Official Name:
Republic of Venezuela
Location:
Northeast corner of South America, just above the equator, 0-12 ° north and 63-73 ° west. The Caribbean Sea acts as a northern boundary, with the Atlantic Ocean and the Republic of Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south and Colombia to the west.
Area:
Total area:
916,490 sq. km (353,857 sq. miles)
Land area:
882,050 sq. km (340,559 sq. miles)
Comparative area:
Slightly more than Germany and France together.
Land boundaries:
Total 4,993 km, Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km.
Coastline:
2,800 km.
Population:
Official 1990 census: 19,455,429. Est July 1995: 21,718,291
Religions:
Nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%
Languages:
Spanish (official), native dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians. English is taught.
Climate:
Tropical, but temperatures vary considerably with altitude. The weather is cooler from November through February. The hottest months are July and August. Caracas temperature: Average 22 ° C (72 ° F).
Rainy season:
From May to November.
Dry season:
From December through April.
Geographical Highlights:
The highest waterfall in the world: Angel Falls.
The largest lake in South America: Lake Maracaibo.
The third-largest river in South America: The Orinoco.
Names of the country:
Conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela. Conventional short form:Venezuela.
Type of Goverment:
Republic.
Capital:
Caracas.
Independence:
5 July 1811 (from Spain).
Vigent Constitution:
23 January 1961.
Currency:
The monetary unit is the bolivar, which comes in paper denominations of Bs.10,000, Bs.5,000 Bs.2,000 Bs. 1,000 Bs.500 Bs.100 Bs.50 Bs.20 Bs.10 and Bs.5.
Flag:
