Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Isla Aves
Isla Aves (Spanish for 'Bird Island') is a tiny and remote Caribbean island lying to the west of the Leeward Islands chain at . No more than 150 m in length, it rises only 2 m above the sea on a calm day and is sometimes completely submerged during storms.
It is Venezuelan territory and the Venezuelan military maintain a small base there, raised on stilts above the water. The island is in danger of eroding altogether, and the Venezuelan authorities are considering ways to protect it, along with the territorial claims in the Caribbean which it radiates. The impact of Hurricane Allen in the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season divided it into two parts, but accretions of coral have subsequently reunited it.
It is a resting and breeding place for seabirds and the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Its low profile makes it a hazard to navigation, and many ships have been wrecked here.
It is not to be confused with the Islas Las Aves in the Los Roques group much nearer to the Venezuelan mainland.
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