Patos Island (Venezuela)

Geography

Patos Island is located about 540 km northeast of Caracas in the Golfo de Paria (Gulf of Paria). The coordinates are . It lies in the Boca Grande strait of the Bocas del Dragón (Dragon's Mouth), approximately 4 km off the Paria Peninsula of mainland Venezuela and about 10 km west-south-west of Chacachacare, which is part of Trinidad and Tobago.

The uninhabited island has an area of only 0.65 km2 with a length of 1.1 km and 0.6 km wide with the highest point reaching about 100 m.

History{{anchor|Anglo-Venezuelan Treaty (Island of Patos) Act 1942}}

| use_new_UK-LEG = | UK-LEG_title = Patos Island was part of the former British colony of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1859 the United Kingdom began a claim on the island that Venezuela rejected arguing that it was not mentioned in the capitulation of 1797 nor in the Treaty of Amiens of 1802. In 1902 the United Kingdom raised its flag on the island which provoked a strong protest from the Venezuelan government. In 1904 Venezuela included it as part of the Federal territory Colón. On 26 February 1942, the island became part of Venezuela in exchange for Soldado Rock to Trinidad and Tobago and was put under the administration of the Ministerio de Relaciones Interiores (actual Ministry of Interior and Justice) as part of the Dependencias Federales.

References

References

1. [http://www.pdvsa.com/lexico/excursio/exc-64os.htm Excursión a la Isla de Patos (1964)] – PDVSA-Intevep, 1997
2. Vila, Marco Aurelio. 1967: Aspectos geográficos de las Dependencias Federales. Corporación Venezolana de Fomento. Caracas. 115p.
3. Cervigon, Fernando. 1995: Las Dependencias Federales. Academia Nacional de la Historia. Caracas. 193p.
4. Hernández Caballero, Serafín (Editor). 1998: Gran Enciclopedia de Venezuela. Editorial Globe, C.A. Caracas. 10 volúmenes. {{ISBN. 980-6427-00-9 {{ISBN. 980-6427-10-6
5. González Oropeza, Hermann. y Donis Ríos, Manuel. 1989: Historia d elas fronteras de Venezuela. Cuadernos Lagoven. S.A. Caracas; {{ISBN. 980-259-257-9
6. (12 May 1942). "ANGLO - VENEZUELAN TREATY (ISLAND OF PATOS) BILL. [H.L.]". [[Hansard.