Venezuela Map: States, Cities, US Strikes and Latest News

Key context

Venezuela at a glance: geography

Venezuela lies on the north coast of South America, on the Caribbean Sea. It borders Colombia to the west, Brazil to the south and Guyana to the east. Its area is about 916,445 km² by the official Venezuelan figure, and the UN estimates its population at about 28.6 million in 2026, after millions of people left the country since 2015.

The Andes reach into the west (Mérida and Táchira), Lake Maracaibo and the oil fields lie in the north-west (Zulia), the Llanos grasslands fill the centre, and the Orinoco river and its delta drain the east. The Guiana Highlands in the south-east hold Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall at about 979 m. Most people live in the northern coastal cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto and Maracay.

The 23 states and their capitals

Essequibo: the border dispute with Guyana

Venezuela claims the Essequibo region west of the Essequibo river, about two thirds of Guyana's territory, which Guyana administers. Guyana asked the International Court of Justice to confirm the 1899 arbitral award that set the border; Venezuela rejects the court's jurisdiction. On 1 May 2025 the court ordered Venezuela not to hold elections in the area, and Venezuela held its own vote for a "Guayana Esequiba" state on 25 May 2025. Hearings on the merits took place from 4 to 11 May 2026, and as of October 2026 the court has not given its judgment (ICJ case page). This map draws the border as Guyana administers it, with no claim shown.

Is the US at war with Venezuela?

No formal war exists. Congress did not declare war or authorise the January 2026 operation, and a Senate war powers resolution failed 51-50 on 14 January 2026. The US calls the boat strikes and the capture of Maduro counter-narcotics and law-enforcement actions; Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges in New York on 5 January 2026.

Since then Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's vice president, has governed as acting president. The US reopened its embassy in Caracas on 30 March 2026 (AP). Formal, US-backed talks between the acting government and part of the opposition began on 6 August 2026 (Reuters); as of late October 2026 no election date is set. The US strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific continue; human rights groups and UN experts have questioned their legality, and the US says they target drug traffickers.

What this map shows, and what it does not

Grey dots are the 23 state capitals and Caracas; tap one for the state name. Coloured dots are armed-conflict events recorded by UCDP, by reported deaths; events near the Colombian border can be inside Colombia. We do not plot boat-strike positions: the US gives only rough areas, and we do not show military positions or ships.

UCDP events by month (30 Aug 2026 to 30 Sep 2026)

Who fought whom (UCDP dyads)

Deadliest recorded events (UCDP, 30 Aug 2026 to 30 Sep 2026)