FACTBOX: Five low points in U.S.-Venezuela relations

(Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the Bush administration, stepped up his confrontation with the United States on Thursday, expelling the U.S. ambassador and ordering a reduction in flights to Venezuela by U.S. airlines.

The following are previous low points in diplomatic relations between the superpower and one of its largest oil suppliers:

* Chavez threatened earlier this year to cut off oil sales to the United States, its main customer, accusing Washington of seeking to invade the South American country. He has repeatedly warned he could halt oil exports, but never carried out the threat.

* In a jab at American business interests, Chavez nationalized major oil projects owned by U.S. oil giants, including Exxon Mobil last year, setting off multibillion dollar legal battles.

* In a 2006 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Chavez called President George W. Bush "the devil," drawing widespread condemnation from U.S. lawmakers. He has also called Bush a "donkey," a "drunkard" and a "coward."

* Chavez suspended cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005, accusing its agents of spying on his government. Washington responded by branding Caracas a failure in the war on drugs and listed the country alongside Myanmar as countries that were not doing enough to halt drug trafficking.

* Chavez has accused the United States of backing a 2002 coup that ousted him for two days. The United States initially welcomed his ouster. The Bush administration routinely dismisses his accusations that it works for his removal, calling it an attempt to distract Venezuelans from the country's problems.

(Compiled by Kevin Gray, Reporting by Enrique Andres Pretel, Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Saul Hudson)