Since the 1970s, Venezuela has gone from being the richest nation in South America to a society of new poor people in search of identity. Once known as the Saudis of the West, Venezuelans have seen their economic fortunes decline in exactly proportion to the general fall in global oil prices. Despite this, Venezuela's many problems had remained hidden until relatively recently, when harsh measures heralded the kind of economic crises so painfully familiar to other Latin American countries. Galloping inflation, currency devaluations and even food riots have marked this new phase in Venezuela's history, to which the country is still trying to adapt. The projected population for 2010 is estimated at approximately 28.809 million, with a birth rate of 29.9 per thousand and one. low mortality rate of 4.7 per thousand. Today, the population is estimated at 23,542,649 inhabitants with a growth rate of 1.6%. Caracas, the capital, and the state of Miranda, which are the areas with the most commercial and financial activity, have a population of 7.7 million. The industrial and agricultural centers of the states of Aragua, Carabobo and Lara have a total population of approximately 5 million people. The state of Zulia, which is the main livestock and oil producing state, has a population of over 3 million. Guyana, which is part of the state of Bolivar, has the largest mineral reserves and has a population of 1,300,000. The death rate is 26.17 per thousand and the birth rate is 21.09 per thousand. Despite its growth, the population density remains low. With just nine people per square kilometer, Venezuela is one of the least densely populated countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Venezuelan population is very young. Around 70% are under 40 years old. 33% of the population is between 0 and 14 years old. Next come 63% of people aged 15 to 64 and only 4% of the population aged 65 and over. There is male domination over females with a total population ratio of 1.02 male/female. Venezuela has a total area of ​​912,050 square kilometers, of which 882,050 square kilometers are land and 30,000 square kilometers are water. It is a little more than twice the size of California. Venezuela is the most urbanized country in Latin America. The urban population represents around 87% of the total, but is unevenly distributed across the country. The migration rate in July 2000 was -0.