Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques
Municipio Autónomo de Vieques Isla de Vieques | |
|---|---|
Island-Municipality | |
Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques | |
| Nicknames: "Isla Nena", "Isabel Segunda" | |
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Vieques Municipality | |
| Coordinates: 18°07′N 65°25′W / 18.117°N 65.417°W | |
| Sovereign state | United States |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Indigenous settlement | 3000 – 2000 BCE |
| Spanish settlement | 1811 |
| Isabel II founded | 1843 – 1852 |
| Municipality founded | July 1, 1875 |
| Founded by | Teófilo José Jaime María Le Guillou |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | José (Junito) Corcino Acevedo (PNP) |
| • Senatorial District | 8 – Carolina |
| • Representative District | 36 |
| Area | |
• Total | 135 km2 (52 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,249 |
| • Rank | 76th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 61/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Viequense |
| Racial groups | |
| • White | 48.7% |
| • Black | 38.1% |
| • American Indian/AN | 0.4% |
| • Asian - Native Hawaiian/Pi | 0.6% 0.8% |
| • Other Two or more races | 8.8% 3.4% |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00765 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes | |
Vieques (/viˈeɪkəs/ ⓘ; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbjekes]), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico, and together with Culebra, it is geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques lies about 8 miles (13 km) east of the mainland of Puerto Rico, measuring about 20 miles (32 km) long and 4.5 miles (7 km) wide. Its most populated barrio is the town of Isabel Segunda (or "Isabel the Second", sometimes written "Isabel II"), the administrative center located on the northern side of the island. The population of Vieques was 8,249 at the 2020 Census.
The island's name is a Spanish spelling of a Taíno word said to mean "small island" or "small land". It also has the nickname Isla Nena, usually translated as "girl island" or "little girl island", alluding to its perception as Puerto Rico's little sister. The island was given this name by the Puerto Rican poet Luís Lloréns Torres. During the British colonial period, its name was Crab Island.
Vieques is best known internationally as the site of a series of protests, held against the United States Navy's use of the island as a bombing range and testing-ground, leading to the Navy's departure in 2003. Today, the former navy lands are a national wildlife refuge; some of it is open to the public, but much remains closed off due to biological or chemical contamination or unexploded ordnance that the military is, slowly, cleaning up.
Some of the most beautiful beaches on the island are on the eastern end (former site of the Marine Base) that the Navy named Red Beach, Blue Beach, Caracas Beach, Pata Prieta Beach, La Chiva Beach, and Plata Beach. At the far western tip (formerly the Navy Base) is Punta Arenas, which the Navy named 'Green Beach'. The beaches are commonly listed among the top in the Caribbean for their azure waters and white sands.