Editing Demographics of Venezuela (section)

=== Mixed-Race/Moreno Venezuelans ===
{{Main|Mestizo Venezuelans}}
Approximately 50% of Venezuelans identify themselves as mixed-race, indicating mixed ancestry with intermediate features reflecting indigenous, European, and/or African phenotypes (to a lesser extent, this category can include individuals with Arab or Asian ancestry mixed with the aforementioned groups). The intermingling of races in Venezuela commenced in the 16th century when Spanish conquerors and settlers intermarried with indigenous women, owing to the absence of European women in the region. Subsequently, with the introduction of enslaved Africans, a process of racial fusion emerged among the indigenous, European, and African populations. This process persisted over the decades as additional waves of migration from Europe, the Middle East, North America, Latin America, and Asia contributed to Venezuela's diverse genetic landscape. Diverses genetic studies indicate that the mestizo Venezuelan population predominantly possesses a European genetic component (54 - 71.9%), followed by Amerindian (18.6 - 32%), and to a lesser extent, African (9.5 - 16.3%) ancestry, with notable regional variations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salazar-Flores |title=Admixture and genetic relationships of Mexican Mestizos regarding Latin American and Caribbean populations based on 13 CODIS-STRs |journal=HOMO |date=Feb 2015 |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=44–59 |doi=10.1016/j.jchb.2014.08.005 |pmid=25435058 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018442X14001036 |access-date=14 February 2024 |issn=0018-442X|hdl=11336/15953 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Castro de Guerra |title=Gender Differences in Ancestral Contribution and Admixture in Venezuelan Populations |journal=Human Biology |date=June 2011 |volume=3 |issue=83 |pages=345–361 |doi=10.3378/027.083.0302 |pmid=21740152 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51477813 |access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Godinho |first1=Neide |title=O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas |url=http://repositorio2.unb.br/jspui/handle/10482/5542 |website=UnB |publisher=Universidade de Brasília |access-date=14 February 2024 |date=2008}}</ref>

Mestizos are distributed throughout most of the country, with significant concentrations primarily along the northern strip of the Orinoco River (the northern half of the country). Noteworthy towns in the Los Llanos region, such as El Pao (Cojedes), San Antonio (Barinas), Trinidad de La Capilla - Guanarito (Portuguesa), La Union (Barinas), Florida (Portuguesa), and Libertad de Orituco (Guárico), boast a majority of residents belonging to this ethnic group, with over 75% mestizo population. States with the highest proportion of mestizos include Apure, Cojedes, Guárico, and Portuguesa, all part of the Los Llanos region in the central-western interior, with slightly over 60% of their population identifying as mestizo. Conversely, areas with minimal mestizo presence are observed in jungle regions of the Upper Orinoco in Amazonas, as well as portions of the Orinoco Delta and Alta Guajira (Zulia), where they represent less than 1% of the total population. States with the lowest percentage of mestizo population include Amazonas (less than 10%) and Delta Amacuro (less than 35%), both situated in the Guayana region of southern Venezuela, characterized by low population density historically dominated by Native American Indians.<ref name=Census2011></ref>