World Factbook
Venezuela
República Bolivariana de Venezuela
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red, with the coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band and an arc of eight five-pointed white stars centered on the blue band meaning: yellow stands for the riches of the land, blue for the courage of its people, and red for the blood shed in attaining independence history: the flag retains the three equal horizontal bands and three main colors from the flag of Gran Colombia, the South American republic that broke up in 1830; in 2006, President Hugo CHAVEZ added the eighth star -- the original seven stars represented the country's provinces that united in the war of independence -- to match Simon Bolivar's flag from 1827 and to represent the historic province of Guayana
Capital
name
Caracas
etymology
named for the Caracas tribe that originally settled in the area; the origin of their name is unknown
time difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
10 29 N, 66 52 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
yes
citizenship by descent only
yes
dual citizenship recognized
yes
residency requirement for naturalization
10 years; reduced to five years in the case of applicants from Spain, Portugal, Italy, or a Latin American or Caribbean country
Constitution
history
many previous; latest adopted 15 December 1999, effective 30 December 1999
amendment process
proposed through agreement by at least 39% of the National Assembly membership, by the president of the republic in session with the cabinet of ministers, or by petition of at least 15% of registered voters; passage requires simple majority vote by the Assembly and simple majority approval in a referendum
Country name
former
State of Venezuela, Republic of Venezuela, United States of Venezuela
etymology
in 1499, the stilt-houses built on Lake Maracaibo reminded explorers Alonso de OJEDA and Amerigo VESPUCCI of buildings in Venice, Italy, and they named the region "Venezuola," meaning "Little Venice"
local long form
República Bolivariana de Venezuela
local short form
Venezuela
conventional long form
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
conventional short form
Venezuela
Independence
5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Legal system
civil law system based on the Spanish civil code
Government type
federal presidential republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Tribunal of Justice (consists of 32 judges organized into constitutional, political-administrative, electoral, civil appeals, criminal appeals, and social divisions)
subordinate courts
Superior or Appeals Courts (Tribunales Superiores); District Tribunals (Tribunales de Distrito); Courts of First Instance (Tribunales de Primera Instancia); Parish Courts (Tribunales de Parroquia); Justices of the Peace (Justicia de Paz) Network
judge selection and term of office
judges proposed by the Committee of Judicial Postulation (an independent body of organizations dealing with legal issues and of the organs of citizen power) and appointed by the National Assembly; judges serve nonrenewable 12-year terms
Executive branch
note
note 1: the president is both chief of state and head of government note 2: in January 2026, the United States removed Nicolas MADURO Moros from his position as leader; Interim President RODRÍGUEZ has been sworn in and is expected to remain during a transition period note 3: the United States did not recognize Nicolas MADURO Moros as president of Venezuela; the United States recognized that Edmundo GONZÁLEZ won the most votes in the 28 July 2024 presidential election because of overwhelming evidence, including more than 80% of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations that indicated GONZÁLEZ received the most votes by an insurmountable margin
cabinet
Council of Ministers appointed by the president
chief of state
Interim President Delcy Eloína RODRÍGUEZ Gómez (since 5 January 2026)
election results
2024: official results disputed; Nicolas MADURO Moros was declared the winner by the MADURO-controlled National Electoral Council; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 52%, Edmundo GONZÁLEZ Urrutia (Independent) 43.2%, Luis Eduardo MARTÍNEZ (AD) 1.2%, other 3.6% 2018: Nicolas MADURO Moros reelected president; percent of vote - Nicolas MADURO Moros (PSUV) 67.9%, Henri FALCON (AP) 20.9%, Javier BERTUCCI 10.8%
head of government
Interim President Delcy Eloína RODRÍGUEZ Gómez (since 5 January 2026)
most recent election date
28 July 2024
election/appointment process
president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits)
expected date of next election
unknown
National holiday
Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
National color(s)
yellow, blue, red
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Coro and its Port (c); Canaima National Park (n); Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (c)
Political parties
A New Era (Un Nuevo Tiempo) or UNT Cambiemos Movimiento Ciudadano or CMC Christian Democrats or COPEI (also known as the Social Christian Party) Citizens Encounter or EC Clear Accounts or CC Coalition of parties loyal to Nicolas MADURO - Great Patriotic Pole or GPP Coalition of opposition parties - Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democratica) (includes AD, EL CAMBIO, COPEI, CMC, and AP) Come Venezuela (Vente Venezuela) or VV Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV Consenso en la Zona or Conenzo Convergencia Democratic Action or AD Fatherland for All (Patria para Todos) or PPT Fearless People's Alliance or ABP Fuerza Vecinal or FV Hope for Change (Esperanza por el Cambio) or EL CAMBIO Justice First (Primero Justicia) or PJ LAPIZ Movement to Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo) or MAS Popular Will (Voluntad Popular) or VP Progressive Advance (Avanzada Progresista) or AP The Radical Cause or La Causa R United Socialist Party of Venezuela or PSUV Venezuela First (Primero Venezuela) or PV Venezuelan Progressive Movement or MPV Venezuela Project or PV
Legislative branch
note
note: in 2020, the National Electoral Council increased the number of seats in the National Assembly from 167 to 277 for the December 2020 election
term in office
5 years
number of seats
277 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
legislature name
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
12/6/2020
expected date of next election
May 2025
percentage of women in chamber
32.1%
National anthem(s)
title
"Gloria al bravo pueblo" (Glory to the Brave People)
history
adopted 1881; lyrics were written in 1810; both SALIAS and LANDAETA were executed in 1814 during Venezuela's fight for independence
lyrics/music
Vicente SALIAS/Juan Jose LANDAETA
National symbol(s)
troupial (bird)
Administrative divisions
23 states ( estados , singular - estado ), 1 capital district* ( distrito capital ), and 1 federal dependency** ( dependencia federal ); Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales (Federal Dependencies)**, Distrito Capital (Capital District)*, Falcon, Guárico, La Guairá, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Táchira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia
note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
Diplomatic representation in the US
none note : the embassy, which had been run by the Venezuelan political opposition, announced on 5 January 2023, that it had ended all embassy functions
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy
Venezuela Affairs Unit, US Embassy, Carrera 45 N. 24B-27, Bogota, Colombia
telephone
1-888-407-4747
mailing address
3140 Caracas Place, Washington DC 20521-3140
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires John McNAMARA (since 1 February 2025); note - serves as the chief of mission of the Venezuela Affairs Unit, located in the US Embassy, Bogota
email address and website
ACSBogota@state.gov https://ve.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ACS, Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, LAS (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction