al fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan

Ethnic divisions: 67% mestizo, 21% white, 10% black, 2% Indian

Religion: 96% nominally Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant

Language: Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000
Amerindians in the remote interior

Literacy: 85.6%

Labor force: 5,800,000; 56% services, 28% industry, 16% agriculture (1985)

Organized labor: 32% of labor force

- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Venezuela

Type: republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular--estado),
2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district**
(distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (dependencia federal);
Amazonas*, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes,
Delta Amacuro*, Dependencias Federales***, Distrito Federal**, Falcon,
Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre,
Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia; note--the federal dependence consists of
11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Constitution: 23 January 1961

Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative
acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres
PEREZ (since 2 February 1989)

Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI),
Eduardo Fernandez, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD),
Gonzalo Barrios, president, and Humberto Celli, secretary general;
Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Teodoro Petkoff, president, and
Freddy Munoz, secretary general

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced

Elections:
President--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held
December 1993);
results--Carlos Andres Perez (AD) 53%,
Eduardo Fernandez (COPEI) 40%, others 7%;

Senate--last held 4 December 1988
(next to be held December 1993);
results--percent of vot