Isla de Aves

Isla de Aves

Isla de Aves from space, 2001
Isla de Aves Location in the Caribbean
Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Coordinates	15°40′18″N 63°36′59″W / 15.67167°N 63.61639°W / 15.67167; -63.61639
Length	376 m (1234 ft)
Width	50 m (160 ft)
Highest elevation	4 m (13 ft)
Administration
Venezuela
Federal Dependencies of Venezuela

Isla de Aves ([ˈisla ðe ˈaβes]; Spanish for "Island of Birds" or "Birds Island"), or Aves Island, is a Federal Dependency of Venezuela. It has been the subject of numerous territorial disputes (now resolved) with the United States (through the Guano Islands Act of 1856), neighboring independent islands, such as Dominica, and European states controlling the surrounding dependent islands, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

It is a part of the Aves Ridge and lies to the west of the Windward Islands chain at 15°40′18″N 63°36′59″W / 15.67167°N 63.61639°W / 15.67167; -63.61639. It is 375 metres (1,230 ft) in length and never more than 50 metres (160 ft) in width, and rises 4 metres (13 ft) above the sea on a calm day. Depending on one's interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it could be legally classified as a "rock", which would only give Venezuela a twelve nautical mile economic zone. However, Venezuela claims it is a normal island, which grants it a 200-nautical-mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone.^[1] Mostly sand, a small portion has some scrubby vegetation. It is sometimes completely submerged during hurricanes. It is 185 kilometres (115 mi) southwest of the closest land, Montserrat, 225 kilometres (140 mi) west of Dominica and 547 kilometres (340 mi) north of the Venezuelan mainland.^[2][3][4]