Gasparillo is a small island in the Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. It is one of the Bocas Islands (also referred to as Dragons' Teeth), which lie in the ''

Bocas del Dragón The Bocas del Dragón (Dragon's Mouths) is the name of the series of straits separating the Gulf of Paria from the Caribbean Sea. There are four Bocas, from west to east: * The Boca Grande or Grand Boca separates Chacachacare from the Paria Penins ...

'' (Spanish for ''Dragon's Mouths'') between the main island of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. The island is currently uninhabited.

Characteristics

Gasparillo is actually made up of two islands separated by several metres of rocks. However the second island is very small and is not independently named. The main island a little over 200 metres in length but is very narrow, less than 50 metres at its widest point, approximately 8,000 m² in area. It is, as with most islands around the Paria Peninsular, covered with

dry forest Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medical) ...

vegetation, and composed of a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

bedrock with

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

. Several species of birds nest at the island, including the

short-tailed swift The short-tailed swift (''Chaetura brachyura'') is a bird in the Apodidae, or swift family. Taxonomy The species was first formally described as ''Acanthylis brachyura'' in 1846 by the Scottish naturalist Sir William Jardine, based on the obs ...

that nest on the eastern side of the island.

History

The Gasparillo name has been derived because of its small size relative to the much larger

Gaspar Grande Gaspar Grande or Gasparee is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago named for Gaspar de Percín. The island is in area and lies west of Port of Spain. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragon's ...

Island, located just to the south of it. It has also been called ''Scorpion Island'' and ''Centipede Island'' due to the nature of its

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

. Sometime in the 19th century, it was also referred to as ''Gopee'', based on one of its owners "Guppy", a Trinidad naturalist. He did not retain possession of the island due to a failure of paying

land tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements. It is also known as a location value tax, a point valuation tax, a site valuation tax, split rate tax, or a site-value r ...

. In the 20th century it was bought or leased by a businessman, C.C. Stollmeyer, with the intent of quarrying

from the island. However he found the makeup of the island was not conducive to the venture due to its hollowness. He subsequently leased the smaller island to the Gransaull family who built a holiday home. The United States leased areas in Trinidad under the

Destroyers for Bases Agreement The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, according to which 50 , , and US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights ...

in 1940. Thus, the government regained possession of the island after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as United States military bases on Trinidad were disbanded in 1950. Currently, the island is known for its recreational

cliff jumping Cliff jumping is jumping off a cliff as a form of sport. When done without equipment, it may be also known as tombstoning. It forms part of the sport of coastal exploration or "coasteering". When performed with a parachute, it is known as BASE ju ...

activities.Top Five Activities When Exploring Trinidad’s Northwest Coast The island is only accessible by swimming to its rocky eastern bank from a boat, before taking a steep and unmarked climb up the hills

undergrowth Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...

. On the south side of the island is a 40-foot (12 meter) cliff where thrill seekers can jump to the sea.

References

* * * *

Notes

{{coord, 10, 40, 34.85, N, 61, 39, 11.48, W, region:TT_type:isle_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Uninhabited islands of Trinidad and Tobago Gulf of Paria

Characteristics

History

See also

References

Notes