Native name: Isla La Tortuga | |
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 A beach on La Tortuga island | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | 10°55′54″N65°18′29″W / 10.93167°N 65.30806°W /10.93167; -65.30806 |
| Major islands | 1 |
| Area | 156.60 km2 (60.46 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Highest point | Altos de Garambeo |
| Administration | |
| Federal dependencies of Venezuela | |
La Tortuga Island (Spanish:Isla La Tortuga; "La Tortuga" means literally "theturtle") is an uninhabited island ofVenezuela, the largest in theFederal Dependencies of Venezuela. It is part of a group of islands that include theTortuguillos andCayo Herradura. Isla La Tortuga has an area of 156 km2 (60 sq mi).[1][2][3][4]
The island was visited byAmerindians from the coast of present-day Venezuela to exploit its natural resources including salt, fish and turtles, well beforeSpanish colonization of the New World. It is not known by which European explorer the island was first seen and named, yet the name derives from the large numbers ofmarine turtles that come to lay eggs on its long sandy beaches every year.[5]
The island was seasonally visited by theDutch who came there to exploit thesalt evaporation ponds on the east of the island between 1624 and 1638. They constructed a fort on the island to guard their salt works and repel theSpanish who were eager to keep the Dutch off the island. They were definitively expelled in 1638 when the Spanish governor ofCumaná,Benito Arias Montano, and his forces destroyed their facilities and flooded thesalt pans.[6]
Since then, with the exception of fishermen who visit the island seasonally, the island has remained unpopulated and largely untouched. There is some tourism on the island.
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10°55′54″N65°18′29″W / 10.93167°N 65.30806°W /10.93167; -65.30806
