Los Monjes Archipelago
Encyclopedia
The Los Monjes islands, a federal dependency
of Venezuela
, are located to the northwest of the Gulf of Venezuela
, 34.8 km off the coast of Guajira Peninsula
, at the border between Colombia
and the Venezuelan state
of Zulia
.
The islands consist of rocks rising steeply out of the sea, without any beaches or natural landing. The Venezuelan Navy maintains a base on El Sur, where it constructed a pier. The islands have no natural resources and must be supplied from the mainland. Fishing is the main activity around the islands, usually by fishing boats making the short trip from the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela.
There are three islands or island groups, with a total area of 0.2 km²:
Federal dependencies of Venezuela
The Federal Dependencies of Venezuela encompass all of Venezuela's off shore islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Venezuela...
of 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...
, are located to the northwest of the Gulf of Venezuela
Gulf of Venezuela
The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by Guajira Department, Colombia...
, 34.8 km off the coast of Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
, at the border between Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and the Venezuelan state
States of Venezuela
Venezuela is divided into 23 states , 1 Capital District and the Federal Dependencies that consist of a large number of Venezuelan islands...
of Zulia
Zulia
Zulia State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. In June 30, 2010, it had an estimated population of 3,821,068, giving it the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is located in the northwestern part of the country...
.
The islands consist of rocks rising steeply out of the sea, without any beaches or natural landing. The Venezuelan Navy maintains a base on El Sur, where it constructed a pier. The islands have no natural resources and must be supplied from the mainland. Fishing is the main activity around the islands, usually by fishing boats making the short trip from the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela.
There are three islands or island groups, with a total area of 0.2 km²:
- Monjes del Sur (12°22′N 70°54′W) consists of the two largest islands, connected by an artificial dam. The southern of the two islands reaches a height of 70 m and has a lighthouseLighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. - Monje del Este (12°24′N 70°51′W), a small rock 5.3 km northeast of Monjes del Sur, reaches a height of 43 m.
- Monjes del Norte (12°30′N 70°55′W), is 12.3 km NNENNEAs an abbreviation, NNE may stand for:*Non-viable National Economy*North-northeast*Novo Nordisk Engineering...
of Monjes del Este, and consists of five small rocks, the largest one of which reaches a height of 41 m.