1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
911,680 km2; 4% cropland, 18% pasture, 21% forest, 57% urban, waste, and other
Coastline
2,800 km
Land boundaries
4,181 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm plus 3 nm contiguous zone for customs and sanitation (economic, including fishing, 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
67% mestizo, 21% white, 10% Negro, 2% Indian
Labor force
4.4 million (1980); 24% agriculture, 6% construction, 17% manufacturing, 6% transportation, 18% commerce, 25% services, 4% petroleum, utilities, and other
Language
Spanish (official); "Indian" dialects spoken by about 200,000 aborigines in the interior
Literacy
74% (claimed, 1970 est.)
Nationality
noun—Venezuelan(s); adjective—Venezuelan
Organized labor
27% of labor force
Population
18,427,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.8%
Religion
96% nominally Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant
Government
Branches
executive (President), bicameral legislature, judiciary
Capital
Caracas
Communists
3,000-5,000 members (est.)
Elections
every five years by secret ballot; last held December 1978; next national election for President and bicameral legislature to be held 4 December 1983 Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI), Rafael Caldera; Acción Democrática (AD), Carlos Andres Pérez, Gonzalo Barrios; Movement to Socialism (MAS), Teodoro Petkoff, Pompeyo Márquez Voting strength (1978 election): 46% COPEI, 43% AD, 5% MAS, 6% others
Government leader
President Luis HERRERA CAMPINS
Legal system
based on Napoleonic code; constitution promulgated 1961; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; dual court system, state and federal; legal education at Central University of Venezuela; has not accepted compulsory OCJ jurisdiction
Member of
Andean Pact, AIOEC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, LAFTA, NAMUCAR (Caribbean Multinational Shipping Line—Naviera Multinational del Caribe), OAS, OPEC, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 5 July
Official name
Republic of Venezuela
Other political or pressure groups
Fedecamaras (a conservative business group); Pro- Venezuela (PRO-VEN; a leftist, nationalist economic group)
Political subdivisions
20 states, 1 federal district, 2 federal territories, and 72 island dependencies in the Caribbean
Suffrage
universal and compulsory over age 18, though rarely enforced
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—sugarcane, corn, coffee, rice; imports wheat (US), corn (South Africa), sorghum (Argentina, US); caloric intake 2,435 calories per day per capita (1977)
Budget
1980—revenues $14.6 billion; expenditures, $12.0 billion, capital $2.2 billion
Crude steel
848,000 metric tons produced (1978), 60 kg per capita
Electric power
10,000,000 kW capacity (1981); 43.0 billion kWh produced (1981), 2,500 kWh per capita
Exports
$19.3 billion (f.o.b., 1980); petroleum (95%), iron ore, coffee
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 178,000 metric tons (1980); exports $1.6 million (1979), imports $19.7 million (1980)
GNP
$60 billion (1980, in 1980 dollars), $4,000 per capita; 52% private consumption, 14% public consumption, 34% gross investment (1979); real growth rate −0.1% (1980)
Imports
$11.3 billion (f.o.b., 1980); industrial machinery and equipment, chemicals, manufactures, wheat
Major industries
petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction, food processing, textiles
Major trade partners
imports—45% US, 8% Japan, 6% West Germany; exports—30% US, 11% Canada (1980)
Monetary conversion rate
4.2925 bolivares=US$1 (January 1982)
Communications
Airfields
268 total, 267 usable; 115 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 82 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
68 major transport aircraft, including 4 leased in and 1 leased out
Highways
77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
7,100 km; Orinoco River and Lake Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels
Pipelines
6,110 km crude oil; 400 km refined products; 2,495 km natural gas
Ports
6 major, 17 minor
Railroads
403 km standard gauge (1.435 m) all single track; 173 km government owned, 230 km privately owned
Telecommunications
modern expanding telecom system; satellite ground station; 1,165,000 telephones (8.5 per 100 popl.); 215 AM, 50 FM, and 48 TV stations; 3 submarine coaxial cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station with 2 antennas
Military and Security
Military budget
proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1980, $861.2 million; about 6.5% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,373,000; 3,322,000 fit for military service; 185,000 reach military age (18) annually