Chavez calls sentence in CIA's online almanac 'a declaration of war' against Venezuela

If you've ever been curious to know any country's GDP, literacy rate, languages, etc., at a glance, the CIA's online World Factbook is the place to start.

And evidently Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been Googling his own country lately, because he's taken serious issue with the sort of government-issue Wikipedia's summary description of the South American nation.

From the CIA World Factbook:

"...For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, seeks to implement his "21st Century Socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples."

The bolded text above constitutes, according to Chavez this past week, "a declaration of war."

"What do they mean by stability? Dominance? Yes, we are undermining the Yankee hegemony, we are weakening it, and we will continue to do so," Chavez said at an event Wednesday, as reported by wire services and local media.

The CIA's online almanac is "a declaration of war," Chavez said, because "they are sending a signal to the world for it to set its eyes on us." At the same time, he proudly declared the socialism part in the text to be spot-on.

CIA researchers update the World Factbook every two weeks with country info such as total renewable water resources and fertility rates.