| ...The
Embassy |
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yAbout
Venezuela > General Information |
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Venezuela
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North
of
South America
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Area
916,445 sq km
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Population
24.2 million
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Oficial
Language
Spanish
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Capital
Caracas
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Located
at the Northen coast of South America, the Venezuelan territory covers
916,445 sq km, including 72 islands and 2,813 km coast on the Caribbean
Sea. Its border countries are: Colombia to the West, Brazil to the
South and Guyana to the East. Venezuela presents a great variety of
landscapes and natural monuments distributed in 43 national parks
besides countless species of animals that inhabit the territory.
The country is divided in 4 geographical areas, the Andes
Mountains to the West; the beaches
and islands to the North; the savanas of
The Plains (Los Llanos) to the Center and the Amazon Rainforest
and the Great Savanna to the Southeast. Venezuela is divided politically
in 23 states, 1 federal district and the federal dependences.
The name Venezuela (small Venice) was given by the Spaniard navigator
Alonso de Ojeda in the 15th century, after finding the palafittes
(natives houses over the Maracaibo Lake).
In Latin America, Venezuela is one of the countries with more miscegenation.
The local population was initially formed by mixtures of Spaniards
with natives and African slaves. In the middle of this century, there
was a migration from Italian, Portuguese, German and Spaniards and
more recently, a migration from different Latin America countries,
mainly from Colombia.
The country's capital Caracas
is the most populated city with 4.6 million inhabitants and it is
the cultural, economic and political centre. The Maracaibo City on
Zulia State is the second most populated city with 2.8 million inhabitants
and it is the main centre for the oil industry. |
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.The
Country |
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| Official
Name: |
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela |
| Capital: |
Caracas |
| Nationality: |
Venezuelan |
| Language: |
Spanish (official) and numerous
native dialects |
| Religion: |
96% Roman Catholic; 2% Protestant |
| Currency: |
Bolivar (Bs.) |
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.Geography |
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| Localization: |
Northen coast of
South America |
| Border
countries: |
Brazil, Colombia
and Guyana |
| Characteristics: |
Coast
with several peninsulas and islands, 2 chains of the Andes Mountain
(North and Northwest), Maracaibo Lake, R�o Orinoco's delta (Southeast
coast), plains (East of the Orinoco), Guyana's plateau (West
of the Orinoco) and mountains (Southeast) |
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| Climate: |
Tropical |
| Area: |
916,445 sq km |
| Population: |
24.2
millions (67% Mestizo, 21% European, 10% African, 2% Natives) |
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| Major
cities: |
Caracas,
Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracaibo, Maracay, Puerto La Cruz |
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.Government |
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| Type: |
Federal Republic |
Administrative
division: |
23 states, 1 federal
district and
72 federal dependences |
| Chief
of State: |
President Hugo Chávez
Frías (Curriculum) |
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.Economy |
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| Agriculture: |
Sugar cane, banana,
plantain, corn, rice, orange |
| Breeding: |
Bovine, swine, goat
like, poultry, fish |
| Natural
resources: |
Petroleum,
natural gas, bauxite, gold, iron, diamonds, copper, lead |
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| Industry: |
Petrochemical,
oil refining, metallurgy, steel, food, chemical (textile and
paper), comunications |
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| Major commercial
partners: |
USA, Colombia, Germany,
Japan, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom |
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