The reality of the importance of Isla de Aves

Isla de Aves is a small sandy island surrounded by a coral reef, approximately 540m long, with a maximum coastline of 3m above mean sea level and an area of 3.72 hectares; it is located in the Central-Eastern Caribbean, which makes it the only island of an extensive submarine mountain range known as the Prominence of Birds. It is located 650 km north of the port of La Guaira, 510 km north of Margarita Island, and 435 km northwest of La Blanquilla Island. With respect to other Caribbean Islands, it is located approximately 200 km west of Dominica and Guadalupe and 350 km southwest of Puerto Rico. This island represents the northernmost portion of the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Isla de Aves represents a strategic point within the geopolitics of the Caribbean since it constitutes the furthest border of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which makes this critical section of the territory a point of reference from which important area delimitation agreements are drawn up. marine and submarine with the neighboring Island States. Due to its position, it becomes the most advanced point of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Eastern Caribbean, distant from the most important passes or straits of international navigation. Approximately 120 nautical miles from the Anegada Pass; 240 nautical miles from La Mona Pass; 110 nautical miles from the Guadalupe Pass and 120 nautical miles from the Dominica Channel. This makes it a reference to establish the marine limits of our country.

Thus, in the Caribbean, taking into account the presence of Isla de Aves, Venezuela borders Colombia, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba, Saint Eustatius), the United States of America (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Saint Christopher – Nevis, United Kingdom (Monserrat), France, (Martinique and Guadeloupe), Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago. As a consequence of the physiographic and physical-chemical characteristics of the environment, the island is made up of various habitats in a reduced space, transforming it into an interesting marine observation laboratory nestled in the complex tropical ecosystem of the Venezuelan Caribbean basin in the many species interact. It is, along with Asunción Island, Tortuguero Beach (Costa Rica), the only place where green turtles spawn;

It is also a refuge for migratory birds that use it as a break. For this reason, the Simón Bolívar Naval Scientific Base (BCNASBO) facilities were located there.