Venezuela, with its capital Caracas, is slightly more than twice the
size of California and encompasses a total area of 912,050 sq. km. The climate
is tropical, hot and humid but more moderate in highlands. The Andes Mountains
and Maracaibo Lowlands are in the northwest, central plains (llanos), and
Guiana Highlands in southeast. Their natural resources are: petroleum, natural
gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, and diamonds.
The population of this official Spanish speaking country was recorded as 23,916,810 in July 2001. Numerous indigenous dialects are spoken in the country as well. The main industries include: petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, and motor vehicle assembly. Agricultural products are an important source of income. Corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs and fish are commonly cultivated. Venezuela faces a number of environmental issues including: the 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, and threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations.
Click here for information about the wildlife and habitats of Central and South America.