La Tortuga Island
Encyclopedia
La Tortuga Island is an uninhabited island dependent on the government of Venezuela
. It is part of a chain of islands that include the Tortuguillas, the Palaquines, and others. Has an area of 156 km²
. On his second trip, together with Amerigo Vespucci, the island was named La isla La Tortuga by Amerigo Vespucci
because of the enormous presence of turtles on the island.
The island was seasonally populated by the Dutch
who came there to exploit the salt evaporation ponds on the east of the island as of the 1550s. They constructed a fort on the island to guard their salt works and reapers against the Spanish who were eager to keep the Dutch off the island. They were definitively expelled in 1631 when the Spanish governor of Cumaná destroyed their facilities and flooded the salt pans
.
Since then the island has not had a permanent population and its location and morphology
have remained untouched, which makes the island one of the last somewhat virgin places of Venezuela although there is tourism on the island.
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...
. It is part of a chain of islands that include the Tortuguillas, the Palaquines, and others. Has an area of 156 km²
History
It was discovered in 1499 by Alonso de OjedaAlonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda was a Spanish navigator, governor and conquistador. His name is sometimes spelled Alonzo and Oxeda.-Early life:...
. On his second trip, together with Amerigo Vespucci, the island was named La isla La Tortuga by Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
because of the enormous presence of turtles on the island.
The island was seasonally populated by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
who came there to exploit the salt evaporation ponds on the east of the island as of the 1550s. They constructed a fort on the island to guard their salt works and reapers against the Spanish who were eager to keep the Dutch off the island. They were definitively expelled in 1631 when the Spanish governor of Cumaná destroyed their facilities and flooded the salt pans
Salt pan (geology)
Natural salt pans are flat expanses of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually shining white under the sun. They are found in deserts, and should not be confused with salt evaporation ponds.A salt pan is formed where water pools...
.
Since then the island has not had a permanent population and its location and morphology
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
have remained untouched, which makes the island one of the last somewhat virgin places of Venezuela although there is tourism on the island.