Orinoco Belt

The Orinoco Belt is Venezuela's primary oil-producing region, containing a significant portion of the country's estimated 300 billion barrels of oil reserves, believed to be the largest in the world. Much of this oil is extra-heavy, making extraction more complex and environmentally impactful, generating higher greenhouse gas emissions. The Orinoco Belt is newsworthy due to recent political instability in Venezuela, including the abduction of its president, leading the U.S. to broker oil sales to stabilize the Venezuelan economy. The U.S. government is now involved in managing and selling Venezuelan oil, a shift in relations with the former foe. This situation has also raised questions about historical U.S. involvement in Venezuelan oil fields, which were nationalized in the 1970s, and the potential for increased mining activity alongside oil production.