Venezuela is an independent state in South America, and a member of the United Nations. The long form of the name is Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The capital is Caracas.
Its territory runs to 916,445 km², which ranks it 34th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Nigeria and just ahead of Pakistan. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Nigeria.
Some 28.4 million people call it home, placing it 53rd of 250 by population — between Cameroon above it and Australia below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 6th of 14 in size and 5th in population.
How Venezuela sits on the globe
Its reference point sits at 8.0° north and 66.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 891 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include Ethiopia, Nigeria and Somalia.
Its land neighbours number 3: Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. The largest of them by area is Brazil, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 265.7 million people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population, density and language
Spread across 916,445 km², that works out at about 31 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
The demonym is Venezuelan, so residents are Venezuelans.
Officially it is monolingual: Spanish. Spanish is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 23 other entries including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia and Chile.
Inside the Americas it places 8th of 56 by population, and it accounts for 6.5% of everyone living in South America.
Currency, domain and dialling code
The currency is the Venezuelan bolÃvar soberano (Bs.S., VES). It is issued for Venezuela alone.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Venezuela, the answer is Caracas.
Its internet country code is .ve. Calls from overseas start with +58. In ISO terms it is ve in two letters and VEN in three.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Venezuela shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Venezuela
- Ranked by land area, Venezuela is 34th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Spanish is official here and in 23 other entries worldwide.
- Its capital city is Caracas.
- Websites based there use the .ve domain.
- Within South America it is the 6th largest of 14.
- It lies about 891 km from the equator, in equatorial latitudes.
- Its full official name is Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
- The Venezuelan bolÃvar soberano is used here and nowhere else on this list.
Venezuela — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Venezuela?
- The capital of Venezuela is Caracas.
- What is the population of Venezuela?
- Venezuela has a population of about 28.4 million, which makes it the 53rd most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Cameroon sits just above it and Australia just below.
- Which countries border Venezuela?
- Venezuela borders 3 countries: Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. Brazil is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Venezuela?
- The official language of Venezuela is Spanish. It is also official in 23 other entries on this list.
- Is Venezuela a country?
- Yes. Venezuela is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What currency does Venezuela use?
- Venezuela uses the Venezuelan bolÃvar soberano, written Bs.S. (currency code VES). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- How big is Venezuela?
- Venezuela covers 916,445 km², ranking 34th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Nigeria.
- Where is Venezuela located?
- Venezuela is in South America, part of the Americas. Its reference coordinates are 8.0° north and 66.0° west, roughly 891 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
