Gulf of Venezuela
The Gulf of Venezuela ( formerly known as the Gulf of Maracaibo ) located in the north of Venezuela. It extends from the Caribbean Sea (to the north ) to Lake Maracaibo in the south and by the peninsulas Paraguaná (Venezuela, to the east) and Guajira (Colombia, in the west) limited.
Seine - mostly to Venezuela belongs - surface extends over 17,840 km ² (or 18,500 km ², if the " El Tablazo " Bai to count ), with a length of about 120 km, a width of 200 km and a depth of 15 - 60 m.
History
The first known Befahrung took place on August 24, 1499 by the Spaniard Alonso de Ojeda and Juan de la Cosa and the Italian Amerigo Vespucci.
1528 to 1545, the land was mortgaged to the Gulf as Little Venice to the Welser. 1529 came Ambrosius Ehinger with colonists to Coro, the then provincial capital of Venezuela, which was now called " New Augsburg ". But the efforts of the Welser had no success, and so them the fief was withdrawn.
1957 were carried out exploratory drilling to find in the hope that, as in the Lake Maracaibo oil. However, these were unsuccessful, but a dispute with Colombia developed a frontier in the Gulf, which reached its peak in August 1987, when a Colombian corvette in Venezuelan territorial waters ( the Gulf ) invaded and thereby almost provoked a military conflict between the two countries.
Economic Importance
The Gulf is important especially as a link between the Caribbean Sea and the Lake Maracaibo (and its oil ). However, not to be underestimated is its importance as a fishing area where numerous shrimp and crayfish.
Furthermore, under its surface and deposits of oil and gas are likely. However, these are not yet supported, but kept as a strategic reserve.