Venezuela, a South-American Republic, lies on the northern coast of the continent with coastlines along the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the east it borders Guyana, to the south, Brazil and to the west and south-west, Colombia. The country has a total surface of 916,445 km2 (including mainland and islands) and a governs a maritime area of 860,000 km2. These extensive territories are contained within a compact continental surface, whose maximum distance from east to west is 1,493km and 1,271 km. from north to south. This contributes to the ease of internal integration and cohesion. The coastline is lengthy and runs for 2,183 km along the Caribbean Sea, from Castilletes to the Paria headland. It follows an irregular line with numerous gulfs and bays, among them those of the Venezuela, Triste and Cariaco gulfs, as well as more than 314 islands, keys and islets under Venezuelan rule.

In the north it stretches up to the Aves island together with the exclusive offshore zone. At the same time, it has 1,008 km. of continental shore facing the Atlantic Ocean, from the headland of Paria to Punta Playa, including the Paria gulf, Patos island, and the littoral of the Orinoco delta and adjacent islands, whose coasts are wooded and marshy and covered with mangrove swamps.

It is a tropical country with geographical features common to other nations of the American continent, as well as Africa, Asia and Oceania, which are situated between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Its position leads to both continental and island territories having a wide variety of tropical climates, with huge natural potential for renewable solar energy. This can be seen in the exuberantly varied flora in warm and damp climates. It has an enormous physical and geographical diversity, due to a combination of 27 climatic zones, 12 categories of natural vegetation, 23 distinct geographical areas and 38 large geological units together with a soil cover which has an ample variety of characteristics and qualities.

Climate

The Venezuelan climate reflects the diversity of the territory which in turn is directly associated with the existent landscapes. In the Caribbean littoral, on the islands and in the lowlands of Lara and Carora, the prevailing climate is semi-arid with dry vegetation, an annual rainfall of 600 mm. and average temperatures of 24ºC. Along the coastal mountain range, the Andes, in the valleys between the mountains and mountain ranges, the climate varies from hot tropical climates, at an altitude of 900m, to cold climates in the mountains over 3,500m altitude. A great number of the country’s settlements have established themselves in these areas where the climate is favourable, with annual rainfalls of 850 to 900mm and temperatures that fluctuate between averages of 18º to 22º C.

In the lowlands of Los Llanos a rainy tropical climate dominates, with a dry grassland season. It has clearly defined dry and rainy seasons, which range between 1,200 and 1,600mm a year with an average temperature of 28° C.

In the Orinoco delta the climate is one of tropical rainforest and heavy rainfall with a oceanic influence which favours dense vegetation. In the south of Venezuela tropical rainforests predominate, with an annual rainfall over 4,000 mm, having 10 to 11 rainy months a year, with dense, constantly damp jungle vegetation.

Areas and Surfaces

Continental Platform
This is situated in the north and north-east of the country and covers approximately 18% of the total mainland surface. It includes a wide coastal belt of low-lying land, between 0 and 100 metres above sea level. It is situated between the Caribbean Sea and the coastal mountain ranges (La Cordillera de la Costa). It presents three important broad depressions: Lake Maracaibo (to the west), the Unare basin (towards the centre and far north-east) and the Orinoco delta region (to the east) whose lands are low and marshy.

Coastal Highlands
These are a structural continuation of the island chain of the eastern part of the Caribbean, situated between the north-central coastal zone and the plains depression. They cover only 3% of the total surface of the country and is the most populated region. It constitutes a complex range of alp-like mountains with various kinds of landscape, such as interior valleys, hills, hillocks and rolling hills, which can be found still in reduced areas. It stretches from the Lara depression in the west to the Paria and Araya peninsulas in the east, with only one important interruption: the Unare basin. This range is divided into two parts by the Unare and Fosa de Cariaco basins: the Central and Eastern segments. Each one of these is divided by two mountain ranges which run from east to west: the Coastal Range and the Internal Range, among which, important depressions such as the Valencia Lake depression, the Barlovento Plains depression and the Tuy Valleys. The highest point in the central branch is the Naiguatá peak, at 2,765 metres, in the Littoral Range (the highest on the Coastal Highlands), and the highest point in the Eastern branch is the Turimiquire, at 2,595 metres, in the Internal Range. In the valleys of the Central branch of the Coastal Highlands, sit three cities of economic importance for the country: Caracas, Valencia and Maracay.

Valleys and Mountain Ranges
This is a low-lying region with a varied landscape, with altitudes ranging between 500 and 1,700 metres. It is situated in the north-east of the country and occupies almost the entire Falcón, Lara and Yaracuy states, with an approximate area of 52,000 km2. It serves as a transition between the more dramatic countryside which characterizes the neighbouring regions. You can also find in this region closed plains of lacustrine fluvial semi-arid origin, and also the only desert of micro-regional character of the country: Los Médanos de Coro (in the coast of Falcón).

The Andes Mountains Range The highest peaks of the Venezuelan terrain are to be found in this mountain range. It is the continuation of the Colombian Andes and when they reach the Pamplona Knot (Nudo de Pamplona) (Colombia) it forks into two branches: La Sierra de Perijá and La Cordillera de Mérida or the Venezuelan Andes. La Cordillera de Mérida penetrates Venezuela via the Tachira depression and from there stretches out as far as the Lara state. Its centre is divided lengthways by the Chama and Motatán rivers which, from their highest point, run in opposite directions. At its summit is the highest peak of the country: Bolívar peak (5,007 metres). La Sierra de Perijá (The Perijá Range) runs north-east and constitutes Venezuela’s western limit. Its highest point is the Tetari peak at 3,750 metres.

Guayana
This is the most extensive and least populated of all Venezuelan regions and represents approximately 45% of the national territory. It stretches south of the Orinoco river down to the borders with Colombia and Brazil. The landscape in this zone is mixed and varies from the gently sloping lands along the banks of the Orinoco river, to the great plains which rise up spectacularly and are surrounded by vertical cliffs, called "tepuys", which reach heights of up to 2,800 metres above sea level and which are unique in the world.

The Plains
These are extensive stretches of land, almost flat, situated in the centre of the country. Altitudes fluctuate between 500 and 200 metres above sea level. They cover an area of approximately 25% of the country’s total surface. They stretch over a distance of 1,300 km, from the mouth of the Orinoco in the east, to the Andes in the west; from the foothills of the Coastal Highlands donw to the Orinoco. In this huge region is where the sedimentary oil basins are to be found.

Natural Resources

Oil: Venezuela’s self-sufficiency in energy, through its renewable and non-renewable energy resources, which supply its own inhabitants as well as allowing for large-scale export, gives her a place among the few nations in the world with such a special advantage.

At the moment, proven oil reserves surpass 76 thousand million barrels, which make Venezuela the country with the fourth largest proven oil reserves in the world . Its huge daily production of oil puts her in 3rd place as a world producer. On top of this, one of the largest reserves of heavy and extra-heavy oil in the world is to be found in the bituminous Orinoco belt, with 51% of the total reserves of heavy crude oil in the world. The State, through Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the third largest oil company in the world, is in charge of managing, administrating and centralizing the oil resources of the country. This core company concerns itself with the exploration, exploitation and refining of the mineral.

Minerals and Non-Minerals:There are more than 150 metallic and non-metallic, minerals in the national territory, the most important ones being iron, bauxite, gold, diamonds, phosphate, copper, nickel, zinc, common salt, plaster and limestone. Iron and bauxite, present in the Guayana region, have proven reserves and present optimum conditions to contribute to the development of the country. At the present time, the production of these minerals is the second largest earner of foreign income after oil. These resources are also managed by state companies. The auriferous and diamond-bearing basins are also in the Guayana region, where the great majority of the production comes from informal mining, an undesirable practice because of its harmful effects on the natural environment. These mineral reserves constitute approximately 12% of the world’s proven reserves.

Natural Gas: It is a fact that there are huge reserves of natural gas in the country associated, and not associated, with the deposits of crude oil. In recent years new reserves have been found in the north-eastern region, both inland and out at sea. These discoveries give Venezuela 4.1 billion cubic metres of proven reserves of natural gas, putting the country in seventh place for world production and first in Latin-America. The development of this resource is a strategic alternative for energy consumption at home as well as for export, which has increased the flow of currency into the country.

Coal: Coal is another energy resource of great importance in Venezuela. There are substantial proven and unproven reserves, and production is increasing every day by virtue of the internal and external demands for heating purposes. The coal derivatives, coke and tar, are used in mining-industrial complexes, and in the same way coal can also be used in the industrial sector to partially replace oil, which then allows the release of large quantities of the latter for export.

Water Resources: The national territory counts on an abundance of water resources, on the surface as well as underground. It is estimated that are 700 million cubic metres of surface water and 22,000 cubic metres of underground water, being able to use 68% of the total of the superficial waters. Possessing such a vital resource in such abundance puts Venezuela in a privileged position in the world. The Orinoco river is the most important in the country. It is 2,000km in length, of which 1,670 are navigable.

Hydroelectricity: The Venezuelan landscape, mainly in south of the country, is crossed by countless large, wide flowing rivers and torrents. Because of this it has an immense potential for hydroelectric resources. These have been estimated at 83,430 MW. The mobilization of these resources is carried out by plants found in the Guayana and the Andes regions. The execution of this task is the responsibility of state companies such as Compañía Anónima de Administración y Fomento Eléctrico (CADAFE), Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) and Electrificación del Caroní (EDELCA). Thus, Venezuela has energy resources in proven reserves at an satisfactory international level.

Land Resources: There is a wide range of types of land that can be seen in at least 34 kinds of different types of agriculture. These range from good-quality lumpy or alluvial land of medium agricultural value to sloping, hill-side land of low quality and productivity. Land with high potential is limited. However, its low fertility can be compensated for by appropriate management, the suitable fertilization techniques, erosion control, irrigation and drainage, as well as a rational use of these techniques according to conservationist criteria. In the same way, land of medium productivity is the most plentiful, and they have incorporated these production processes with excellent results. Therefore, with the use of techniques best adapted to the characteristics of the local environment, Venezuelan geography could provide the basis for prosperous agricultural, cattle-raising, and agro-industrial enterprises which already provide food, to be able to meet the internal and external demands of the country.

Flora, Fauna and Landscape

The extraordinary landscapes and variety in climate in Venezuela offer a huge backdrop of contrasting beauty providing sights and scenery of enormous potential for tourism and leisure. The bright, sunny,tropical landscapes with striking scenery, exotic beaches, secluded islands, as well as mountains with a variety of climates, among many other things, have the possibility to attract an important stream of tourists, both national and foreign. Because of its geographical situation, climate and other ecological conditions many different kinds of vegetation are found. Thus, more than 50% of it territory is covered in forests and there are more than 200 species of reptiles, birds and mammals that can be exploited in different ways. The marine and underwater areas, along the Venezuelan coasts, are abundant in live and mineral resources.

Fauna: Some 3,800 species and sub-species inhabit Venezuelan territory.

Flora: Besides the maize, cassava, and a wide variety of food crops, there are jungles, in which vegetation is grown due to the humidity and extensive grasslands.

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