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Venezuela is divided into23 states(estados), 1Capital District(Distrito Capital) and theFederal Dependencies(Dependencias Federales de Ultramar) that consist of numerous Venezuelan islands. These administrative divisions are grouped intoregions.
Prior to theFederal War (1859–1863), Venezuela wasdivided into provinces rather than states. The victorious forces were supposed to grant more autonomy to the individual states, but this was not implemented.
Between 1863 and the early 1900s, there were numerous territorial changes, including the merger and splitting of states. Thereafter, until the late 1990s, the states were left unchanged. Recent years have seen the creation of three new states:Delta Amacuro,Amazonas, andVargas (in that order).
Venezuelan states aresubdivided into "municipalities" (Spanishmunicipios), which may correspond to either or both ofcounty andcity inEnglish-speaking countries.Municipios are the fundamental unit oflocal government in Venezuela.
| Capital District | .svg) | |
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| States | ||
| Federal Dependencies | ||
| Regions | ||
| Disputed state | ||
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