Gasparillo Island
Encyclopedia
Gasparillo is a small island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
. It is one of the "Bocas Islands" (also referred to as Dragons' Teeth), which lie in the Bocas del Dragón
(Spanish for Dragons' Mouth) between the main island of Trinidad
and Venezuela
. The island is currently uninhabited.
bedrock with caves. Several species of birds nest at the island, including the Short-tailed Swift
that nest on the eastern side of the island.
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
. 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.
In the 20th century it was bought or leased by a businessman, C.C. Stollmeyer, with the intent of quarrying limestone
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 government regained possession of the island when the United States
was leased areas in Trinidad under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
in 1940 during World War II
.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. It is one of the "Bocas Islands" (also referred to as Dragons' Teeth), which lie in the Bocas del Dragón
Bocas del Dragón
The Bocas del Dragón 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 they are:...
(Spanish for Dragons' Mouth) between the main island of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. 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 vegetation, and composed of a limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
bedrock with caves. Several species of birds nest at the island, including the Short-tailed Swift
Short-tailed Swift
The Short-tailed Swift is a bird in the Apodidae, or swift family.-Taxonomy:The subspecies C. b. ocypetes is sometimes considered a full species, the Tumbes Swift Chaetura ocypetes Zimmer, 1953....
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 GrandeGaspar Grande
Gaspar Grande or Gasparee is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago named for Gaspar de Percín. The island is 1.29 km² in area and lies west of Port of Spain...
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
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. Sometime in the 19th century, it was also referred to as Gopee, based on one of its owners "Guppy", a Trinidad naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
. He did not retain possession of the island due to a failure of paying land tax.
In the 20th century it was bought or leased by a businessman, C.C. Stollmeyer, with the intent of quarrying limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
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 government regained possession of the island when the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was leased areas in Trinidad under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
in 1940 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.