Geography of Venezuela
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Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Geographic coordinates: Template:Coor dm
Map references: South America, Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total:
912,050 km²
land:
882,050 km²
water:
30,000 km²
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total:
4,993 km
border countries:
Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
Coastline: 2,800 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
15 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (Llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Land use:
arable land:
4%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
20%
forests and woodland:
34%
other:
41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,900 km² (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: 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
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Dumping
Geography - note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America