Geography
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is in northern South America. It is bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, Colombia, Brazil and Guyana.

Seventy-two islands are part of the Republic. Margarita Island is the largest of the Venezuelan islands.

Caracas is the capital city. Other major cities are Barquisimeto, Maracaibo and Valencia.

The terrain consists of Andes Mountains, Maracaibo Lowlands, central plains and Guiana Highlands. The main river is the Orinoco.

The climate is tropical with cooler temperatures in the highlands.

Environment
Venezuela has over forty National Parks. These include Medanos of Coro (sand dunes), Sierra Nevada (glaciers, forests, lagoons) and Serrania La Neblina (Amazon forest).

Canaima National Park, a World Heritage site, is in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. Much of the park is covered by table mountain (tepui) formations. Waterfalls in the Park include Kerepakupai-Meru, one of the world's highest waterfalls.

The Alto Orinoco-Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve, in the Venezuelan Amazon, is a UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve.

Architecture
Coro, an early Colonial town on the World Heritage List, has over six hundred historic buildings. Earth is a traditional material used in construction in this region.

The Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas is also on the World Heritage List. The university, designed in the twentieth century by Carlos Raul Villanueva (1900-1975), is an example of the Modern Movement.

Population
The population of Venezuela was estimated at 31.5 million in 2018.

Languages
Spanish is the official language. A number of indigenous languages are spoken.

Religion
The majority of the people in Venezuela are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics.

Food
Arepas, pancakes made from ground corn or wheat, are very popular in Venezuela; they are filled with cheese, eggs or meat.

Meat is an important part of Venezuelan cuisine. It is cooked in a variety of ways and used as an ingredient for filled pastries known as empanadas. Seafood is plentiful on the Caribbean coast. Rice, black beans, corn, cassava, peppers, plantains and tomatoes are also available.

Custards and fresh fruits are favourite desserts. Fruits grown are bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples, watermelons and other various exotic fruits.

Drinks include juice (tamarind, sugarcane, and coconut), milkshakes, coffee, beer, and "chichi", the local alcoholic drink.

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