Municipio Villalba (Nueva Esparta)
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Isla de Coche (''Coche Island'') is one of three islands forming the
Nueva Esparta State The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the northe ...
of Venezuela, located in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
between Isla Margarita and the mainland. The other two islands are Isla Margarita, the main island of the state, and
Cubagua Cubagua Island or Isla de Cubagua () is the smallest and least populated of the three islands constituting the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, after Margarita Island and Coche Island. It is located north of the Araya Peninsula, the closest ...
, the smallest. Coche is coterminous with the municipality of Villalba, with the municipal seat at
San Pedro de Coche Isla de Coche (''Coche Island'') is one of three islands forming the Nueva Esparta State of Venezuela, located in the Caribbean between Isla Margarita and the mainland. The other two islands are Isla Margarita, the main island of the state, an ...
, the largest town. Moreover, Coche Island has continue to sustain the fishing tradition. It covers an area of ( long by ), with a population of about 8,200 (1999 census). The highest elevation of the island is
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
. The climate is
tropic The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
al, with an average temperature of approximately . Other towns on Coche besides
San Pedro de Coche Isla de Coche (''Coche Island'') is one of three islands forming the Nueva Esparta State of Venezuela, located in the Caribbean between Isla Margarita and the mainland. The other two islands are Isla Margarita, the main island of the state, an ...
are El Bichar, Guinima,
El Amparo El Amparo is a town located in Páez Municipality, Apure of Venezuela. It is located on the border with Colombia, on the banks of the Arauca River. The Massacre of El Amparo took place near the town.Amnesty International Amnesty Internation ...
, El Guamache and La Uva. The economy depends mainly on tourism.


History

The island was discovered in 1498 by Christopher Columbus, populated by the Waika Rio indigenous people. First efforts to settle Coche was made in the early 16th century. There was previous population of refugees originating from the city of Nueva Cádiz which was destroyed by a tropical storm on
Cubagua Cubagua Island or Isla de Cubagua () is the smallest and least populated of the three islands constituting the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, after Margarita Island and Coche Island. It is located north of the Araya Peninsula, the closest ...
Island. All settlers, mostly the pearl daughters, abandoned Isla Coche in 1574. The next successful settlement took place in the 19th century, and from this date Coche is still inhabited. The island is contained as the municipality of Villalba, with both having San Pedro de Coche as their capital.


Airport

Location City: Isla De Coche, Venezuela
Name:
Andrés Miguel Salazar Marcano Airport Andres Miguel Salazar Marcano Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Andrés Miguel Salazar Marcano) is an airport serving Isla de Coche, an island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta. The airport has been under the regional administration of the state ...

ICAO: SVIE

Details
Type: Airport (Aerodrome, Airfield)
Latitude: 10°47'40"N (10.794406)
Longitude: 63°58'54"W (-63.981589)
Datum: WGS 1984
Elevation: 10 ft (3 m)
Runways: 1
Longest: 3937 × 98 ft (1200 × 30 m)


Tourism

Coche Island is uniquely positioned for quality selective tourism (not massive). To the west of the island the conditions for windsurfing and kiteboarding (strong winds over 50 km/h with a sea without waves) and trucks candle can be cited among the best in the world. It can see the effect of strong winds and continued in the sparse vegetation of the island, as seen in the image of San Pedro de Coche. On the road can be practiced the cycling, naturally with sunscreen to prevent sunburn, given the absence of clouds over the year. The temperature, though high, is pleasant in the fresh sea air, considering that breeze rages precisely in the hottest hours of the afternoon. On the island, there are good quality hotels that offer tourists all the necessary facilities for a pleasant stay. It also offers rides and tours both aquatic and terrestrial. Tourist purposes, Coche Island maintains close communication with Margarita Island and the Venezuelan mainland Sucre State.


In fiction

The story of the Polish writer Arkady Fiedler's novel "Robinson's Island" (''Wyspa Robinsona'', 1954) took place in Coche Island. The protagonist Jan (John) Bober, a half-Polish half-English Virginia pioneer, fled from government pursuit by a pirate ship. However it ran into heavy water and wrecked near the island. Jan and his two Arawak companions Arnak and Wagura (former slaves from the ship), the only survivors of the shipwreck, lived in 1725–1726 in the island. Later they received in the island a group of fled slaves from Margarita Island and with combined forces defeated Spanish slaver pursuers and seized their ship. Fearing Spanish revenge, Jan and his followers left the island on the captured ship. Their adventures continued in the two next Arkady Fiedler's novels "Orinoco" (''Orinoko'', 1957) and "The White Jaguar" (''Biały Jaguar'', 1980).


References


External links

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Airport information
{{authority control Geography of Nueva Esparta Venezuelan islands of the Leeward Antilles