Country profile: Venezuela
Venezuela has some of the world's largest proven oil deposits as well as huge quantities of coal, iron ore, bauxite and gold.
Yet most Venezuelans live in poverty, many of them in shanty towns, some of which sprawl over the hillsides around the capital, Caracas.
Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, says he is leading the country - which is enjoying a windfall from high oil prices - through a socialist revolution.
OVERVIEW
A country of striking natural beauty, which ranges from the snow-capped Andean peaks in the west, through the Amazonian jungles in the south, to the beaches of the north, Venezuela is among the most highly urbanised countries in Latin America.
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AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: President Hugo Chavez leads a self-styled socialist revolution but polarises domestic opinion Economy: Venezuela is a major oil producer; export revenues fund huge social programmes International: Mr Chavez is a strident critic of Washington; the US portrays him as a security threat. Critics say he is using fuel sales under preferential terms to extend political influence in the region
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Its economic fortunes are tied to world oil prices. A 1970s boom largely benefited the middle classes, but a subsequent price collapse condemned many of this class to poverty while eroding the living standards of the already impoverished.
Unemployment is high and, according to official figures, around 60% of households are poor.
In 1998 Venezuelans broke the stranglehold of the discredited party system to elect the populist left-winger Hugo Chavez, a former army officer who has proclaimed a "Bolivarian revolution", named after South America's independence hero.
Radical reform, political unrest and deep divisions have characterised the president's term in office. His supporters - known as "chavistas" - and his detractors have staged street protests.
Venezuela under Mr Chavez has sought to strengthen its regional influence through diplomatic and economic overtures towards other South American and Caribbean nations.
This has been seen, in part, as an effort to counter Washington's influence in the region, and has been a contributory factor in strained relations with US allies such as Colombia.
Relations with Bogota hit a new low in 2009 after the Colombian government agreed to closer military ties with the US.
Full name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Population: 28.6 million (UN, 2009)
Capital: Caracas
Area: 881,050 sq km (340,561 sq miles)
Major languages: Spanish, indigenous languages
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 bolivar = 100 centimos
Main exports: Petroleum, bauxite and aluminium, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures
GNI per capita: US $9,230 (World Bank, 2008)
Internet domain: .ve
International dialling code: +58