Venezuela
The
Bolivarian
Republic
of
Venezuela
is
a
country
in
northern
South
America.
It
borders
the
Caribbean
Sea
and
the
Atlantic
Ocean
to
the
north,
Guyana
to
the
east,
Brazil
to
the
south,
and
Colombia
to
the
west.
Off
the
Venezuelan
coast
are
also
found
the
Caribbean
states
of
Aruba,
the
Netherlands
Antilles
and
Trinidad
and
Tobago.
History
Main
article:
History
of
Venezuela
Venezuela
was
the
site
of
the
first
permanent
Spanish
settlement
in
South
America
in
1522,
and
the
territory
eventually
became
part
of
the
viceroyalty
of
New
Granada.
After
several
unsuccessful
uprisings,
the
country
achieved
independence
from
Spain
in
1821
under
the
leadership
of
its
most
famous
son,
Simón
Bolívar.
Venezuela,
along
with
what
are
now
Colombia,
Panama,
and
Ecuador,
was
part
of
the
Republic
of
Greater
Colombia
(Gran
Colombia)
until
1830,
when
Venezuela
separated
and
became
a
sovereign
republic.
Much
of
Venezuela's
19th
and
early
20th
century
history
was
characterised
by
periods
of
political
instability,
dictatorial
rule,
and
revolutionary
turbulence.
Following
the
military's
withdrawal
from
direct
involvement
in
national
politics
in
1958,
Venezuela
has
enjoyed
an
unbroken
tradition
of
civilian
democratic
rule.
In
recent
years
however,
the
presidency
of
Hugo
Chávez
saw
a
failed
coup
d'état
in
2002
and
continued
widespread
opposition
to
his
government.
Politics
Main
article:
Politics
of
Venezuela
The
Venezuelan
president
is
elected
by
a
plurality
vote
with
direct
and
universal
suffrage
and
functions
as
both
head
of
state
and
head
of
government.
The
term
of
office
is
6
years,
and
a
president
may
be
re-elected
to
a
single
consecutive
term.
The
president
appoints
the
vice-president
and
decides
the
size
and
composition
of
the
cabinet
and
makes
appointments
to
it
with
the
involvement
of
the
legislature.
The
president
can
ask
the
legislature
to
reconsider
portions
of
laws
he
finds
objectionable,
but
a
simple
parliamentary
majority
can
override
these
objections.
The
unicameral
Venezuelan
parliament
is
the
National
Assembly
or
Asamblea
Nacional.
Its
165
deputies,
of
which
three
are
reserved
for
indigenous
peoples,
serve
5-year
terms
and
may
be
re-elected
for
a
maximum
of
two
additional
terms.
They
are
elected
by
popular
vote
through
a
combination
of
party
lists
and
single
member
constituencies.
The
highest
judiciary
body
is
the
Supreme
Tribunal
of
Justice
or
Tribuna
Suprema
de
Justicia,
whose
magistrates
are
elected
by
parliament
for
a
single
12-year
term.
States
Main
article:
States
of
Venezuela
Venezuela
is
subdivided
into
23
states
(estados),
one
federal
district
(distrito
federal)
and
one
federal
dependency
(dependencia
federal),
marked
by
a
*:
-
Amazonas
-
Anzoategui
-
Apure
-
Aragua
-
Barinas
-
Bolívar
-
Carabobo
-
Cojedes
-
Delta
Amacuro
-
Falcon
-
Federal
Dependency
*
-
Federal
District
*
-
Guarico
-
Lara
-
Merida
-
Miranda
-
Monagas
-
Nueva
Esparta
-
Portuguesa
-
Sucre
-
Tachira
-
Trujillo
-
Vargas
-
Yaracuy
-
Zulia
Geography
Main
article:
Geography
of
Venezuela
Venezuela
is
home
to
a
wide
variety
of
landscapes,
such
as
the
northeasternmost
extensions
of
the
Andes
mountains
in
the
northwest
and
along
the
northern
Caribbean
coast,
of
which
the
highest
point
is
the
Pico
Bolivar
at
5,007
m.
Also
found
in
the
northwest
are
the
lowlands
around
Lake
Maracaibo
and
the
Gulf
of
Venezuela.
The
centre
of
the
country
is
characterised
by
extensive
plains
known
as
the
llanos
that
stretch
from
the
Colombian
border
to
the
river
delta
of
the
Orinoco
east.
To
the
south
are
found
the
dissected
Guiana
Highlands,
home
to
Angel
Falls,
the
world's
highest
waterfall.
The
local
climate
is
tropical
and
generally
hot
and
humid,
though
more
moderate
in
the
highlands.
The
capital,
Caracas
is
also
the
country's
largest
city.
Other
major
cities
include
Maracaibo,
Barquisimeto,
Valencia,
Maracay,
and
Ciudad
Guayana.
Economy
Main
article:
Economy
of
Venezuela
The
Venezuelan
economy
shifted
after
the
First
World
War
from
a
primarily
agricultural
orientation
to
an
economy
centered
on
petroleum
production
and
export,
which
continues
to
dominate,
accounting
for
roughly
a
third
of
GDP,
around
80%
of
export
earnings,
and
more
than
half
of
government
operating
revenues.
Venezuelan
officials
estimate
that
GDP
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