Venezuela is blessed with the largest petroleum reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean. The economy of Venezuela is built upon the nation's rich petroleum and mineral resources. In Caracas government-distributed oil wealth has created impressive buildings and a class of millionaires and highly paid technicians whose standard of living is on a par with that of the wealthy in any Western country. Venezuela is situated on the northern coast of South America, north of Brazil and between Colombia and Guyana.
Area: 916,445 sq km
Population: 25 million
Capital: Caracas
People: 67% mestizo, 21% European descent, 10% African descent, 2% indigenous. There are approximately 200,000 Amerindians, remnants of a number of diverse semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer societies.
Language: Spanish, Castilian
Religion: 96% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant
Government: Federal Republic
GDP: US$194.5 billion
Major Industries: Petroleum, iron ore, cereals, fruit, sugar and coffee.
Major Trading Partners: USA, Germany, Japan, Colombia, Brazil, and Italy
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