what type of oil does venezuela have

Venezuela is best known for its heavy and extra‑heavy crude oil, much of it located in the Orinoco Belt.

Main oil type

• Most of Venezuela’s reserves are heavy and extra‑heavy crude with low API gravity, meaning the oil is very dense and viscous.

• A large share is also “sour” crude, which has relatively high sulfur content and requires more complex refining.

Orinoco Belt focus

• The Orinoco oil belt holds the majority of Venezuela’s proven reserves and consists mainly of extra‑heavy, sour crude that often needs upgrading before export.

• Because the oil is so thick, producers frequently use special methods (like diluents or cold heavy oil production with sand) to get it to flow and to transport it.

Conventional vs. unconventional

• Venezuela does have some lighter, more conventional crudes (for example in the Maracaibo basin), but these are much smaller compared with the vast heavy‑oil reserves.

• Overall, the country’s global reputation and “largest reserves” status come primarily from its unconventional extra‑heavy oil and oil‑sands‑like deposits rather than from light, easily produced crude.

In short, when people ask “what type of oil does Venezuela have,” the answer is: mostly heavy, sour, extra‑heavy crude concentrated in the Orinoco Belt, plus smaller amounts of more conventional oil.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.