Venezuela Facts and Figures. BASIC FACTS Official name Capital Area Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Caracas 916,445 sq km 353,841 sq mi PEOPLE Population 26,414,815 (2008 estimate) Population growth Population growth rate 1.50 percent (2008 estimate) Projected population in 2025 33,188,608 (2025 estimate) Projected population in 2050 40,255,592 (2050 estimate) Population density 30 persons per sq km (2008 estimate) 77 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution Share urban 88 percent (2005 estimate) Share rural 12 percent (2005 estimate) Largest cities, with population Caracas 2,085,488 (2007) Maracaibo 1,450,665 (2008 estimate) Barquisimeto 1,085,483 (2008 estimate) Valencia 839,926 (2008 estimate) Ciudad Guayana 940,477 (2008 estimate) Ethnic groups Mestizo 67 percent White 21 percent Black 10 percent Native American 2 percent Languages Spanish (official), English, Portuguese, Native American dialects Religious affiliations Roman Catholic 94 percent Protestant 2 percent Nonreligious 2 percent O ther 2 percent HEALTH AND EDUCATION Life expectancy Total 73.5 years (2008 estimate) Female 76.7 years (2008 estimate) Male 70.4 years (2008 estimate) Infant mortality rate Population per physician Population per hospital bed Literacy rate Total 22 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) 516 people (2004) 1,250 people (2001) 94 percent (2005 estimate) Female 93.8 percent (2005 estimate) Male 94.2 percent (2005 estimate) Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) Number of years of compulsory schooling Number of students per teacher, primary school 5.2 percent (1994) 10 years (2002-2003) 23 students per teacher (1997) GOVERNMENT Form of government Head of state Head of government Legislature Federal republic President President Unicameral legislature National Assembly: 165 members Voting qualifications Universal at age 18 Constitution 30 December 1999 Highest court Armed forces Total number of military personnel Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) First-level political divisions Supreme Tribunal of Justice Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard 82,300 (2004) 1.5 percent (2003) 23 states, 1 federal district, and federal dependencies (comprising 72 islands) ECONOMY Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) GDP per capita (U.S.$) GDP by economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing $182 billion (2006) $6,730.40 (2006) 4.5 percent (2003) I ndustry 51.6 percent (2003) Services 43.9 percent (2003) Employment Number of workers Workforce share of economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 13,292,691 (2006) 11 percent (2003) I ndustry 20 percent (2003) Services 69 percent (2003) Unemployment rate 16.8 percent (2003) National budget (U.S.$) Total revenue $36,475 million (2005) Total expenditure $41,125 million (2005) Monetary unit 1 bolivar (Bs), consisting of 100 centimos Agriculture Sugarcane, bananas, maize, rice, plantains, oranges, cassava, coffee, cattle Mining Petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, natural gas, coal, diamonds, gold, copper, lead, silver, phosphates, mangesite, titanium Manufacturing Refined petroleum and petroleum products, metals, chemicals, motor vehicles Major exports Mineral products (especially petroleum, aluminum, iron ore, and natural gas), petrochemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures Major imports Raw materials, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, basic manufactures, food and live animals Major trade partners for exports United States, Netherlands Antilles, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada Major trade partners for imports United States, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan ENERGY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATION Electricity production Electricity from thermal sources 31.87 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from hydroelectric sources 68.13 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Number of radios per 1,000 people 301 (2000 estimate) Number of telephones per 1,000 people 136 (2005) Number of televisions per 1,000 people 189 (2000 estimate) Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people Paved road as a share of total roads 14 (2003) 206 (1996) 88 (1997) 34 percent (1999) SOURCES Basic Facts and People sections Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). Health and Education section Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Government section Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance. Economy section Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. Energy, Communication, and Transportation section Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Note Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
