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

@Venezuela:People

Population: 23,542,649 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 3,967,544; female 3,721,658)
15-64 years: 63% (male 7,406,086; female 7,355,923)
65 years and over: 4% (male 499,102; female 592,336) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.6% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 21.09 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 4.94 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 26.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.07 years
male: 70.05 years
female: 76.31 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.51 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Venezuelan(s)
adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African,
indigenous people

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.1%
male: 91.8%
female: 90.3% (1995 est.)

@Venezuela:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form: Venezuela
local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
local short form: Venezuela

Data code: VE

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 23 states (estados, singular - estado),1
federal district* (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency**
(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, Vargas, Yaracuy,
Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled
island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 5 J