WHAT ARE THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF VENEZUELA? - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The natural resources of Venezuela are plentiful, however, are not fully exploited at present. Oil and natural gas are two of the country's greatest riches. Most of the national economy is sustained by hydrocarbons.

In the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, there are also reserves of bauxite, iron, coltan, coal and gold. In fact, the country is home to one of the largest gold mines in the world, which, according to the Canadian company Gold Reserve, contains 25,389 million ounces of gold.

By File: Venezuela location map.svg: NordNordWestFile: Guyana location map.svg: NordNordWestderivative work Shadowxfox, via Wikimedia Commons Energy resources are managed by the State through the company Petróleos de Venezuela SA This company is in charge of extracting, processing and commercializing the national crude.

Venezuela has different types of soil and climate. The most fertile are those that are close to alluvium, as occurs in some areas of Maracaibo or in the plains. Also fertile lands are those of the valleys to the north of the country.

Venezuelan fauna presents great diversity, in fact, it is a member of the group of Megadiverse Countries. Seven species of felines inhabit its forests, such as the jaguar and the puma. There are 48 endemic bird species in the country. Among them the national bird, the turpial, which has yellow and black plumage.

There are also a variety of primates; capybaras, better known in the country as chigüires; and tapirs. In some estuaries there is a species of aquatic mammal called manatee, and the dolphin is found in rivers.

1 - Soil

The total area of ​​the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is 912,050 km ². 882,050 km ² of land surface correspond to this. In addition, there is an area of ​​159,542 km² known as the Esquibo territory, or the area in claim, which is in dispute with Guyana.

This area was assigned to Venezuela in the 1966 Geneva Agreement. However, it is still occupied and administered by the neighboring country.

The Confederation of Associations of Agricultural Producers of Venezuela (Fedeagro), published figures of the amount of soil harvested in the country from 1988 to 2015.

These data reflect that more than 2 million hectares were harvested in 2013. However, the figure for 2015 was around 1,700,000 hectares.

- Guyana

The territory of Guyana is made up of 458,344 km ² and is part of the Guiana Massif. This area extends from the Amazon, which is on the border with Brazil, to the Orinoco delta that empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

In the Bolivar State are the Gran Sabana, a territory with large plateaus, rocky elevations whose edges usually have vertical walls, which are known as tepuis.

By Jeanpaul Razzouk, via Wikimedia CommonsAmong the most famous tepuis in the country is the Auyantepui, which is 2,535 meters high and covers an area of ​​700 km². In it is the Angel Falls, the largest waterfall in the world with 807 meters of fall, discovered in the thirties by the pilot Jimmie Angel.

The Angel Falls has frequently served as an inspiration in popular culture, in the cinema it has had references like the one in the Disney movie Up. He is also mentioned in the Robin Williams-starring movie Beyond Dreams.

However, the highest tepui in Venezuela is Monte Roraima, with an altitude of 2,800 meters and an area of ​​200 km ².

By Adalbertop, via Wikimedia Commons Throughout the Venezuelan territory there is approximately 50 million hectares of tropical rain forest. That represents more than 50% of the total extension of the territory.

- Andes

The highest point is Pico Bolívar, which is 4,978 meters above sea level. This mountain belongs to the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, the part of the Andes Mountains found in Venezuela.

In this area there is also the Humboldt Peak which has a height of 4,940 meters above sea level.

- Flat

Venezuela has a region between the states of Apure, Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes and Guárico in which the terrain is flat and, thanks to the Orinoco and its tributaries, it is a prosperous terrain for planting and raising livestock.

- Islands

It also has island territory, especially the state of Nueva Esparta, made up mainly of Margarita, Coche and Cubagua.

In these islands there is a special economic regime, they are a free zone, that is to say that import taxes are not canceled in the same way as in the Venezuelan mainland.

Venezuela has control over more than 314 keys, islets and islands.

2 - Hydrography

- Sea

Venezuela has a maritime territory of 22 kilometers or 12 nautical miles towards the sea, which are counted from the insular territory of the country in different places of the Caribbean Sea. And the continental shelf has an area of ​​98,500 km ².

The furthest territory from the continent is Bird Island, which is located 520 km from Nueva Esparta state to the north. Thanks to all the islands in possession of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, it has a wide exclusive economic space and continental shelf.

- Rivers

The two largest basins in Venezuela are the Orinoco, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean coast, which flows into the Caribbean Sea.

The Orinoco and Caroni rivers have a basin of approximately 948,000 km ². The source of this basin is in Guyana and its mouth leads to the Orinoco delta, in Delta Amacuro. Its flow crosses the Venezuelan plains.

- Lagos

The Lake of Valencia is the only example of internal drainage that the country has, with an area of ​​344 km ².

Another internal body of water in Venezuela is Lake Maracaibo, which has an area of ​​13,280 km ² and is considered the largest lake in South America, although there is a debate, since others consider that it is not a lake, but a Gulf and thus the title would be Lake Titicaca. However, the water in the southern part of the lake is sweet thanks to the rivers that flow into it.

By Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC, via Wikimedia Commons

3 - Energy resources

The Venezuelan economy is based on the extraction and export of its oil reserves. Historically, this industry has contributed most of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) along with mining.

The decline of this productive sector has generated an economic collapse in this South American country. The Venezuelan economy has suffered a 45% contraction since 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, mainly due to the decrease in oil production.

In 2018 the country has had an 18% drop in GDP and an inflation of 2.5 million percent. According to IMF projections, in 2019 inflation will reach 10 million percent.

- Oil and natural gas

In Venezuela there are the largest proven hydrocarbon reserves in the world. The country leads with 18% (300.9 billion barrels) of unexploited crude, followed by Saudi Arabia (16%) and Canada (10%).

By Luisovalles, from Wikimedia Commons However, 74% of Venezuelan reserves are in the Orinoco Belt and are of the extra heavy crude type.

In 2014, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reached 3.3% of world oil production with more than 6 million 158 thousand barrels per day and inflation was hovering around 60% per year.

But in 2018, crude oil production has fallen to 1.7 million barrels per day, this being the lowest figure presented by the public company PDVSA, since 1989. This drop in the sale of Venezuelan oil has been one of the causes. of the increase in the price of crude oil internationally.

Venezuelan natural gas reserves amount to 5,701,000 million cubic meters, ranking the country as the eighth with the largest reserves in this area.

- Hydroelectric Resources

Venezuela has a hydroelectric power generating plant in Bolívar state. The Gurí dam is what provides the electricity consumed in Ciudad Guayana, where the largest metallurgical industries in the country are located.

By en: User: Davidusb (en: Image: Guri_Dam_in_Venezuela.JPG), via Wikimedia Commons

4 - Minerals

Mining in Venezuela represents approximately one fifth of gross domestic product. In the area of ​​the Guayanés massif there are the most mineral-rich lands in the entire country.

Venezuela has stood out for its production of bauxite, iron and coal. It is also rich in precious metals such as gold and other minerals such as diamonds, but its exploitation is not as common as that of other goods.

Venezuela's total exports, on average, between 2015 and 2017 reach 34,263 million dollars, of which 2,259 million correspond to the export of minerals and metals.

However, on importing other mineral products, Venezuela spent an average of 1,221 million dollars. Consequently, the approximate profit of the country amounts to 1,039 million dollars thanks to this sector.

In the area of ​​iron and steel, Venezuela is one of the main exporters in the region, located in sixth place. The sector generates 590 million dollars between raw materials, semi-finished products and manufactured products.

While in precious metals, the income is 1,290 million dollars on average, contributing a total of 3.8% participation in this sector in the South American region. Despite this, it is estimated that 90% of gold extraction in Venezuela is done by illegal mining.

5 - Flora

Venezuela has a great biodiversity, in fact it is part of the group of Megadiverse Countries of the United Nations Organization since 1988.

It ranks 7th among the countries with the greatest biodiversity and is partly due to its richness of ecosystems, which vary throughout the entire South American nation.

There are about 30,000 species of plants in the territory. Of these, it is estimated that 38% are endemic, that is, they are typical of the country.

The Venezuelan national flower is the orchid and 1,632 types of orchids can be found in the country, especially in cloud forests. The national tree is the araguaney, it was decreed in 1948 by the Venezuelan president Rómulo Gallegos.

By Danniegugo, from Wikimedia Commons However, Venezuela is currently facing a constant process of deforestation. Between 2001 and 2017, it has lost 3.2% of forested territory, especially in Monagas, Zulia and Barinas states.

In Venezuela, cocoa, historically, was one of the main export products and is still recognized as one of the best in the world. In the country there are at least three varieties of cocoa that are known as criollo, forastero and trinitario, the second being a mixture of the other two.

6 - Fauna

- Vertebrates

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela also has a very rich fauna within its entire geography. In the country there are approximately 360 species of amphibians and 405 of reptiles.

In the country there are approximately 1,364 species of birds, of which 48 are endemic. The national bird is the turpial that has yellow and black plumage.

Meanwhile, the fresh and saltwater fish species count exceeds 2000.

It also has approximately 363 species of mammals. One of the best known is the capybara, or chigüire, which lives on the shores of the Orinoco River and is the largest rodent in the world.

By Smabs Sputzer (Flickr), via Wikimedia Commons The howler monkey is also found in Venezuela, as are other species of primates.

Big cats like the jaguar, which is the largest in South America, lives in Venezuela south of the Orinoco, in Delta Amacuro, in the Perijá mountain range, south of Lake Maracaibo and in the western plains.

The dolphin, the largest freshwater cetacean in the world, lives in the Orinoco river basin.

Oceancetaceen, from Wikimedia Commons The manatee, which in the country is found in Lake Maracaibo, in the lower part of the Orinoco and its delta, is in critical danger of extinction.

- Invertebrates

In this group there is not a very specific record, but it is estimated that there are:

- 900 marine mollusks.

- 1600 species of butterflies.

- 120 beetles.

- 39 flies.

References

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