Isla Coche

Isla de Coche
	Sunset on Coche
Waters	Canal de Margarita, Caribbean
Archipelago	Leeward Islands
Geographical location	10 ° 47 ′ N , 63 ° 57 ′ W Coordinates: 10 ° 47 ′ N , 63 ° 57 ′ W
length	11 km
width	6 km
surface	61 km²
Highest elevation	unnamed ; 61 m
Residents	8242 ; 135 inhabitants / km²
main place	San Pedro de Coche
	Map of the island of Coche

Coche in the state of Nueva Esparta

Isla de Coche is the second largest of the three islands that make up the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta , after the much larger Isla Margarita and off the sparsely populated island of Cubagua . It is about halfway between the Araya Peninsula and Margarita Island.

geography

The island is relatively flat, but partly rises steeply from the sea, with cliffs up to 61 meters high.

The climate is tropical , with an average temperature of around 27 to 38 ° C.

The main town is San Pedro de Coche. Other places in the municipality are El Bichar, Guinima, El Amparo, El Guamache and La Uva.

The economy is heavily influenced by tourism.

history

The island was discovered for Europe by Christopher Columbus in 1498 . First attempts at settlement date back to the early 16th century. Previously, the island was settled by former residents of the city of Nueva Cádiz on Cubagua , which was destroyed by a hurricane . These residents, mostly pearl divers , left Coche in 1574.

In 1725 three settlers from Jamestown (Virginia) who fled aboard a pirate ship after an uprising against the English Lord Dunbury , including John (Jan) Bober, ended up on the island. The ship sank near the Venezuelan coast, with John Bober and two other men captured as slaves by Arawak after they had escaped swimming to the island. After a battle with the Spaniards who operated from Margarita Island, the Arawak, fearing Spanish revenge, left the island with their slaves and settled in Serima, an Arawak village on the right bank of the Orinoco .

The repopulation of Coche began in the 19th century.

administration

The island of Coche is identical to the municipality of Villalba , one of the eleven municipalities of the Nueva Esparta state . The community is divided into two parishes ( parroquias , population 1990):