Venezuela

• Location & Boundaries: Venezuela is located at the northern end of South America, with coastlines along the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and shares land borders with Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the southwest and west .
• Political System & Capital: It is a federal multiparty republic with a unicameral legislature, and Caracas serves as the capital.
• Natural Resources & Economy: Venezuela is resource-rich, possessing petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, and diamonds, with the economy historically dominated by oil.
• The country holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves and is a founding member of OPEC, making it strategically critical in global energy geopolitics.
• Physical Geography: Venezuela features diverse landforms including the Andes Mountains, Lake Maracaibo, the Llanos plains, the Guiana Highlands, and the Orinoco River system, which shapes its ecology and economy.
• The country’s highest point is Pico Bolívar, and the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, is located in the Guiana Highlands.
• Its major rivers include the Orinoco and Rio Negro, while Lake Maracaibo, the largest lake in South America.
• Cultural & Ecological Importance: Venezuela hosts UNESCO-recognised sites like Canaima National Park and Angel Falls, highlighting its ecological and natural heritage.
• Islands & Territorial Disputes: It administers several Caribbean islands such as Margarita and Los Roques, and has a long-standing territorial dispute with Guyana over the Essequibo region, along with maritime disputes with Colombia.