Cubagua
| Cubagua | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Canal de Margarita, Caribbean | |
| Archipelago | Leeward Islands (Antilles) | |
| Geographical location | 10 ° 49 '8 " N , 64 ° 10' 57" W | |
|
||
| length | 9.2 km | |
| width | 3.6 km | |
| surface | 22.438 km² | |
| Highest elevation | unnamed 32 m |
|
| Residents | 51 2.3 inhabitants / km² |
|
| main place | Playa Charagato | |
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Cubagua is the smallest and least populated of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta , after Isla Margarita and Isla Coche . It is 16 km north of the Araya Peninsula , the closest mainland.
geography
topography
The island measures 9.2 by 3.6 km and is elliptical in shape, with the longer axis going west to east. The area is 22,438 km². The coast consists of steep cliffs that are 5 to 7 m high in the south and 20 to 24 m in the north. There are also stretches of beach . The highest elevation of the flat island is 32 m.
climate
The island is dry and has no surface water (there is only fresh water underground). The annual rainfall is 250 mm, which marks the island as a dry desert . The temperatures move around 25 ° C during the course of the year , with minor fluctuations.
vegetation
The desert-like vegetation of the largely bare island has various types of cacti , such as Ritterocereus griseus , Melocactus curvispinus subsp. caesius , Melocactus lemairei , Melocactus caesius , Pereskia guamacho and opuntia , as well as some legumes , including members of the legume family such as Yaque , Cuj 'and Prosopis juliflora , Caesalpinia coriaria , Stylosanthes viscosa , and Croton flavens .
fauna
The island has small populations of rabbits and feral goats .
traffic
The island has no roads or paths. It is called by ferries and other boats from Punta de Piedras , the capital of the Tubores district , which is eight kilometers to the northeast on the island of Margarita. The crossing takes just under two hours. The landing pier is in the east of Playa Charagato, the main settlement on Cubagua. At Punta Charagato in the northeast there is a lighthouse (where the ferry from Punta de Piedras passes), and another in the northwest at Punta Brasil (for the ferries from Punta de Piedras to Puerto la Cruz , which pass Cubagua in the west).
history
The earliest human presence on Cubagua was dated to 2325 BC, a time within the Meso-Indian period (5000 to 1000 BC).
Cubagua was discovered in Europe in 1498 by Christopher Columbus . The most important historical resource was the pearl , even in pre-European times. The highest exploitation of the pearl deposits in the waters off Cubagua took place from 1508 to 1520. In 1531 there were already clear signs of depletion of the deposits. From 1530 to 1535, the fishery was at its peak to feed a growing population.
Cristóbal Guerra founded the city "La Villa de la Nueva Cádiz " in 1528 as the first Spanish settlement in Venezuela and one of the first in America. The place became synonymous with oppression by the Hispanic conquistadores in South America .
Nueva Cádiz, which reached a population of 1000 to 1500, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1541 . The ruins have been protected as a National Monument of Venezuela since 1979.
administration
Cubagua belongs to the district of Tubores , one of the eleven districts of the state of Nueva Esparta , and there to the municipality ( parroquia ) of the main town Punta de Piedras.
population
Human activities date back to the 24th century BC. BC, but it was not a permanent settlement. The island was used as a source for oysters , fish and pearls . The poor vegetation and the lack of fresh water made permanent settlement almost impossible.
Today the island is used temporarily by fishermen, but has hardly any permanent residents.
According to an unofficial census by the Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural in August 2007, the island had a population of 51, including 19 children. This population lives in four settlements in the northeast of the island, from west to east:
- Playa Falucho
- Playa Charagato (the largest settlement, with a pier at the eastern end)
- Punta Charagato
- Punta la Cabecera (near the ruins of Nueva Cádiz)
On some maps a settlement Punta Arenas is shown in the southwest. Satellite images show five buildings there. A small settlement with four buildings can be found about halfway between Punta La Horca (the westernmost point of Cubagua) and Punta Arenas, south of Punta El Lamparo. Two buildings can be seen in the southern bay of Manglecito, to the east of Punta Manglecito.
The Venezuelan Navy maintains a coast guard outpost on the island, which is subordinate to the capital Pampatar on the main island of Margarita .
If you add the fishermen from the rest of Nueva Esparta state and the Venezuelan mainland ( Sucre ) who are temporarily present , you get a total population of 300.
Web links
- detailed map (geology)
- short nautical description (PDF file; 740 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels by Robert Kerr ( Online )
- ^ Venezuela By Leonard Victor Dalton
- ↑ Universidad Nueva Esparta ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Municipio MP. TUBORES
- ↑ Cubagua's Pearl-Oyster Beds
- ↑ Pampatar ( Memento from February 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
