area:
912,050 sq. km. (352,143 sq. mi.); slightly more than twice the size of
California.
Cities:
Capital--Caracas
(metro. area pop. 3.6 million, 2004 est.).
Other major cities--Maracaibo, Valencia,
Barquisimeto, Maracay, Merida, Ciudad Bolivar.
Climate:
Varies from tropical to temperate, depending on elevation.
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PEOPLE/HEALTH |
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Population: |
26,023,528 (July 2007 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 31.6% |
| 15-64 years: 63.4% | |
| 65+ years : 5.1% | |
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Median age: |
24.9 years |
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Population growth: |
1.486% (2007 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
21.22 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Death rate: |
5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total: 22.52 deaths/1,000 live births |
| male: 26.14 deaths/1,000 live births | |
| female: 18.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) | |
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Life expectancy: |
73.28 years |
| male: 70.24 years | |
| female: 76.48 years (2007 est.) | |
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Total fertility rate: |
2.55 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS |
110,000 Adults age 15-49 with HIV/AIDS, 2005 |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
6,100 (2005 est.) |
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Ethnic groups: |
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people |
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Religions: |
nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% |
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Literacy: |
93% |
GOVERNMENT
Type:
Federal Republic.
Independence:
July 5, 1811.
Constitution:
December 30, 1999.
Major political parties:
Fifth Republic Movement or Movimiento V Republica (MVR), Democratic
Action or Accion Democratica (AD), Christian Democrats or Comite
Organizador Politico por Elecciones Independientes (COPEI), Homeland for
All or Patria Para Todos (PPT), Movement to Socialism or Movimiento al
Socialismo (MAS), Radical Cause or La Causa R, First Justice or Primero
Justicia, and the National Convergence or Convergencia.
Suffrage:
Universal, age 18 and over.
ECONOMY
GDP
(2006): $169 billion.
Annual growth rate
(2006): 10.3%.
GDP per capita
(2006): $6,250.
Government expenditures:
32% of GDP.
Natural resources:
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold, diamonds, bauxite, other
minerals, hydroelectric power.
Petroleum industry
(15 % of GDP): Oil refining, petrochemicals.
Manufacturing
(17% of GDP): Types--iron and steel products, paper products, aluminum,
textiles, transport equipment, consumer products.
Agriculture
(3% of GDP): Products--corn, sorghum, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee,
beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish.
Trade:
Exports (2006)--$64.5 billion: petroleum ($ 57.8
billion), aluminum, steel, chemical products, iron ore, cigarettes,
plastics, fish, cement, and paper products. Major markets (2005)--U.S.
57.5%, the Netherlands 5.2%, Mexico, 4.5%, Colombia 4.5%. Imports
(2006)--$31.3 billion: consumer goods, machinery and transport
equipment, manufactured goods, construction materials. Major suppliers
(2006)--U.S. 30.2%, Brazil 10.1, Colombia 9.9%, Mexico 6.8%, China 6.7%.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Venezuela is the sixth-most populous
country in Latin America, after Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and
Peru. About 85% of the population lives in urban areas in the northern
portion of the country. While almost half of Venezuela's land area lies
south of the Orinoco River in the states of Bolivar and Amazonas, this
region contains only 5% of the population. The population of Venezuela
is comprised of a combination of European, indigenous, and African
heritages.