Geography

Venezuela is located between 1 –12 degrees longitude (N) and 60 – 73 degrees latitude (W), and is therefore entirely in the tropics. Occupying the far north eastern part of South America, it is bordered by Brazil to the south, Columbia to the west and Guyana to the southeast. Its coastline meets the waters of both the Caribbean sea in the north and the Atlantic Ocean in the east.

Covering an area of 912,050 kmē (566,383 milesē), Venezuela extends up to 1,290 km (801 miles) east to west and 1,050 km (652 miles)  north to south. Elevations range from sea level to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in the Guiana Highlands and up to 5,007 m (16,427 ft) in the Andes mountains.

Venezuela has an incredibly diverse landscape encompassing 10 broad geographical regions. Off the north coast lie numerous Caribbean Islands, of which the biggest is Isla Margarita. The Andes in the west continue in the north with the Cordillera de la Costa, a mountain chain which runs along the Caribbean coast. The Andes also continue south to Los Llanos, a giant plain extending east as far as the Caura River, which flows through Venezuela's second largest forest reserve after Amazonas and only recently became known to adventure tourism. Located south of Los Llanos is the Amazon Basin, the largest rain forest in the world. East of the Caura River forest is the beginning of the Gran Sabana, part of the Guayana Highlands which extend up to the rainforests of the Orinoco Delta in the north east and the Brazilian border in the south.

Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and the majority of developed land is situated in the Central region. Grasslands occupy half of the country, and forests cover about two-fifths, varying from true rainforest to semi-tropical evergreens. Only a small portion (less than 4 per cent) of land in Venezuela is cultivated.