Venezuela

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
República Bolivariana de Venezuela
Motto: Dios y Federación
"God and Federation"
Anthem: Gloria al Bravo Pueblo
"Glory to the Brave People"

  Location of Venezuela
  Territory claimed but not controlled
Capital
and largest city
Caracas
10°30′22″N 66°54′52″W / 10.50611°N 66.91444°W / 10.50611; -66.91444
Official languagesSpanish[b]
Recognized regional languages
Ethnic groups
(2011)
Religion
(2020)
  • 5.5% no religion
  • 1.1% Spiritism, Birongo
  • 0.8% other
DemonymVenezuelan
GovernmentFederal presidential republic under an authoritarian dictatorship
• President
Delcy Rodríguez (acting)
Vacant
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence 
from Spain
• Declared
5 July 1811
• from Gran Colombia
13 January 1830
• Recognized
29 March 1845
20 December 1999
Area
• Total
916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi) (32nd)
• Water (%)
3.2%[d]
Population
• 2025 estimate
31,800,000 (53rd)
• Density
32/km2 (82.9/sq mi) (184th)
GDP (PPP)2025 estimate
• Total
Increase $234.340 billion (77th)
• Per capita
Increase $8,790 (133rd)
GDP (nominal)2025 estimate
• Total
Decrease $82.770 billion (69th)
• Per capita
Decrease $3,100 (127th)
Gini (2013)Negative increase 44.8
medium inequality
HDI (2023)Increase 0.709
high (121st)
CurrencyVenezuelan bolívar (VED) (official)
Time zoneUTC−04:00 (VET)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Calling code+58
ISO 3166 codeVE
Internet TLD.ve
  1. ^ The "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" has been the full official title since the adoption of the Constitution of 1999, when the state was renamed in honor of Simón Bolívar.
  2. ^ The Constitution also recognizes all Indigenous languages spoken in the country.
  3. ^ Some important subgroups include those of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Amerindian, African, Arab and German descent.
  4. ^ Area totals include only Venezuelan-administered territory.
  5. ^ On 1 October 2021, a new bolivar was introduced, the Bolívar digital (ISO 4217 code VED) worth 1,000,000 VES.

Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and various islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of 912,050 km2 (352,140 sq mi), with a population estimated at 31.8 million in 2025. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is Caracas. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Colombia, on the south by Brazil, on the east by Guyana, and on the northeast by Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuela consists of 23 states, the Capital District, and the Federal Dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America, with an estimated urbanization rate of 88.4% in 2022. The vast majority of Venezuelans live in urban areas in the north, including in the capital.

The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522, amid resistance from Indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of the first Spanish American territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part of the first federal Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia). It separated as a fully sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. From 1958, the country had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of the region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to major political crises and widespread social unrest, including the deadly Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of a president for embezzlement of public funds charges in 1993. Confidence in the existing political parties collapsed during the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election, in which Hugo Chávez was elected and which became the catalyst for the Bolivarian Revolution. During the 1999 Constituent Assembly, a new Constitution of Venezuela was written and ratified.

The government's populist and social welfare policies were temporarily bolstered by soaring oil prices, temporarily increasing social spending and reducing economic inequality and poverty in the early years of the Chávez government. Poverty began to rapidly increase, however, in mid- to late 2014. The 2013, 2018 and 2024 presidential elections were all widely disputed, with opposition candidates being arrested or exiled. This led to widespread protest and international condemnation, which triggered another nationwide crisis. In 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president. Since this intervention, the country has been described as a puppet state of the U.S. in terms of its finances and domestic policy.

Venezuela is officially a federal presidential republic, but has experienced democratic backsliding into an authoritarian state under the Chávez and Maduro administrations. It ranks poorly on international measurements of freedom of the press, civil liberties, and control of corruption. Venezuela is a developing country, has the world's largest known oil reserves, and has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil. Previously, the country was an underdeveloped exporter of agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa, but oil quickly came to dominate exports and government revenues. Venezuela struggles with hyperinflation, shortages of basic goods, unemployment, poverty, disease, high child mortality, malnutrition, environmental issues, severe crime, widespread corruption, and U.S. sanctions which have precipitated the Venezuelan refugee crisis where more than 7.9 million people had fled the country. The crisis in Venezuela has contributed to a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation.

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