Tucked away in the north of the continent away from the main tourist trails of South America, Venezuela is a hidden gem with some of the most spectacular natural scenery in this part of the world. The table mountain, or tepui, landscape of eastern Venezuela makes for some extraordinary destinations including the world's highest waterfalls at Angel Falls and the trek to the 'Lost World' of Mount Roraima. Further west, the plains of Los Llanos have some of the best wildlife spotting opportunities in South America amidst a landscape of cowboys and cattle ranches akin to the Wild West. Venezuela is also a great destination for those seeking adventure and adrenaline thrills with excellent white-water rafting, paragliding and more. Explore in depth highlights of Venezuela.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT -4.5 (Venezuela standard time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Spanish |
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| Currency: |
bolivar fuerte (VEF) €1 = Bs11.15, $1 = Bs10.00, £1 = Bs13.29 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .ve | International Dialling Code: 58 |
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For help planning your trip to Venezuela including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Venezuela trip planning page.
Further information on Venezuela
Discover more about Venezuela - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 912,050 sq km (30,000 sq km under water)
Coastline: 2,800 km (Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea)
Neighbours (border lengths): Brazil (2,200km), Colombia (2,050km), Guyana (743km)
Climate: Tropical climate, warm year round with rainy season from August to November, more moderate temperatures in the highlands.
Highest mountain: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) (5,007m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Venezuela from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Partly Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Hybrid regime | 100/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Repressed | 176/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Difficult situation | 135/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Some rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | High corruption | 161/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 144/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Status: Independent Country
Population: 28,868,486 (rank: 45/196) Density: 31.6 people/sq km (rank: 147/196)
Ethnic groups: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
GDP (PPP): $407.4 billion GDP per capita: $13,600 (rank: 76/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.