La Tortuga island, natural paradise in Venezuela

La Tortuga is an unhabituated island located at the Northern part of Venezuela. Is part of a chain of islands that includes Tortuguillas, Palaquines and other smaller landmasses, according to Foundation La tortuga the island has the following characteristics.

Located in the Caribbean right in front of the Venezuelan oriental coast, 72 Km (45 miles) northeast from cabo cordera and 120 Km (74 miles) west from Margarita Island (10º56’50”N y 065º18’50”W), with of surface of approximately 155 km2 (60 square miles), it’s the second biggest island in the Venezuelan territory, after Margarita Island. Is a very plain island, it’s biggest height doesn’t surpass the 40 meters above the sea level. From East to West, it has approximately 13.5 nautical miles and from North to South, it’s widest part reaches the 6 nautical miles.

The barrenness and not the economic aspects, it’s the cause of the absence of a permanent population living in the island. The island La Tortuga doesn’t posses any natural source of fresh water. In the year 1936 it was written that there were some wells in the Oriental part, nearby of the Carenero Bay, in 1940 Agustin Codazzi indicated that the island had a small port and scanty amount of fresh water. In 1944, the La Salle society of natural sciences found two sources of water, the first one nearby Punta Arenas, located at the Southwest and the second one located a few meter from the sea between El Olivito and El Mangle, at the north coast. The water found in both places was brackish water with a sulfurous smell, very repugnant but drinkable. The flora and fauna of the region survive by drinking the rainwater and the morning dew.

There are four species of marine turtles that have been registered has reproductive inhabitants of La Tortuga. These are: Carey, Green turtle, Caguamo and Cardon
The two first species are part of the inhabitant residents with a full structure of ages, which feeds and helps develop the environment surrounding the island. The green turtle and the Caguamo turtle had been classified has species in extinction danger, while the Cardon turtle and the Carey turtle had been classified has species in critical extinction danger,
The commercialization of the turtle’s meat, the eggs and the shell and also the degradation through pollution and over exploitation of its habitat are the reasons that lead this species that survived for 110 million years to be in extinction danger in only 500 years are.
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