The debate about the ownership of the Venezuelan Gulf continues to this day. It can not be shared between Colombia and Venezuela. What hides this important strait? What causes armed clashes in the waters of the Venezuelan Gulf? We will help you understand this issue and talk about the location and features of the water body.
Where is the Venezuelan Gulf? Description
The bay is located in the southern Caribbean, north of South America, between the peninsulas of Paraguana and Guajira, whose waters and coasts belong to Venezuela (Zulia and Falcon states) and Colombia (La Guajira department).
As can be seen in the photo, the Gulf of Venezuela is connected to Lake Maracaibo through the navigation channel. It should be noted that the Los Monges archipelago is used as a formal boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf.
The length of the bay is 231 km, the width at the entrance is 98 km, the total area of the bay is 15,000 square meters. km, the depth in different parts is from 18 to 71 meters. The height of the tides does not exceed 1 meter.
At least 15 rocky coral species are located on the northwestern coast of the Venezuelan Gulf, forming shallow reef sites of a new geological formation. The underwater world is distinguished by its diversity and beauty.
According to a study by the Berlin Technical University under the direction of Professor B. Eileen-Willig, the coast of Venezuela poses a risk of tsunamis in several areas, including the Gulf and Lake Maracaibo, which can be caused by avalanches and landslides.
Discovery of the Venezuelan Gulf
In 1499, an expedition under the command of Admiral Alonso de Ojeda and Juan de la Cos, accompanied by the Florentine merchant Amerigo Vespucci, after whom America was named, went to explore the coastal coast, collecting data and giving names to new, previously unknown lands. Scientists arrived at the gulf after passing through the Netherlands Antilles and the Paraguan Peninsula.
To this day, controversy continues over what the bay was originally called. Some sources claim that the harbor gave the name "Venice". This is due to the fact that off the coast houses were located that resembled Venetian housing.
The expedition managed to discover not only the bay, but also the tribes of the natives. Travelers themselves write that they tried to respect the locals. However, there are records claiming that the expedition brought several hundred Indians from overseas countries as slaves.
Travelers described their incredible surprise and admiration for the beauties of local nature. They were captivated by the singing of unknown colorful birds, monkeys jumping on trees and crawling giant snakes.
Who owns the bay
Due to the lack of a clearly established maritime border between the two countries, a lengthy border dispute arose. According to various sources, 91 - 94% of the territory belongs to Venezuela, the remaining 6 - 9%, located off the coast of Colombia, are still disputed.
Colombia insists that the Los Monges archipelago, like the uninhabited islets 20 nautical miles off the Colombian coast, does not create a continental shelf.
“The Corvette Crisis Caldas”
On August 9, 1987, the diplomatic crisis between the republics of Venezuela and Colombia sharply worsened as a result of the introduction of the Colombian fleet into the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela, where there was no border officially adopted by both countries.
The problem was caused by a dispute about the sovereignty of marine and submarine areas, the question of the borders of which is still at the stage of negotiations between the parties. Both Venezuela and Colombia divided the territory unilaterally, which led to dangerous coincidences in the patrol areas of their naval forces. A real war was brewing. However, trouble did not happen: on the orders of the Colombian president , the fleet left the disputed territory and returned to the shores of Colombia. The crisis lasted 19 days. Since then, the question of delimiting the water area has been suspended.
The Caldas corvette crisis was not the first time that a threat of armed confrontation arose in disputed territory.
Economic and strategic importance of the bay
It is believed that the bay is of great strategic importance due to oil, which is one of the reasons for the dispute between the parties. However, there are also large reserves of natural gas. It is not yet produced, but the fields are considered a strategic reserve of Venezuela, the main producer and exporter of crude oil in the Americas.
Black gold is mined in Lake Maracaibo, which connects the Venezuelan Gulf with the Caribbean Sea. It is also important for oil exports.
In the bay there are a large number of oil refineries, of which the most important and large-scale - Amuaysky plant can be distinguished. It is built in the harbor, which belongs to the bay. This is very convenient, as the country's largest processing center is located here.
The second refinery is Cardon, located southwest of Paraguana.
It is not known how soon (and whether in general) countries can resolve this controversial issue. But the attention of many states is riveted to this problem, since the aggravation of the conflict carries an international threat.