Welcome to Venezuela

Venezuela is known to be a country on the northern coast lineof South America. Did you know that the country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands in the Caribbean Sea. It borders Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the west. Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Barbados, Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Leeward Antilles lie just north, off the Venezuelan coast. Falling within the tropics, Venezuela sits nearby the Equator, in the Northern Hemisphere. A former Spanish colony, Venezuela holds territorial disputes with Guyana, largely concerning the Essequibo area, and in the past with Colombia concerning the Gulf of Venezuela. Did you know that there used to be a Venezuelan Boundary Crisis in 1985. And even today,, Venezuela is known widely for its petroleum industry, the environmental diversity of its territory, and its natural features. Venezuela is voted by the masses asto be in the midst of 17 of the most mega diverse countries in the globe. Venezuela is known to be among the most urbanized countries in Latin America; the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north, especially in the most impressive and largest metropolis, Caracas. Other major cities include Maracay, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Valencia, and Ciudad Guayana. Venezuela is known to be also home to a diversity of wildlife in plethora of protected habitats. Venezuela, a third larger than Texas, occupies most of the northern coast line of South America on the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Mountain systems break Venezuela into four distinct areas: (1) the Maracaibo lowlands; (2) the mountainous region in the north and northwest; (3) the Orinoco basin, with the llanos (vast grass-covered plains) on its northern border and wonderful forest places in the south and southeast; and (4) the Guiana Highlands, south of the Orinoco, accounting for closely half the national territory.

Climate

Notwithstanding the fact that Venezuela lies entirely within the torrid zone, generally there are and have always been four climatic regions, based mainly on altitude: tropical, up to 760 m (2,500 ft) in elevation; subtropical, from 760 to 1,830 m (2,500 to 6,000 ft); temperate, from 1,830 to 2,740 m (6,000 to 9,000 ft); and cold, above 2,740 m (9,000 ft). Within the tropical region, including the cities of Maracaibo and Ciudad Bolívar, mean annual temperatures range from 24° to 35°C (75° to 95°F). Within the subtropical region, where Caracas is situated, the means range from 10° to 25°C (50° to 77°F). Within January, in Caracas, the average minimum and maximum temperatures are and have always been 15°C (59° F) and 26°C (79° F), respectively; the range in July is 17–26° C (63–79°F). During the wet season (May to October).

Population Stats

Population (2007 est.): 26,084,662 (growth rate: 1.4%);
birth rate: 18.5/1000;
infant mortality rate: 20.9/1000;
life expectancy: 74.8;
density per sq mile: 77