States of Venezuela

Federated states of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

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States, Federal Dependencies and Capital District
Estados, Dependencias Federales y Distrito Capital (Spanish)

Category| Federated state
Location| Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Number|

* 23 states
* 1 Capital District
* 1 Federal Dependency

Populations| 146,480 (Amazonas) – 3,704,404 (Zulia)
Areas| 1,100 km2 (440 sq mi) (Nueva Esparta) – 240,000 km2 (92,000 sq mi) (Bolívar)
Government|

* State government

Subdivisions|

* Municipality
Island (Federal Dependencies)

Politics of Venezuela

* Constitution
* Law

* Constitution

Constitutions of States
Human rights
LGBT rights
* Law

Abortion
Labour
Nationality
Capital punishment

Executive

* President (list)

Nicolás Maduro
* Vice President

Delcy Rodríguez
* Cabinet

Legislature

* National Assembly

President: Dinorah Figuera
Disputed with Jorge Rodríguez since 5 January 2021

Judiciary

* Supreme Tribunal of Justice

Federal divisions

* Regions
* States
* Governors
* Constitutions
* Legislatures
* Municipalities
* Dependencies

Elections

* Democracy
* Political parties
* Recent elections

* Presidential: 2018
* 2024

* Parliamentary: 2020
* 2025

* Constituent: 1999
* 2017

* Regional: 2017
* 2021

* Municipal: 2017
* 2018

* Referendums: 2017
* 2023

Foreign relations

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Felix Plasencia (list)

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in Venezuela

* * *

* Nationality law
* Passport
* Visa requirements
* Visa policy

* * *

* Chávez's foreign policy

Venezuela portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a federation made up of twenty-three states (Spanish: estados), a Capital District (Spanish: Distrito Capital) and the Federal Dependencies (Spanish: Dependencias Federales), which consist of many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea.[1] Venezuela claims the disputed Essequibo territory as one of its states, which it calls Guayana Esequiba, but the territory is controlled by Guyana as part of six of its regions.

The states and territories of Venezuela are usually organized into regions (Spanish: regiones), although these regions are mostly geographical entities rather than administrative entities.

## Historical states

[edit]

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Prior to the Federal War (1859–1863), the country was divided into provinces rather than states (see Provinces of Venezuela). The victorious forces were supposed to grant more autonomy to the individual states, but this was not implemented.

From 1863 to the early 1900s there were numerous territorial changes, including the merger and splitting of states, but from then until the 1990s the states were left unchanged. States that existed during this time included Guzmán Blanco State (1873–1889). Originally a renamed Aragua State, in 1881 the states of Miranda, Guárico, Nueva Esparta and the Vargas department of the Federal District were merged into the state. This was part of a territorial reorganisation reducing the number of states from 20 to 9, which was reversed in 1901.

The 1990s saw the creation of three new states: Delta Amacuro (1991), Amazonas (1994), and Vargas (1998, renamed La Guaira in 2019).

## Proposed states

[edit]

On 5 December 2023, following a referendum held two days earlier, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro published a new map showing the claimed region of Guayana Esequiba as part of Venezuela.[2] He urged legislators to create a law which would establish a new state covering the disputed region.[3] The Venezuelan referendum on annexing the area led to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

## Regions

[edit]

Main article: Regions of Venezuela

See also: Geography of Venezuela

Venezuela's territory is generally divided into nine geographical regions, which are mostly used for geographical, cultural and planning purposes but do not have active administrative bodies.

Region  | Spanish  | States

|
|

Andean | Andina | Mérida, Táchira, Trujillo
Capital | Capital | Caracas (Capital District), La Guaira, Miranda
Central | Centro | Aragua, Carabobo
Central-Western | Centro-Occidente | Falcón, Lara, Yaracuy
Guayana | Guayana | Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro
Insular | Insular | Nueva Esparta, Federal Dependencies
Los Llanos | Los Llanos | Apure, Barinas, Cojedes, Guárico, Portuguesa
Eastern | Oriental | Anzoátegui, Monagas, Sucre
Zulian | Zulia | Zulia

## States

[edit]

See also: List of Venezuela state legislatures and List of Venezuela state constitutions

Below is a list of the 23 states of Venezuela. The states are listed along with their correspondent emblems, data and location.

Flag  | State  | Capital  | Largest city  | Population

(2021)[4]

| Population
(2011)  | Area
(km2)  | Density per km2 (2021)  | Density per km2 (2011)  | Region  | Map

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Amazonas | Puerto Ayacucho | 180,000  | 146,480  | 180,145  | 0.99  | 0.81  | Guayana |
| Anzoátegui | Barcelona | 1,570,000  | 1,469,747  | 43,300  | 36.26  | 33.94  | Eastern |
| Apure | San Fernando de Apure | 570,000  | 459,025  | 76,500  | 7.45  | 6.00  | Llanos |
| Aragua | Maracay | 1,640,000  | 1,630,308  | 7,014  | 233.82  | 232.44  | Central |
| Barinas | Barinas | 830,000  | 816,264  | 35,200  | 23.58  | 23.19  | Andean |
| Bolívar | Ciudad Bolívar | Ciudad Guayana | 1,730,000  | 1,410,964  | 238,000  | 7.27  | 5.93  | Guayana |
| Carabobo | Valencia | 2,240,000  | 2,245,744  | 4,650  | 481.72  | 482.96  | Central |
| Cojedes | San Carlos | 330,000  | 323,165  | 14,800  | 22.29  | 21.84  | Central |
| Delta Amacuro | Tucupita | 190,000  | 167,676  | 40,200  | 4.72  | 4.17  | Guayana |
| Falcón | Coro | Punto Fijo | 990,000  | 902,847  | 24,800  | 39.92  | 36.41  | Central-Western |
| Guárico | San Juan de los Morros | Calabozo | 830,000  | 747,739  | 64,986  | 12.77  | 11.51  | Llanos |
| La Guaira | La Guaira | 340,000  | 352,920  | 1,496  | 227.27  | 235.91  | Capital |
| Lara | Barquisimeto | 1,870,000  | 1,774,867  | 19,800  | 94.44  | 89.64  | Central-Western |
| Mérida | Mérida | 880,000  | 828,592  | 11,300  | 77.88  | 73.33  | Andean |
| Miranda | Los Teques | 2,970,000  | 2,675,165  | 7,950  | 373.58  | 336.50  | Capital |
| Monagas | Maturín | 930,000  | 905,443  | 28,930  | 32.15  | 31.30  | Eastern |
| Nueva Esparta | La Asunción | Porlamar | 570,000  | 491,610  | 1,150  | 495.65  | 427.90  | Insular |
| Portuguesa | Guanare | 930,000  | 876,496  | 15,200  | 61.18  | 57.66  | Central-Western |
| Sucre | Cumaná | 990,000  | 896,291  | 11,800  | 83.90  | 75.96  | Eastern |
| Táchira | San Cristóbal | 1,030,000  | 1,168,908  | 11,100  | 92.79  | 105.31  | Andean |
| Trujillo | Trujillo | Valera | 770,000  | 686,367  | 7,400  | 104.05  | 92.75  | Andean |
| Yaracuy | San Felipe | 670,000  | 600,852  | 7,100  | 94.37  | 84.63  | Central-Western |
| Zulia | Maracaibo | 3,830,000  | 3,704,404  | 63,100  | 60.70  | 58.71  | Zulian |
Disputed state whose territory is controlled by Guyana:
| Guayana Esequiba | Tumeremo
(administrative center) | 128,000  | 125,000  | 159,542  | 0.8  | 0.78  | Guayana |

### By Human Development Index

[edit]

HDI of Venezuelan states in 2017 Rank  | State  | HDI (2022)[5]

|
|

High human development
1  |  Capital District | 0.743
2  |  Miranda | 0.730
3  |  Aragua | 0.725
4  |  Carabobo | 0.719
5  |  La Guaira
6  |  Nueva Esparta | 0.718
7  |  Anzoátegui | 0.710
8  |  Bolívar | 0.701
Medium human development
–  |  Venezuela | 0.699
9  |  Táchira | 0.697
10  |  Monagas | 0.689
11  |  Falcón
12  |  Mérida | 0.688
13  |  Zulia | 0.684
14  |  Delta Amacuro | 0.683
15  |  Amazonas | 0.679
16  |  Lara
17  |  Cojedes | 0.676
18  |  Sucre | 0.669
19  |  Trujillo
20  |  Yaracuy | 0.666
21  |  Guárico | 0.661
22  |  Portuguesa | 0.646
23  |  Barinas
24  |  Apure | 0.628

## Special status areas

[edit]

Flag  | State  | Capital  | Population
(2011)  | Area
(km2)  | Region  | Map

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Capital District | Caracas | 1,943,901  | 433  | Capital |
| Federal Dependencies | Los Roques | 2,155  | 342  | Insular |

## State name etymologies

[edit]

Several states are named for historical figures:

* Anzoátegui for José Antonio Anzoátegui
* Bolívar for Simón Bolívar
* Falcón for Juan Crisóstomo Falcón
* Lara for Jacinto Lara
* Miranda for Francisco de Miranda
* Monagas for José Tadeo Monagas and José Gregorio Monagas
* Sucre for Antonio José de Sucre

Several states are named for natural features:

* Amazonas is named for the Amazon rainforest
* Apure is named for the Apure River
* Aragua for the Aragua River
* Cojedes for the Cojedes River
* Delta Amacuro for the river delta of the Orinoco, and for the Amacuro River
* Guárico for the Guárico River
* Portuguesa for the Portuguesa River
* Táchira for the Táchira River
* Yaracuy for the Yaracuy River
* Zulia for the Zulia River, its name meaning "navigable river" in Chibcha language

Other naming origins:

* Barinas, named after the indigenous ethnic group in the area [6]
* Carabobo, from the local Arawaco language expression Karau-bo-bo, meaning "Savannah of a lot of Ravines"[7]
* Caracas, named for the Caracas indigenous group
* La Guaira, for the capital city, La Guaira, named after an indigenous Carib settlement called Huaira
* Mérida, for the capital city, Mérida, itself named for Mérida in Spain
* Nueva Esparta ("New Sparta") is named for the heroism shown by its inhabitants during the Venezuelan War of Independence, deemed similar to that of the Spartan soldiers of Ancient Greece.
* Trujillo, for the capital city, Trujillo, itself named for Trujillo in Spain

## See also

[edit]

* ISO 3166-2:VE
* Administrative divisions of Venezuela
* Demographics of Venezuela
* List of cities and towns in Venezuela

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "List of States in Venezuela with Latitude and Longitude - States in Venezuela with Latitude Longitude, Popular Places in Venezuela with Lat Long, List of States in Venezuela with Latitude and Longitude, Latitude and Longitude of State Capitals of Venezuela, State wise Latitude and Longitude of Venezuela States - distancelatlong.com". www.distancelatlong.com. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
2. ^ Bassant, Mark (6 December 2023). "Maduro releases new map of Venezuela, claiming Essequibo Region". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
3. ^ Hernández, Osmary; Almánzar, Fernando; Alberti, Mia (6 December 2023). "Venezuela's president orders creation of new state and map including land from Guyana". CNN. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
4. ^ "Population in Venezuela by state 2021". Statista. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
6. ^ Simón, Pedro (1992). Noticias historiales de Venezuela. Caracas, Venezuela: Biblioteca Ayacucho. p. 128\. ISBN 980-276-210-5.
7. ^ https://www.clubensayos.com/Historia/ORIGEN-HISTORICO-DEL-ESTADO-CARABOBO/996442.html (Spanish)

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Some information was retrieved from the Venezuelan National Institute of Statistics.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to States of Venezuela.

* CityMayors feature

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Administrative divisions of Venezuela

Capital District|

* Caracas

States|

* Amazonas
* Anzoátegui
* Apure
* Aragua
* Barinas
* Bolívar
* Carabobo
* Cojedes
* Delta Amacuro
* Falcón
* Guárico
* La Guaira
* Lara
* Mérida
* Miranda
* Monagas
* Nueva Esparta
* Portuguesa
* Sucre
* Táchira
* Trujillo
* Yaracuy
* Zulia

Federal Dependencies|

* Los Monjes Archipelago
* Las Aves Archipelago
* Aves Island
* Los Hermanos Archipelago
* Los Frailes Archipelago
* Los Roques Archipelago
* La Sola Island
* La Tortuga Island
* La Orchila Island
* La Blanquilla Island
* Los Testigos Islands
* Patos Island
* Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory [es]

Regions|

* Andean
* Capital
* Central
* Central-Western
* Eastern
* Guayana
* Insular
* Llanos
* Zulian

Disputed state|

* Guayana Esequiba1

Related topics|

* Federal Territories
* Amazonas Federal Territory (1864–1992)
* Delta Amacuro Federal Territory (1884–1991)

1 Claimed by Venezuela but administered by Guyana.

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Venezuela articles

History|

* New Granada
* Captaincy General
* War of Independence
* Gran Colombia (reunification)
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* Federal War
* Revindicating Revolution
* 1895 crisis
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* World War II
* El Trienio Adeco
* 1958 coup d'état
* Puntofijo Pact
* El Carupanazo
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* 1992 coup d'état attempts
* Vargas tragedy
* 2002 coup d'état attempt
* 2002–03 general strike
* Crisis
* 2017 constitutional crisis
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* Civil wars
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Geography|

* Borders
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* Climate
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* Fauna
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Politics|

* Censorship
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| Parties|

| Great Patriotic Pole|

* United Socialist Party
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* Tupamaro
* People's Electoral Movement

|

Democratic Unity Roundtable|

* Justice First
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Agreement for Change|

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* Ecological Movement of Venezuela

Economy|

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Society|

* Crime
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* Outline

* Category
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First-level administrative divisions of South American countries

* Argentina
* Bolivia
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* Chile
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* Paraguay
* Peru
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Table of administrative country subdivisions by country

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Lists of subnational entities by Human Development Index rankings

Africa|

* Algeria
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Europe|

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North America|

* Antigua and Barbuda
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South America|

* Argentina
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* Amazonas
* Mato Grosso
* São Paulo
* Bolivia
* Chile
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* Ecuador
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Oceania|

* Australia
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World|

* All UN first-level administrative divisions
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* List of countries by Human Development Index

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