Venezuela - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Venezuela.

note 1: the country lies on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

note 2: Venezuela has some of the most unique geology in the world; tepuis are massive table-top mountains of the western Guiana Highlands that tend to be isolated and thus support unique endemic plant and animal species; their sheer cliffsides account for some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world including Angel Falls, the world's highest (979 m) that drops off Auyan Tepui

. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 259 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Venezuela
Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 66 00 W
Map references South America
Tarrain Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Natural Hazards subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts
Irrigated Land 10,550 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Rio Negro (shared with Colombia [s] and Brazil [m]) - 2,250 km; Orinoco river source and mouth (shared with Colombia) - 2,101 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 5,267 km
Border Countries Brazil 2,137 km; Colombia 2,341 km; Guyana 789 km
Coastline 2,800 km
Climate tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Area
Total Area
Land Area 882,050 sq km
Water Area 30,000 sq km
comparative Area almost six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 15 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Pico Bolivar 4,978 m
Lowest point Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 450 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 24.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 20.6% (2018 est.)
Forest 52.1% (2018 est.)
Other 23.4% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most of the population is concentrated in the northern and western highlands along an eastern spur at the northern end of the Andes, an area that includes the capital of Caracas

People and Society

In Venezuela, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Unspecified Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, Indigenous

Population
Pop growth rate 2.34% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 16.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 2.18 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.06 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 75% (2010)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 51.5% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 1.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
Net Migration rate 13.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Venezuelan | Venezuelan(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 48.1%, Protestant 31.6% (Evangelical 31.4%, Adventist 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, African American/umbanda 0.7%, other 0.1%, believer 3.5%, agnostic 0.1%, atheist, 0.4%, none 13.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2023 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 25% (male 3,987,361/female 3,811,307)
15-64 years 65.9% (male 10,264,353/female 10,330,376)
65 years and over 9.1% (2024 est.) (male 1,303,737/female 1,553,172)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 57.5
Youth dependency ratio 44.4
Elderly dependency ratio 13.1
Potential support ratio 7.6 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 31 years (2024 est.)
Male 30.3 years
Female 31.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 88.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.972 million CARACAS (capital), 2.368 million Maracaibo, 1.983 million Valencia, 1.254 million Barquisimeto, 1.243 million Maracay, 964,000 Ciudad Guayana (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 12.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 74.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 71.5 years
Female 77.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 94.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 5.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 95.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 4.2% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever and malaria
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 2.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

Venezuela’s ongoing socio-economic, political, and human rights crises have resulted in widespread poverty and food insecurity and have devastated the country’s healthcare system.  According to a 2018 national hospital survey, many hospitals were unable to provide basic services, and 20% of operating rooms and intensive care units were non-functional.  Hospitals reported shortages in water (79%), medicines (88%), and surgical supplies (79%).  The poor conditions in healthcare facilities have motivated many doctors and other health professionals to emigrate, resulting in shortages of specialists, particularly in emergency care.  The scarcity of medicines, vaccines, medical supplies, and mosquito controls is leading to a rise in infectious diseases.  Tuberculosis cases jumped by 68% between 2014 and 2017, and malaria rates had the largest rise in the world from 2016 to 2017 at 69%.  Diptheria, which had been eradicated in the country in 1999, re-emerged in 2016, and new cases have surfaced in 2023.  Infectious disease outbreaks, such as measles and malaria, have crossed into neighboring countries.  Infant mortality, which had been decreasing since the 1950s, has been on the rise since 2009.  Between 2015 and 2016, infant deaths increased 30%, while maternal mortality increased 65%.  

As of November 2023, more than 7.7 million Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers had been reported by host governments, with approximately 85% relocating in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Colombia has been the largest recipient, accommodating almost 2.5 million as of February 2022, followed by Peru and Ecuador.  As of June 2022, almost 212,000 of the refugees and close to 1.04 million of the asylum seekers were recognized by national authorities.  An additional 4.3 million Venezuelans have been granted residence permits or other types of regular stay arrangements, as of March 2023.  The initial wave of migrants were highly educated professionals.  These were followed by university-educated young people.  As the economy collapsed in 2017-2018, Venezuelan migrants have been less-educated and from low-income households.

All Important Facts about Venezuela

Want to know more about Venezuela? Check all different factbooks for Venezuela below.

Venezuela is found in South America