Venezuela+Geography

=Geography of Venezuela! =
 * Geography || History  || Culture  || Political System  || Economy  || Classroom Activities  ||

 Venezuela is a Northern South American country. It is about a third larger than Texas and is bordered by Columbia to the west, Brazil to the south, Guyana to the east, and the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean to the north. It is home to approximately 26, 814, 843 (est. 2009) people. Venezuela is known for its tropical, hot, and humid climate. 

Like all countries, Venezuela has a lowest point and a highest point. The lowest point is the Caribbean Sea, which is a 0 m above sea level. The highest point in Venezuela is Pico Bolivar, a peak in the Andes Mountain Range, that is 5,007 m above sea level. 



Venezuela's coastline is very long and runs for 2, 183 km along the Caribbean Sea. There are numerous gulfs, bays, and 314 islands under Venezuelan rule. Venezuela is located on major sea and air routes linking North and South America. It is also home to Angel falls, the highest waterfall in the WORLD!

Venezuela has a very diverse territory. Venezuela houses a desert, mud volcanoes, coastal highlands, valleys and mountain ranges (Andes Mountains), the great plains, grasslands, the Amazon Rainforest, and a very unique territory called Guayana, which is the least populated region of Venezuela. It is home to the Tepuis, which are the great plains that rise up and are surrounded by vertical cliffs! Needless to say, Venezuela is the place to travel to experience a wide variety of climates! 



There are natural resources all over Venezuela as well! Venezuela is the fourth largest proven oil reserve in the world, making more than 76 million barrels! Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), is the third largest oil company in the world!



Minerals and non minerals are also very important to the country of Venezuela. More than 150 metallic and non-metallic are found within the country. The main minerals that Venezuela is known for are bauxite, gold, diamonds, phosphate, copper, nickel, zinc, common salt, plaster, and limestone! Wow, those are a lot of minerals that people use everyday! There are also huge reserves of natural gas, associated with the deposits of crude oil. Coal and other land resources can also be found in this amazing country!

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;"> Unfortunately, Venezuela is subject to some natural disasters. Floods, mudslides, rockslides, and periodic droughts are all disasters that the people of Venezuela have to watch out for!



[[image:_568720_mudslides300.jpg width="418" height="249" align="right" caption="1999 Venezuelan mudslide"]][[image:drought.jpg width="408" height="260" align="center" caption="Drought"]]
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">But don't worry!!! Every country has diasters! Do you know any diasters that can happen in your country?