From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about an island. For the Coche language, see Camsá language.

Power kites at Coche, Venezuela

Isla de Coche (Coche Island) is an island belonging to Nueva Esparta State of Venezuela, located in the Caribbean between Isla Margarita and the mainland.

It covers an area of 55 km² (11 km long by 6 km), with a population of about 8,200 (1999 census). The highest elevation of the island is 60 m above the sea level. The climate is tropic, with an average temperatute of approximately 27 to 38°C.

The island is coincident with the municipality of Villalba, with capital San Pedro de Coche. Other towns on Coche are El Bichar, Guinima, El Amparo, El Guamache and La Uva.

The economy depends mainly on tourism.

The island was discovered in 1498 by Christopher Columbus. First efforts to settle Coche was made in the early XVIth Century. There was previous population of refugees originating from the city of Nueva Cádiz which was destroyed by a tropical storm on Cubagua Island. All settlers, mostly the pearl daughters, abandoned Isla Coche in 1574.

In the first half of the XXth Century, in Cumaná's library a document, written by a Franciscan monk reported that on Isla Coche a boat was discovered with the embossed inscription^{[citation needed]} "John Bober Polonus, 1726". Polish voyager and writer, Arkady Fiedler, made efforts to find other information about the mysterious John Bober. The result of his searche was the novel trylogy: "Wyspa Robinsona" ("The Robinson's Island"), "Orinoko" ("Orinoco") and "Biały Jaguar" ("The White Jaguar").

John (in Polish: Jan) Bober (half-Polish roots) was^{[citation needed]} a settler from Virginia, and after settlers revolted against the English Lord Dunbury was crushed, he escaped from Jamestown,Virginia , on board of a pirate ship. The ship sank near the Venezuelan coast, and only John Bober and two others were caught as slaves by Arawak Indians, captured after a long swim to the shore of Isla Coche. There they spent about three years, between 1725 and 1728. In 1728, a battle took place on Isla Coche between an Indian daughter,who escaped from Margarita, supported by Bober (who supplied guns and taught them how to use them), and the Spanish from Margarita Island. The "Islanders" had won, but didn't stay there because they were affraid of Spanish revenge. They later left La Cocha and sail to an Arawak's village named Serima, on the right bank of the Orinoco river on the mainland.

The next successful settlement took place in 19th Century, and from this date Coche is still habitated.

• (Spanish) Isla Coche's official site

This Venezuela location article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.