Soldado Rock or ''Soldier's Rock'', formerly known as ''Soldado Island'', 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 located in the

Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...

10 km off Icacos Point in

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 ...

IUCN 1982, p.348 and north of the

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 ...

n mainland. The island was originally a possession of the Venezuelan government, but became part of the territory of Trinidad and Tobago in 1942. The island is a

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

since being declared in 1934.

Characteristics

Soldado Rock is made up of

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 ...

fossils from the Paleocene age and includes

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

rock formations. The highest elevation point is 35 meters (115 ft) and its area is .IUCN 1982, p.349 Reefs surround the island to the east for 1.2 km (0.75 miles), and to the south-south east and south-east.Green 1885, p.84 There are no trees on the island but different types of

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...

including

plumbago ''Plumbago'' is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus ''Cerato ...

and

portulaca ''Portulaca'' (, is the type genus of the flowering plant family Portulacaceae, with over 100 species, found in the tropics and warm temperate regions. They are known as the purslanes. Common purslane (''Portulaca oleracea'') is widely consume ...

. There are other small rock formations near the island, including ''Pelican Rock'' and ''Black Rock''. Soldado Rock2

History

Early history

On August 2, 1498,

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

sailed near the island during his Third Voyage in the

Serpent's Mouth The Columbus Channel or Serpent's Mouth ( es, Boca de la Serpiente), is a strait lying between Icacos Point in southwest Trinidad and Tobago and the north coast of Venezuela. It leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Pa ...

and named the island ''El Gallo'' (Spanish for "The Cock").Joseph 1838, p.125 Columbus anchored near the island and encountered native

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Am ...

in canoes prior to landing on

for the first time. Its current name is derived from the Spanish word for "soldier". It was named in the 17th century after a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

boat shipwrecked near the island when a number of soldiers and sailors on board were rescued from the island. In the 19th century, it was also referred to as ''Île du Soldat'' ( French) as charted by Dauxion Lavaysse in 1813. Sterna fuscata

Wildlife sanctuary

The island was proclaimed a wildlife sanctuary in 1934 primarily for protection of

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s granting it full legal protection by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Division. Key species identified in the sanctuary protection include the sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') and

brown noddy The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The b ...

(''Anous stolidus''). The island is a nesting ground for these species during the months of March and July. Other species noted on the island include the

sandwich tern The Sandwich tern (''Thalasseus sandvicensis'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (''T. bengalensis''), Chinese crested tern (''T. bernsteini''), Cabot's tern (''T. acuflavidus''), and elega ...

(''Thalasseus sandvicensis''),

grey-breasted martin The grey-breasted martin (''Progne chalybea'') is a large swallow from Central and South America. Taxonomy and etymology The subspecies and their distributions are: * ''P. c. chalybea'' – ( Gmelin, 1789): nominate, breeds from Mexico through C ...

(''Progne chalybea''),

magnificent frigatebird The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, bet ...

(''Fregata magnificens''), and brown booby (''Sula leucogaster''). A subspecies of the short-tailed zygodont or common cane mouse (''Zygodontomys brevicauda soldadoensis'') was first identified on the island in 1965 and published in the American Museum of Natural History. Other animals observed on the island include the

cane toad The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...

(''Rhinella marina'') and green iguana (''Iguana iguana'').

Ownership negotiations

After

became a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colony in 1797 from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, Soldado Rock remained a disputed territory between

and British Trinidad and Tobago.Baptiste 1988,p.136 Negotiations for settling the border dispute and defining the maritime boundary between the two countries began in 1939 and were led by

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

Hans Kugler. Negotiations were influenced by considerations for placing anti-submarine devices between Venezuela and T&T territory as

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 opposing ...

was underway. As part of the negotiated agreement, Venezuela would cede Soldado Rock to T&T for

Patos Island Patos Island is a small island in the San Juan Islands of the U.S. state of Washington. Since 1893, it has been home to the Patos Island Lighthouse, guiding vessels through Boundary Pass between Canada and the United States. The name comes from ...

in the Dragon's Mouth, located 4 km east of the Venezuelan mainland. The agreements were formalized on February 26, 1942, in Caracas.

Modern history

During

the island was used as target practice for bombing and machine guns, which led to some damage on the island. The areas around the island form part of the Southwest Soldado Field, a

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...

area important to the oil and gas industry in Trinidad. It is estimated that 43 million barrels of oil in proven reserves exist in the oilfield. Production of the oilfield first started in 1955. The waters around Soldado Rock are popular for local fishermen due to an abundance of fish in the area, but are dangerous due to rapid

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

changes and numerous rocks. The area has been an issue of contention, with fishers from Trinidad and Tobago claiming to be arrested by the

Venezuelan National Guard The Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela ( es, Guardia Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela - GNB), is one of the four components of the National Armed Forces of Venezuela. The national guard can serve as gendarmerie, perform civil defense roles, ...

within T&T's maritime borders. The area around the island has also seen

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

attacks on fishers and drug trade activity.

Notes and references

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * {{Islands of Trinidad and Tobago Gulf of Paria Uninhabited islands of Trinidad and Tobago