Economy, Forestry and Fishing

Although forests cover much of Venezuela, the timber industry is underdeveloped largely because of the inaccessibility of the forest areas. Timber is used mainly as fuel and by the building, furniture manufacturing, and paper industries. In 2000, 2.7 million cubic meters (95.8 million cubic feet) of timber were produced.

The rich fishery resources of Venezuela include a wide variety of marine life. The most important commercial catch is shrimp, followed by tuna and sardines. Important pearl fisheries are located off Margarita Island. The fish catch in 1997 was 502,728 metric tons.