Venezuela

Caracas serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Venezuela, positioned in South America. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Caracas sits in a narrow valley at 900 metres altitude just 40 kilometres from the Caribbean coast — a geography that produces a spring-like climate year-round despite its tropical latitude — and the city's 1960s modernist architecture, commissioned during the oil boom, includes Carlos Raúl Villanueva's University City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site integrating murals by Alexander Calder and Fernand Léger.

With a population of approximately 28.3M, Venezuela is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Spanish, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Venezuela is reached via the dialling code +58. Venezuela has won more Miss Universe and Miss World titles than any other country — a record 8 Miss Universe and 6 Miss World crowns — producing a beauty pageant industry with professional academies, nationwide televised competitions and a cultural status that makes pageant winners as recognisable as football players.

Venezuela spans 916,445 km², in the South America subregion of Americas. Geographically centred around 8.0°N, 66.0°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Americas convention.

The official currency is the Venezuelan bolívar soberano (Bs.S.), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Venezuela's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC-04:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Venezuela is Pabellón Criollo. Food culture in Venezuela is deeply tied to local identity — shared meals and markets are central to daily life and social gatherings across the country.

Baseball holds a special place in the heart of Venezuela's national identity. Venezuelan baseball sent Miguel Cabrera to the major leagues — a player who achieved the first Triple Crown since 1967 in 2012 — and the country has produced over 300 MLB players, making the sport not merely a pastime but an export industry, with academies funded by major league teams operating across the Llanos region.

The highest point in Venezuela is Pico Bolívar, rising to 4,978 metres above sea level. Angel Falls in Canaima National Park drops 979 metres in an uninterrupted cascade from the top of Auyán-tepui, a sandstone tabletop mountain — the world's highest waterfall, fed by cloud forest so consistently mist-covered that the tepui summits constitute isolated ecological islands that evolved independently from the lowlands below.