Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
federal republic
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Religions
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
Languages
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
External Debt
$14,710,000,000,000 $
$89,600,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 2.147 (2008 est.), 2,147 (2007), 2,147 (2006), 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004) note: On 1 January 2008 Venezuela revalued its currency with 1000 old bolivares equal to 1 new bolivar
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
1
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Area
9,826,675 km sq
912,050 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
2,800 km
Climate
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
