GENERAL INFORMATION ON VENEZUELA

Full Official Title
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

System of Government
Presidential.

President
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.

Most Important National Dates
April 19 (Declaration of Independence)
June 24 (Battle of Carabobo)
July 5 (Signing of the Declaration of Independence)
July 24 (Liberator’s birthday)
December 17 (Liberator’s death)

Capital
Caracas, located in the Capital District; where the seat of government and national government institutions are found.

Location
North of the Equator, on the northern coast of South America. The continental territory is found in the following latitudes: 8° 0´ North and 66° 0´ West.

Population
For the year 2010, it is estimated that Venezuela will have a population of about 28,833,845 people with a birth rate of 1.99 for every 100 persons and a mortality (death) rate of 0.53 for every 100 persons.

Official Language
Spanish, Native (indigenous) dialects.

Political Division by Territory
23 States, 1 Capital District and Federal Dependencies made up of for 311 islands, keys and islets (little islands).

Most Important Cities
Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Maracay, Barquisimeto, Bolivar City.

Main Industries
Oil Refinement, Petrochemical, Steel, Aluminum, Cement, Building Materials, Textiles, Brewery, Food Processing, Auto Parts and Telecommunications.

Local Time
UTC /GMT -4 hours 30 minutes.

Weights and Measures
Decimal metric system.

Currency
Bolivar Fuerte.

Religion
Most of the population, 92%, is Catholic and the rest (8%) belong to other religions.

Nationality
Venezuelan, which you don’t lose even if you choose or acquire another nationality.

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