Name:

Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Capital:

Caracas. Capital District (CD)

Government Type:

Participatory Democracy

Chief of State and head of Government:

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (President)

Population:

26,023,528 (July 2007 estimate)

Population distribution:

93% urban and 7% rural

Ethnic groups:

Mixed 67%, whites 21%, black 10% and indigenous 2%.

Local Time:

GMT –4.5 hours

Weights and measures:

Metric system.

Religion:

Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, and other 2%

Official Language:

Spanish, (numerous indigenous dialects)

Geography

Territorial Political Division:

23 states, 1 capital district and 311 federal dependencies (small islands).

Area:

916.445 km2

Location:

Venezuela is located in the Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana

Neighbors:

Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the North, Colombia to the West, Brazil to the South and Guyana to the East.