| Geography | Venezuela |
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Location:
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Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana |
Geographic coordinates:
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8 00 N, 66 00 W |
Map references:
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South America |
Area:
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total: 912,050 sq km
land: 882,050 sq km
water: 30,000 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of California |
Land boundaries:
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total: 4,993 km
border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km |
Coastline:
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2,800 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 15 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
Terrain:
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Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m |
Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds |
Land use:
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arable land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 0.88%
other: 96.27% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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5,750 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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1,233.2 cu km (2000) |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 8.37 cu km/yr (6%/7%/47%)
Per capita: 313 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards:
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subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts |
Environment - current issues:
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sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall |
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