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 . 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 .
7-481: The states and territories of Venezuela are usually organized into regions ( Spanish : regiones ), although these regions are mostly geographical entities rather than administrative entities. 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
14-513: A natural region , regardless of population or development, and formed from geo-physical criteria such as geological constitution, relief , climate , hydrography , vegetation , soils , and others. Venezuela is considered one of 18 Megadiverse countries by Conservation International , and the Natural regions do not always correspond exactly to the borders of the states. Venezuela is divided into eight Natural regions: This article about
21-618: Is a list of the 23 states of Venezuela. The states are listed along with their correspondent emblems, data and location. (2021) Several states are named for historical figures: Several states are named for natural features: Other naming origins: Regions of Venezuela The Regions of Venezuela ( Spanish : Regiones de Venezuela ) are two groupings of Venezuela 's states, capital district, and federal dependencies . Venezuela's natural regions ( Regiones naturales ) are divided by natural geography , and administrative regions ( Regiones político-administrativas ) are delineated for
28-473: 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). On 5 December 2023, following a referendum held two days earlier, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro published a new map showing
35-466: The claimed region of Guayana Esequiba as part of Venezuela. He urged legislators to create a law which would establish a new state covering the disputed region. The Venezuelan referendum on annexing the area led to a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. 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. Below
42-521: The purpose of regional administration . Administrative regions ( Regiones político-administrativas ) are grouped from Venezuela's neighboring states, federal dependencies, and the capital district for the purpose of local administration in the process of regional development . The Political-Administrative regions were created from a decree on 11 June 1969 and have been modified since their creation, and there are currently nine regions. Notes: Natural regions ( Regiones naturales ) are grouped based on
49-448: 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
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