copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2008-11-12): Isla de Aves (Spanish for "Island of Birds"), or Aves Island, is a Caribbean islet claimed by Venezuela. It has been the subject of numerous territorial disputes between the neighboring independent islands, such as Dominica, and European mother countries of surrounding dependent islands, such as the Netherlands. It lies to the west of the Leeward Islands chain at . It is 375 m in length and never more than 50 m in width, and rises 4 m above the sea on a calm day. According to the UN Law of the Seas it is classified as a rock, which would only give Venezuela a twelve mile economic zone. However, Venezuela claims it is an island which grants it a 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Mostly sand, a small portion has some scrubby vegetation. It is sometimes completely submerged during hurricanes. It is 115 miles southwest of the closest land, Montserrat, 140 miles west of Dominica and 340 miles north of the Venezuelan mainland. [...] Isla de Aves was included in Venezuela's territorial reorganization done by President Joaquin Crespo in 1895. By 1905, Isla de Aves was a municipality called "Municipio Oriental" part of Colon Federal Territory. [...] During the visit to Venezuela, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, in June 2006, stated that Aves Island belongs to Venezuela, ending the territorial claim but not a maritime claim.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-26): The Dutch considered Los Roques to belong to their island territory of Curaçao because of its proximity to Bonaire which also belonged to the Dutch. The author M.D. Teenstra in 1836 still writes (in his book The Dutch West Indies): "The Government of Curaçao also includes the uninhabited islets and rocks Little Curaçao, Aves, Roques and Orchilla." [...] In 2012 the Venezuelan National Navy named a Damen Stan Lander 5612 landing craft after the islands.[citation needed] In 2012, the Organic Regulations of the Head of Government of the Insular Territory of Miranda were approved, which establishes the organization of the government in Los Roques, La Orchila and Las Aves.[8] In 2014 the government of the Territory together with the inhabitants of Los Roques established the Norms of Communal Coexistence of the Insular Territory Francisco de Miranda in the Archipelago of Los Roques.[9] [...] Between 1990 and 2011 the central government appointed a director for the Single Area Authority (Autoridad Única de Área) within the Federal Dependencies, but that last year the central government created the figure of the Miranda Insular Territory (Territorio Insular) that encompasses not only Los Roques but La Orchila and Las Aves Archipelago.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-27): The island's low profile makes it a hazard to navigation, and many ships have been wrecked here. It is sometimes completely submerged during hurricanes. For some time the island has been in danger of eroding altogether, and Venezuelan authorities are considering ways to protect it, along with the territorial claims to the Caribbean Sea which radiate from Isla de Aves. The impact of Hurricane Allen in the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season divided it into two parts, but accretions of coral have subsequently reunited it. On August 17, 2007, the force of Hurricane Dean severely eroded the island. [...] Isla de Aves was included in Venezuela's territorial reorganization done by President Joaquín Crespo in 1895. By 1905, Isla de Aves was a municipality called "Municipio Oriental" part of Colón Federal Territory. [...] During a visit to Venezuela, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, in June 2006, stated that Aves Island belongs to Venezuela, unofficially ending the territorial claim.[8]
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): Aves Islands islands, Venezuela [...] description - In Bird Island …Venezuelan islands of similar name, Islas de Aves, comprising Aves de Barlovento and Aves de Sotavento, located 145 miles [230 km] north of Caracas, just east of Bonaire.) The uninhabited islet was valued in the past for its abundant guano (used as fertilizer) and was claimed or occupied by a…
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-06): The Caribbean Sea is a treasured destination for tourists looking to explore the beauty of the sea and its islands. Among the many islands in the Caribbean, Isla de Aves is one of the most spectacular and captivating destinations. Located approximately 400 kilometers off the coast of mainland Venezuela, Isla de Aves is a volcanic atoll and rich in flora and fauna. Here’s a guide to this stunning Caribbean gem. [...] Isla de Aves was first discovered by Spaniards in the 16th century. It remained uninhabited for centuries until Venezuela claimed it as part of its territory in 1811. In the 1930s, the Venezuelan government made plans to colonize the island, but it was not until 1972 that a small group of people began to make it their home. In the 1980s, Isla de Aves was declared a National Park, making it a protected area for both wildlife and visitors. [...] Isla de Aves is located approximately 400 kilometers off the coast of mainland Venezuela. The easiest way to get to the island is by taking a flight from Caracas to Isla de Aves airport. From there, visitors can catch a boat to the island. It is also possible to get to Isla de Aves via cruise ship.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-14): The Las Aves Archipelago is a pristine archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, and is part of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela. It is located north of the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Carabobo, between the Dutch island Bonaire in the west, and the Los Roques Archipelago in the east, at 12°00′N 67°40′W / 12.000°N 67.667°W. The prime economic importance of the islands lies in fishing. "Las Aves" translates to "The Birds" in English.[1][2][3] [...] Las Aves was considered by the Dutch as part of their West Indian possessions. In The Dutch West Indies (Amsterdam, 1836), Marten Douwes Teenstra wrote, "The Government of Curaçao also includes the uninhabited islets and rocks Little Curaçao, Aves, Roques and Orchilla." [...] In total, there are 21 islets and islands in both groups. The archipelago is not to be confused with Aves Island, which is the most remote island claimed by Venezuela, far to the north.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-06): international: country code - 58; landing points for the Venezuela Festoon, ARCOS, PAN-AM, SAC, GlobeNet, ALBA-1 and Americas II submarine cable system providing connectivity to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat (2020) [...] Venezuela-Colombia: dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and Venezuelan administered Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; the border between the two countries was closed from March 2020 to October 2021 due to COVID, but goods and people fleeing poverty and violence continued to be smuggled from Venezuela into Colombia, and illegal narcotics and armed men flowed into Venezuela from Colombia; since the FARC disarmed in 2016, some former members have formed armed dissident groups that operate along the border [...] Venezuela-various: Venezuela claims Aves Island and thereby an economic exclusion Zone/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Venezuela’s claim to Aves Island is disputed by Dominica and several other countries because the island has rich guano deposits useful in producing fertilizer and gunpowder, as well as large fish stocks and natural gas reserves; contraband smuggling (narcotics and arms), illegal migration, trafficking in animals, plants, lumber, illegal exploitation of mineral resources
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-01-01): Barbados-Venezuela (Maritime Boundary): Barbados joins other Caribbean states and the United Kingdom to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island, a large sandbar with some vegetation, sustains human habitation or economic life, the criteria under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 121, which would permit Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; the dispute hampers hydrocarbon prospecting and creation of exploration blocks [...] Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea [...] Venezuela-various: Venezuela claims Aves Island and thereby an economic exclusion Zone/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Venezuela’s claim to Aves Island is disputed by Dominica and several other countries because the island has rich guano deposits useful in producing fertilizer and gunpowder, as well as large fish stocks and natural gas reserves; contraband smuggling (narcotics and arms), illegal migration, trafficking in animals, plants, lumber, illegal exploitation of mineral resources
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-15): State practice regarding this point also shows that nations treat solitary islands far removed from coastal states as islands, regardless of their geological characteristics, and set EEZs. For example, Aves Island (length: a little less than 600 meters, minimum width: about 30 meters) in the Caribbean, which belongs to Venezuela, is composed of sand and coral; Jan Mayen Island (area: around 373 square kilometers), which belongs to Norway and is located near Greenland and Iceland, is volcanic; and Clipperton Island (area: around 1.6 square kilometers), which belongs to France and is located in the Pacific approximately 670 nautical miles from the coast of Mexico, is composed of coral and volcanic rock. Also, Mexico sets its EEZ using the Revillagigedo Islands, which are comprised of uninhabited rock islets located several hundred kilometers from its Pacific coast, and other islands. [...] Furthermore, Venezuela has claimed an EEZ and continental shelf regarding Aves Island, where coast guard facilities (a radar station and oceanography survey base) have been constructed and several military personnel and scientists are stationed, while not believed to be sustaining economic activities,[19] and this claim has been recognized by France, the Netherlands, and the US through their respective delimitation agreements with Venezuela. However, three nearby countries (Antigua, Saint Kitts, and Saint Vincent) object to these agreements, and this dispute remains unresolved.[20]
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): Little cause, big effect: the tiny islet of Aves has been used to justify a hugely disproportionate extension of Venezuela's EEZ as far as the open sea adjoining Guadeloupe. This appropriation has been effected with the endorsements of France. Netherland and United States (in the name of their island dependencies within the zone). The Isle of Aves (‘Isle of Birds') is a sandbank 375 m long, varying in width 15 to 50 m, with a maximum altitude of 3 metres, and resting on a corallian sub-foundation. Well away from all the busiest shipping lanes, and very isolated from other islands (200 km from Guadeloupe, 230 km from Dominica and 550 km from Venezuela of which it is a "federal dependency,") and not even offering a secure mooring point. In 1980, the islet was submerged and divided in two by Hurricane Allen, but later re-united. As a place of rest and nesting for various species of marine birds and green turtles, there is no permanent habitation and very little vegetation. Discovered in 1584, it was subsequently claimed in turn by the Spanish, British, Portuguese and Dutch. From 1878 to 1912, it was exploited by the Americans for its guano until the resource was exhausted. Venezuela now maintains a small garrison of some twelve soldiers, a situation contested by several states.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-11-15): The maritime boundary between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Venezuela is laid down in a treaty. The boundary consists of 4 sectors: [...] - Sector D delimits the border south of Saba and Sint Eustatius and the Venezuelan island of Aves.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-06-13): In addition to compliant practice, there are a number of other examples which are not in conformity with Article 121.3. This can be seen from the claims of full maritime zones for small features such as the Aves Island of Venezuela,[29] the Northwestern part of Hawaii of the United States,[30] the Ceva-i-Ra of Fiji,[31] L’Esperance Rock of New Zealand,[32] etc.[33] These islands are claimed to have extensive maritime zones, even though they are uninhabited and do not really have an economic life of their own and some of these claims have been successful, e.g. the Aves Island of Venezuela receive recognition from many parties concerned.[34] [...] [29] Aves Island is situated centrally in the Eastern Caribbean, 435 kilometers away from the nearest Venezuelan territory. The island measures about 585 meters in length and at it narrowest point 30 meters in width. It was claimed and recognized to generate full maritime zone in the maritime delimitation between Venezuela and Puerto Rico without any consideration under Article 121.3.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2008-12-10): c. State practice supports the U.S. view that Howland and Baker are not rocks under article 121(3). There are many examples of relatively small, uninhabited features around or from which countries have established Exclusive Economic Zones. Of direct relevance to this case, Kiribati has claimed its EEZ measured in part from McKean Island, a feature quite similar to Baker Island. Edmonds Deposition 14-15 and Exhibits 1, 2 and 8; http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/Kiribati/about_destin/mckean.html. Other examples include France, which in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, has established EEZ’s around islands in French Polynesia, French Southern Ocean islands (Kerguelen Islands), Australia around Heard Island; islands of the Mozambique Channel, and Clipperton Island; Fiji has established an EEZ around Ceva-i-Ra (Thjeva-i-Ra); Mexico has established an EEZ around Clarion and Roca Portida islets in the Pacific; Venezuela established an EEZ around Aves Island. (Van Dyke Deposition 23, 39; Smith Deposition 100) The United States gave full effect to Aves Islands in the Maritime Boundary Treaty between the United States and Venezuela of March 28, 1978, 23 U.S.T. 3100; in doing so, the United States recognized Venezuela’s right to claim an EEZ from Aves Island.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-12): On July 4, 1938, the Ley Orgánica de las Dependencias Federales was passed under the government of Eleazar López Contreras, which completely regulated the situation of the islands. The United Kingdom wanted Isla de Patos, but on February 26, 1942, it was resolved by delimiting the soil and subsoil of the Gulf of Paria. The Archipelago of Los Monjes, which Venezuela integrated as part of its territory, was the subject of controversy but in 1952 the Colombian Foreign Minister recognised Venezuelan sovereignty over the territory through a diplomatic note and in 1992 the Colombian government stated that it would not claim the territory. On August 23, 1972, the Bird Island was declared a national Wildlife Refuge. On June 2, 1978, the "Simón Bolívar" Naval Scientific Base was created on Aves Island. That same year, an attempt was made in the Chamber of Deputies of the then National Congress to approve a bill for the creation of the Caribbean Archipelago Territory, but this proposal could not be carried out because it was against some provisions of the 1961 Venezuelan Constitution.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-02-15): Aves Island Wildlife Refuge is unique among sea turtle reproductive sites because significant numbers of males and females of the same population congregate there for courtship and mating, and females do not face any anthropogenic threats on the nesting beach. Located approximately 670 kilometers (416 miles) north of continental Venezuela, in that country’s maritime boundary, Aves Island is a mere 580 by 120 meters (1,902 by 393 feet). The refuge is one of the few areas on the planet where male green turtles are found in large mating aggregations in clear, shallow waters where they can be easily observed and studied. Far to the west along the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua, the expansive Caribbean continental shelf of Mesoamerica provides some of the most extensive seagrass pastures in the Atlantic. Green turtles come from all over the region to feed. At the southern extent of this vast foraging area, green turtles exhibit a sex ratio of approximately three males to one female, making it yet another unique area for studying male green turtles. Researchers suggest that the high concentration of males is evidence of sexual segregation on the foraging ground and is likely a mating strategy to increase encounters with reproductive females migrating to near and distant nesting areas, particularly nearby Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Female green turtles nesting at Aves Island are known to use Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast foraging grounds.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (1998-07-20): Bird Island, coral-covered sandbank only 15 feet (4.5 metres) high at low tide, located in the Caribbean Sea about 350 miles (560 km) north of Venezuela and 70 miles (110 km) west of Dominica. (The island is not a part of the group of Venezuelan islands of similar name, Islas de Aves, comprising Aves de Barlovento and Aves de Sotavento, located 145 miles [230 km] north of Caracas, just east of Bonaire.) The uninhabited islet was valued in the past for its abundant guano (used as fertilizer) and was claimed or occupied by a number of powers (Spain, Venezuela, the United States, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Dominica) after the arrival of Europeans in the West Indies. The islet acquired political significance in the 1970s because of its strategic importance for the control of the Caribbean basin and became the subject of a tense dispute between Venezuela and Dominica. Dominica’s claim is based on geographical criteria, since the island rises from a long submarine sandbank, the Aves Ridge, which apparently connects it with Dominica. Venezuela’s claim stems from having maintained an armed force there and exercised acts of sovereignty by virtue of which it was awarded to Venezuela in 1865. The controversy continued into the 21st century as Venezuela in 2001 made several moves to reaffirm its ownership of the islet, including announcing plans to expand the country’s small military base there. Such actions drew protests from other Caribbean states, who opposed the extension of Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-03-23): There are islands that are not Venezuelan territory much closer to the mainland: northern Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago) is 11 km off shore, to the east of the Paria peninsula and dropping south above the Orinoco delta; at the other end of the country, in the west, the Dutch island of Aruba is 25 km north of the Paraguaná peninsula (at the mouth of the Gulf of Venezuela); while a little further east is Curaçao (55 km off shore), and then Bonaire (80 km), although Bonaire is further from the mainland than it is from the Venezuelan dependencies in the Lesser Antilles (specifically, the Islas Las Aves—not to be confused with the single, northerly Aves island mentioned above). Aves is the most northerly of the 72 Caribbean islands, islets or cays included within the territory of Venezuela, which totals 916,445 sq km (353,841 sq miles).
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-08-04): On Wednesday Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that he will use his existing legislative authority to create the Insular Territory of Miranda off the country's northern Caribbean coast, a territorial zone that includes Los Roques, La Orchila and the Archipelago Las Aves. [...] Chavez cited articles 10, 11, 16 and 17 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to back the decision of creating said insular territory. Article 11, for example, states: "The full sovereignty of the Republic is exercised on the continental, and insular spaces, lake and river spaces, territorial sea, historic, vital and inland sea areas, and those lying within such straight baselines as have been adopted or may come to be adopted by the Republic; seabed and under the seabed of the aforementioned; the continental, insular and maritime air space and the resources located within the aforementioned spaces, including genetic resources, migratory species, derived products and any intangible components that may be present within the aforementioned spaces because of natural causes. The insular space of the Republic includes the Archipelago of Los Monjes, Las Aves, Los Roques, La Orchila, La Tortuga, La Blanquilla, Los Hermanos, islands of Margarita, Cubagua and Coche, Los Frailes, La Sola Island, Los Testigos Archipelago, Patos Island and Aves Island, as well as the islands, islets, keys and banks located or coming in the future to emerge from the territorial sea, that covering the continental shelf or that lying within the limits of the exclusive economic zone.
Claim: Aves Island is a territory of Venezuela (Aves Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-02-25): Aves Island (Venezuela) hosts nesting green turtles in numbers that exceed all other islands in the Lesser Antilles and most locations on the South American continent, along with significant numbers of males and females that congregate for courtship and mating (see SWOT Report, vol. XIII, "Solving the Mysteries of Male Turtles in the Caribbean"). In less than 30 years, monitoring data collected by FUDENA (Fundación para la Defensa de la Naturaleza), the Ministerio del Poder Popular para Ecosocialismo, and the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, or IVIC) have shown that the number of nesting green turtles on Aves Island has doubled to more than 1,000 turtles per year.