Venezuela
General
Population: 27,635,743 (2011)
Land Area: 912,050 sq km
Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, hydropower, diamonds
Capital: Caracas
Political System: Federal Republic
State Leader: Hugo Chavez (1999)
Languages: Spanish, Indigenous dialects
Currency: Bolivar (VEB)
Major Religions: Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, Other 2%
Major Ethnicities: Spanish, Italian, Arab, German, African, Indigenous People
Life Expectancy: 73.93 years (2011)
Economy
GDP Official Exchange Rate: 290.7 billion (2010)
GDP Purchasing Power Parity: 345.2 billion (2010)
GDP Per Capita (PPP): 12,700 (2010)
GDP Growth Rate: -1.9% (2010)
GDP Structure: Agriculture 4.1%, Industry 34.9%, Services 61.1% (2010)
Labour Force By Occupation: Agriculture 13%, Industry 23%, Services 64% (1997)
Industries: Petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles, iron ore mining, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Agriculture Products: Corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Human Development Index: 0.735 (73rd)
Tourism Revenue: 531 million (2004)
Unemployment Rate: 12.1% (2010)
Military
Army Size: 82 300 (2004)
Budget: 1.2% of GDP (2005)
Current Situation
Venezuela is located in South America. It is bordered by Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. Venezuela's economy is growing steadily, with the main export being petroleum, and accounting for about half of the government's revenues. Venezuela also has other natural resources and is diversified in several other sectors.
Photo Gallery
Sources
CIA World Factbook: Venezuela
The Economist: The World In 2011
Wikipedia: Venezuela
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/VEN.html
Updated on: January 3, 2012