Venezuela vs. Guyana
Geography
| Venezuela | Guyana | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 00 N, 66 00 W | 5 00 N, 59 00 W |
| Map references | South America | South America |
| Area | total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km | total: 214,969 sq km land: 196,849 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost six times the size of Georgia; slightly more than twice the size of California | slightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,267 km border countries (3): Brazil 2137 km, Colombia 2341 km, Guyana 789 km | total: 2,933 km border countries (3): Brazil 1308 km, Suriname 836 km, Venezuela 789 km |
| Coastline | 2,800 km | 459 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
| Terrain | Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Pico Bolivar 4,978 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 450 m | highest point: Laberintos del Norte on Mount Roraima 2,775 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 207 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish |
| Land use | agricultural land: 24.5% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20.6% (2018 est.) forest: 52.1% (2018 est.) other: 23.4% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.) forest: 77.4% (2018 est.) other: 14.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 10,550 sq km (2012) | 1,430 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts | flash flood threat during rainy seasons |
| Environment - current issues | sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations | water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | note 1: the country lies on major sea and air routes linking North and South America note 2: Venezuela has some of the most unique geology in the world; tepuis are massive table-top mountains of the western Guiana Highlands that tend to be isolated and thus support unique endemic plant and animal species; their sheer cliffsides account for some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world including Angel Falls, the world's highest (979 m) that drops off Auyan Tepui | the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively; contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent |
| Total renewable water resources | 1.325 trillion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 271 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most of the population is concentrated in the northern and western highlands along an eastern spur at the northern end of the Andes, an area that includes the capital of Caracas | population is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated |
Source: CIA Factbook
