Margarita Island

Island in the Caribbean Sea, 24 km/15 mi off the northeast coast of Venezuela, to which it belongs, and constituting the greater part of the state of Nueva Esparta. Margarita Island is 69 km/43 mi long and 8–32 km/5–20 mi wide. La Asunción is the capital and Porlamar the chief free port and commercial centre. The island is a highly popular holiday resort among Venezuelans, and enjoys a duty-free tax status.

Margarita Island, which Columbus landed upon in 1498, comprises two islands joined by an 18 km-long sand-bar, enclosing the Restinga lagoon (a sanctuary for birds). The western portion is mountainous, rising to about 1,340 m/4,396 ft, while the eastern portion, or Peninsula de Macanao, is fertile, and supports the growing of sugar cane, cotton, tobacco, and other crops. Magnesite is found in the northeast. Pearl diving and deep-sea fishing are also widespread.