able land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 0.88%
other: 96.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:
5,750 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; 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; threat
to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations

Environment - international agreements:
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:
on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel
Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

People Venezuela

Population:
25,730,435 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.1% (male 3,860,116/female 3,620,440)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 8,494,944/female 8,410,874)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 609,101/female 734,960) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 26 years
male: 25.4 years
female: 26.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.38% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
18.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
4.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.54 years
male: 71.49 years
female: 77.81 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.23 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.7% - note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
4,100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups:
Spanish, Italian, Portugues