Venezuela is a country in South America, with about 28.5 million people (2025) and an area of 912,050 square kilometres. Its capital is Caracas, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of VenezuelaVenezuela in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Venezuela's 4, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 4
Oil under the lake, jungle to the south, Caribbean to the north
Venezuela divides into four zones: an Andean branch along the Colombian border, the Caribbean coastal strip where most people live, the Llanos grasslands of the interior, and the Guiana Highlands to the south, ancient table-top mountains called tepuis. Lake Maracaibo in the northwest, one of South America's largest lakes, sits atop the country's original oil fields. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, roughly 300 billion barrels, though much of that is heavy crude in the Orinoco Belt, expensive to extract and refine.
More on Orinoco Belt
A 600-kilometer belt of extra-heavy crude along the Orinoco River. The oil is thick and sulfur-rich, so production depends on foreign technology and investment, both of which have largely fled under sanctions and mismanagement.
3 more lenses on Venezuela in the app
STORY Chávez remade Venezuela in his image and left the wreckage behind
NOW The stolen election ended in a New York courtroom
THREAD Venezuela's crisis pulls in the entire hemisphere
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Venezuela with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Venezuela?
The capital of Venezuela is Caracas. Caracas lies at about 10.5 degrees north and 66.9 degrees west. Venezuela is in South America. It is home to about 28.5 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Venezuela?
About 28.5 million people live in Venezuela, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 53rd most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 912,050 square kilometres, that is about 31 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Venezuela?
Venezuela shares land borders with 3 countries: Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. The map on this page outlines each of them around Venezuela. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Venezuela?
Venezuela covers 912,050 square kilometres, or about 352,144 square miles. That makes it the 32nd largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 28.5 million gives a density of 31 people per square kilometre.
Venezuela is a country in South America, with about 28.5 million people (2025) and an area of 912,050 square kilometres. Its capital is Caracas, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
Capital
Caracas
Continent
South America
Population
28,516,896 2025, World Bank. 53rd of 195.
Area
912,050 km² (352,144 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 32nd largest of 195.
Population density
31 people per km²
Land neighbours
3: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Official name
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Oil under the lake, jungle to the south, Caribbean to the north
Venezuela divides into four zones: an Andean branch along the Colombian border, the Caribbean coastal strip where most people live, the Llanos grasslands of the interior, and the Guiana Highlands to the south, ancient table-top mountains called tepuis. Lake Maracaibo in the northwest, one of South America's largest lakes, sits atop the country's original oil fields. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, roughly 300 billion barrels, though much of that is heavy crude in the Orinoco Belt, expensive to extract and refine.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/venezuela/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Venezuela
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Colour Venezuela on the map, then fill in what you find.
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/venezuela/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
