Cayo Bubi del Medio[1] (also written in English as Bubi del Medio Key or Middle Bubi Key) [2][3] is the name of a protected island belonging to the South American country of Venezuela.[4][5] Geographically, it is part of the small insular subgroup known as the "Bubi Keys" or "Bobo Keys" (historically referred to as the three white bobos), located in the eastern sector of the Los Roques Archipelago in the Lesser Antilles. Administratively, this islet is part of the Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory within the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, and it remains completely uninhabited by humans.[6]
Native name: Cayo Bubi del Medio | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Cayo Bubi del Medio | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | 11°49′59″N 66°35′47″W / 11.83306°N 66.59639°W |
| Archipelago | Los Roques Archipelago |
| Area | 0.36 km2 (0.14 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Federal entity | Federal Dependencies |
| Insular Territory | Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
History
editDuring the Spanish colonial era, this small island was strategically linked to the Captaincy General of Venezuela due to its geographic position in the Caribbean. Following the Venezuelan war of independence from the Spanish Empire, the territory was integrated into the Colón Territory, an administrative division created to manage the nation's offshore islands. Later, starting in the year 1938, its direct administration and management became a permanent responsibility of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, which oversaw all insular areas that were not legally assigned to specific Venezuelan states.
In order to guarantee the long-term conservation of its pristine ecosystem, the national government decreed the inclusion of the key within the protected area known as the Los Roques Archipelago National Park in 1972. Between 1990 and 2011, the island's environmental and territorial policies were managed under the special legal framework of the Single Area Authority of Los Roques (AUALR). Its most recent political and administrative reorganization occurred in 2011, when it was officially incorporated into the newly established Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory through a presidential decree with the rank of an Organic Law.
Geography
editThe key has an approximate land surface area of 36 hectares, which is equivalent to 0.36 square kilometers, making it the second largest island of its specific insular subgroup, positioned between Cayo Bubi del Norte and Cayo Bubi del Sur. It is located entirely in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, north of the mainland of Venezuela, under the geographic coordinates of 11°49′59″ North latitude and 66°35′47″ West longitude. Due to its high environmental fragility and exceptional ecological value, it has been classified under the strict category of an Integral Protection Zone (PI).
Flora and Fauna
editThe island is completely devoid of human infrastructure or permanent settlements, allowing nature to develop without artificial disruptions. The terrestrial surface is predominantly covered by a dense and complex forest of mangroves, consisting mainly of red mangrove[7] (Rhizophora mangle) and black mangrove (Avicennia germinans)[8] species that are highly adapted to hyper-saline coastal soils. This dense and isolated vegetation serves as a critical natural sanctuary for the seasonal reproduction, nesting, and resting of various species of migratory and endemic marine birds, such as the brown booby.
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Amend, Thora (1992). Parque Nacional Archipiélago Los Roques (in Spanish). Fundación Polar. ISBN 978-980-07-0744-9.
- ↑ Anuario estadístico de Venezuela (in Spanish). OCEI. 1993.
- ↑ Guía marítima, portuaria y de la industria naval de Venezuela (in Spanish). Gumarpoca. 1991. ISBN 978-980-300-990-8.
- ↑ Quevedo, Pedro J. Guzmán (1990). Derrotero de los puertos, costas e islas de Venezuela: desde el Orinoco hasta el lago de Maracaibo, incluyendo las región insular (in Spanish). El Autor. ISBN 978-980-300-125-4.
- ↑ Nacionales, Venezuela Dirección General de Estadística y Censos (1992). Anuario estadístico de Venezuela (in Spanish). República de Venezuela, Ministerio de Fomento, Dirección General de Estadística y Censos Nacionales.
- ↑ Vénézuela), Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales La Salle (Caracas (1956). El archipiélago de Los Roques y La Orchila (in French). Editorial Sucre.
- ↑ Universidad Central de Venezuela, UVO, ed. (diciembre 2015). RVO – Diciembre 2015.
- ↑ Bosque, Carlos; Pisani, Federico; Mata, Toribio; Esclasans, Diana (2015-12-01). "Las colonias reproductoras de las aves marinas del Parque Nacional Archipiélago Los Roques. Revista Venezolana de Ornitología 5: 4-23, 2015 ©Unión Venezolana de Ornitólogos". Revista latinoamericana de microbiología. 5: 4–23.