Federal Dependencies of Venezuela

Federal Dependencies of Venezuela
Dependencias Federales de Venezuela
Location in Venezuela
CountryVenezuela
Created1938
CapitalGran Roque
Islands and Groups
List
Government
 • General PresidentDelcy Rodríguez (acting)
Area
 • Total
342 km2 (132 sq mi)
Population
 (2011 Census)
 • Total
2,155
Time zoneUTC−04:00

The Federal Dependencies of Venezuela (Spanish: Dependencias Federales de Venezuela) encompass most of Venezuela's offshore islands in the Caribbean Sea, excluding those islands that form the State of Nueva Esparta and some Caribbean coastal islands that are integrated with nearby states. These islands, with a total area of 342 square kilometres, are sparsely populated – according to the preliminary results of the 2011 Census only 2,155 people live there permanently, with another hundred from Margarita Island who live there seasonally to engage in fishing. Local government is officially under the authority of Central government in Caracas, although de facto power is often held by the heads of the sparse and somewhat isolated communities that decorate the territories.