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Compare Western Sahara (2007) - Venezuela (2007)

Compare Western Sahara (2007) z Venezuela (2007)

 Western Sahara (2007)Venezuela (2007)
 Western SaharaVenezuela
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia


note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 4,169,979/female 4,046,170)


15-64 years: 63.4% (male 8,120,661/female 8,369,065)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 586,863/female 730,790) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Airports 9 (2007) 390 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
total: 128


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 34


914 to 1,523 m: 61


under 914 m: 18 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 262


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 97


under 914 m: 149 (2007)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 912,050 sq km


land: 882,050 sq km


water: 30,000 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly more than twice the size of California
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, has promoted a controversial policy of "democratic socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
Birth rate NA 21.22 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $54.65 billion


expenditures: $54.61 billion (2006 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Caracas


geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Coastline 1,110 km 2,800 km
Constitution - 30 December 1999
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela


conventional short form: Venezuela


local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela


local short form: Venezuela
Death rate NA 5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $41.4 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD


embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080


mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037


telephone: [58] (212) 975-9234, 975-6411


FAX: [58] (212) 975-8991
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Bernardo ALVAREZ Herrera


chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214


FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's full effect claim
Economic aid - recipient $NA $48.66 million (2005)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, more than 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. Tax collection - Venezuela's primary source of non-oil revenue - is expected to surpass $23 billion in 2006, exceeding the yearend collection goal by more than 20%. A nationwide strike between December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic consequences - real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003 - but economic output since then has recovered strongly. Fueled by higher oil prices, record government spending helped to boost GDP growth in 2004 and 2005 to approximately 18% and 11%, respectively. Economic growth in 2006 reached about 9%. This spending, combined with recent minimum wage hikes and improved access to domestic credit, has fueled a consumption boom - car sales in 2006 increased by around 70% - but has come at the cost of higher inflation. Despite government attempts to withdraw liquidity from the economy, Venezuela's money supply set a record in June 2006, approximately 70% higher than the previous year. Imports have also jumped significantly.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 73.36 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 99.2 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002) bolivares per US dollar - 2,147 (2006), 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003), 1,161 (2002)
Executive branch none chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jorge RODRIGUEZ Gomez (since 3 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Vice President Jorge RODRIGUEZ Gomez (since 3 January 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2012)


note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this constitution


election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 62.9%, Manuel ROSALES 36.9%
Exports NA bbl/day 2.293 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) US 46.3%, Netherlands Antilles 13.5%, China 3.2% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 3.7%


industry: 40.5%


services: 55.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 10.3% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 8 00 N, 66 00 W
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall
Heliports - 2 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 0.7%


highest 10%: 35.2% (2003)
Illicit drugs - small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) US 30.6%, Colombia 10.2%, Brazil 10.1%, Mexico 5.9%, China 4.9%, Panama 4.8% (2006)
Independence - 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 7% (2006 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 22.52 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.14 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 13.7% (2006 est.)
International organization participation none CAN, Caricom (observer), CDB, CSN, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 5,750 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term)
Labor force 12,000 12.19 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture: 13%


industry: 23%


services: 64% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 4,993 km


border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 2.85%


permanent crops: 0.88%


other: 96.27% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Legal system - open, adversarial court system
Legislative branch - unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)


elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 73.28 years


male: 70.24 years


female: 76.48 years (2007 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93%


male: 93.3%


female: 92.7% (2001 census)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
Map references Africa South America
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 15 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine - total: 59 ships (1000 GRT or over) 808,721 GRT/1,285,783 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 14, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 1


foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 3, Greece 3, Mexico 3, Panama 1, Russia 1, Spain 1)


registered in other countries: 11 (Bahamas 1, Panama 10) (2007)
Military branches - National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN): Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1.2% (2005 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Venezuelan(s)


adjective: Venezuelan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Net migration rate - -1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - extra heavy crude oil 992 km; gas 5,369 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1,681 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders - A New Time or UNT [Manuel ROSALES]; Christian Democrats or COPEI [Cesar PEREZ Vivas]; Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup]; Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; Venezuela Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders none FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action)
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
26,023,528 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 37.9% (end 2005 est.)
Population growth rate NA 1.486% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998)
Railways - total: 682 km


standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.803 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: modern and expanding


domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services


international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 4.217 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 18.79 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Total fertility rate NA 2.55 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 8.9% (2006 est.)
Waterways - 7,100 km


note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2005)
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