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World > South America >
Venezuela > Geography (Facts)
Venezuela - Geography (Facts) |
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Location: |
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana |
Geographic coordinates: |
8 00 N, 66 00 W |
Map references: |
South America |
Area: |
total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km |
Area - comparative: |
slightly more than twice the size of California |
Land boundaries: |
total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km |
Coastline: |
2,800 km |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands |
Terrain: |
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m |
Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds |
Land use: |
arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.88% other: 96.27% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
5,750 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: |
subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts |
Environment - current issues: |
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; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations |
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: |
on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall |
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