Isla de Aves (
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
for "Island of Birds"), or
Aves Island, is a
CaribbeanThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
islet claimed by
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
. It has been the subject of numerous
territorial disputesA territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession or control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power....
between the neigboring independent islands, such as
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
, and European mother countries of surrounding dependent islands, such as the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
. It lies to the west of the
Leeward IslandsThe Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
chain at . It is 375 m in length and never more than 50 m in width, and rises 4 m above the sea on a calm day.
Isla de Aves (
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
for "Island of Birds"), or
Aves Island, is a
CaribbeanThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
islet claimed by
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
. It has been the subject of numerous
territorial disputesA territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession or control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power....
between the neigboring independent islands, such as
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
, and European mother countries of surrounding dependent islands, such as the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
. It lies to the west of the
Leeward IslandsThe Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
chain at . It is 375 m in length and never more than 50 m in width, and rises 4 m above the sea on a calm day. According to the UN Law of the Seas it is classified as a rock, which would only give Venezuela a twelve mile econimic zone. However, Venezuela claims it is an island which grants it a 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Mostly sand, a small portion has some scrubby vegetation. It is sometimes completely submerged during hurricanes. It is 115 miles southwest of the closest land,
MontserratMontserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It measures approximately 16 km long and 11 km wide, giving of coastline...
, 140 miles west of
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
and 340 miles north of the Venezuelan mainland.
For some time the island has been in danger of eroding altogether, and Venezuelan authorities are considering ways to protect it, along with the territorial claims to the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
which radiate from Isla Aves. The impact of
Hurricane AllenHurricane Allen was the strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history, one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on three separate occasions, and spent more time as a...
in the
1980 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1980 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1980, and lasted until November 30, 1980. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season was fairly active, with eleven storms forming, of which nine reached...
divided it into two parts, but accretions of
coralCorals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals...
have subsequently reunited it. On August 17, 2007, the force of
Hurricane DeanThe name Dean was used for five tropical cyclones in the Northern Atlantic Ocean:*1983's Tropical Storm Dean, which struck the coast of Virginia, causing minor erosion and flooding...
severely eroded the island.
The island is a resting and breeding place for seabirds and the
Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydas, known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific...
(
Chelonia mydas). Its low profile makes it a hazard to navigation, and many ships have been wrecked here.
Aves Island is a particularly rare
amateur radioAmateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training....
"entity", under the ITU prefix YV0. A 2006 expedition by operators to the island required 14 years of planning. Though one member suffered a fatal heart attack, over 42,000 contacts were made during their week-long stay.
History
The island was most likely discovered by Avaro Sanzze in 1584, though it was not settled. It was subsequently claimed for
Great BritainThe Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
and the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
. Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the inhabitants of the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
islands St. Eustatius and
SabaSaba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, located at . It consists largely of the potentially active volcano, Mount Scenery , the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
regularly visited Aves to collect turtle and bird eggs.
In 1854 a US captain discovered the abundant quantities of
guanoGuano is the excrement of seabirds, bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. Superphosphate made from guano is used for aerial topdressing...
on Aves and systematic collection started not long after. Both the Dutch and Venezuelan authorities found out and protested. The Dutch sent a warship to Aves. Its captain found Americans loading guano. He informed them that the Dutch considered Aves to belong to the Netherlands.
The Dutch authorities on
CuraçaoCuraçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The island area of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is one of five island areas of the Netherlands...
under whom St. Eustatius and Saba fell, sat down with the Venezuelans and together decided to find a mutually acceptable sovereign to decide about the ownership of Aves Island. The Queen of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
was accepted by both parties. In 1865 Isabella II ruled on the issue. Not surprisingly, she decided in favor of the Spanish speaking heirs of her ancestors' empire.
However, Isabella's judgment acknowledged the time honored rights of the inhabitants of the Dutch islands St. Eustatius,
SabaSaba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, located at . It consists largely of the potentially active volcano, Mount Scenery , the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
and St. Maarten to fish in the waters around Aves. As this was the main issue the Dutch had, they accepted the ruling. Later Dutch historians argued that in fact, Isabella's advisors mixed up Aves with
Las Aves ArchipelagoThe Las Aves Archipelagois a pristine archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, and is part of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela. It is located north of the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Carabobo, between the Dutch islandBonaire in the west, and the Los Roques Archipelago in the east, at . The prime...
lying between
BonaireThe Island Territory of Bonaire is one of five island areas of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire...
and Los Roques, just off the coast of Venezuela.
In the meantime, in 1859 the Administrator of St. Eustatius granted a concession to collect guano on Aves to ‘Edward Green, Kean & Co.’ in Baltimore at f. 2.50 per ton. He decided that “
even though Aves was never permanently settled by the Dutch, the inhabitants of Statia and Saba had made use of the island longer than anyone can remember,” which “
constituted proof of possession.” He gave a provisionary concession and asked the Governor in Curaçao to confirm. The Governor meanwhile had received a request to mine guano on Aves from a group of business men on Dutch St. Maarten, “
who had assured themselves that Aves was recognized as a possession of the Dutch government.”
From 1878 to 1912 the island was again occupied by American
guanoGuano is the excrement of seabirds, bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. Superphosphate made from guano is used for aerial topdressing...
miners until supplies were eventually exhausted.
Isla de Aves was included in Venezuela's territorial reorganization done by President
Joaquin CrespoJoaquín Sinforiano de Jesús Crespo Torres was a politician, soldier and President of Venezuela from 1884 to 1886 and again from 1892 to 1898, and a member of the Great Liberal Party of Venezuela...
in 1895. By 1905, Isla de Aves was a municipality called "Municipio Oriental" part of Colon Federal Territory.
In 1950, a Venezuelan Navy fleet consisting of two patrol boats and one transport boat reached the island and a group of soldiers effectively took control of the island. On June 2, 1978, the Venezuelan Navy set up a scientific naval base named
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
on the lee (west) side near the southern tip of the island, constructed as a platform built on stilts partially in the water, which was permanently inhabited by a group of scientists and military personnel.
On March 28, 1978, Venezuela using Aves Island as its reference, it agreed its maritime borders with the USA between Aves Island and Puerto Rico. On June 17, 1980 Venezuela agreed with France that longitude 62D 48M 52S W should be the maritime border between Aves Island and Guadeloupe and Martinique.
During the visit to Venezuela, Dominica Prime Minister
Roosevelt SkerritRoosevelt Skerrit is the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica as well the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency...
, in June 2006, stated that
Aves Island belongs to Venezuela, ending the territorial claim but not a maritime claim.
See also
- Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. It stretches from the edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from its coast...
- Ankoko Island
Ankoko Island is located at the confluence of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at , on the border between Guyana and Venezuela....
(Another disputed territory involving Venezuela)
External links
Articles and papers