New Sparta State

Nueva Esparta is a free state in the Caribbean Sea and one of the twenty-three states, which together with the Capital District and the Federal Dependencies, form Venezuela. It is an archipelago formed by three islandsː the Isla de Margarita, the Isla de Coche and the Isla de Cubagua in the Insular Region of Venezuela, being its only island state. Its capital is La Asunción and its most populated city, Porlamar.

It is located in the insular region to the northeast of the country, and borders the Caribbean Sea at its four cardinal points. With 1,150 km², it is the smallest state in the country, with 490,500 inhabitants. In 2011, it was the sixth least populated — ahead of Apure, Vargas, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro and Amazonas, the least populated — and, with 480 inhabitants/km², the second most densely populated, behind Carabobo.

It is located north of the Araya peninsula and is divided into 11 autonomous municipalities and 23 civil parishes. Its main cities are: La Asunción, Porlamar, Juan Griego, Punta de Piedras, Pampatar, San Juan Bautista and El Valle Holy Spirit.

Toponymy

The State was designated with the name of Nueva Esparta as of May 12, 1817, with the purpose of paying homage to the heroism of the inhabitants of the island of Margarita during the war of Independence of Venezuela, described as Spartan heroism, alluding to the courage of the citizens of the capital of the portion of Laconia (Sparta), in the Peloponnese peninsula, in ancient Greece. ^{[citation required]}

History

Third voyage of Columbus where it was discovered on August 15, 1498 the archipelago that three centuries later would become the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta.

Spanish colonization

The island of Margarita was discovered on August 15, 1498 during Columbus's third voyage. On that voyage the Admiral would also discover the mainland, Venezuela. That day in August, Columbus saw three islands, two of them small, low and arid (the current Coche and Cubagua), separated by a channel from a third, larger one, covered with vegetation and populated by indigenous people. that they called it Paraguachoa, a word that means according to historians "fish in abundance" and according to others "seafarers".

Columbus baptized the island with the name of La Asunción, for having been discovered on the religious date of the Virgin that bears his name. The following year, in 1499, Pedro Alonso Niño and Cristóbal Guerra renamed it with the named La Margarita due to the abundance of pearls found in the region, other hypotheses suggest that the name Margarita is referred to by Queen Margaret of Austria-Styria.

Shortly after its discovery, other European navigators confirmed the existence of rich pearl deposits in Cubagua, whose exploitation gave rise to the first Spanish establishment in Venezuela. According to Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, in 1500, just 2 years after his sighting, there were already 50 adventurers installed in Cubagua who eagerly searched for the precious mother-of-pearl gems used by the natives in their personal ornaments. This settlement of small Spanish hamlets for the exploitation of these pearl riches in Cubagua consisted of a Cabildo and Aldermen for 1510. But the town was carried out spontaneously at this early date without following Hispanic patterns, since even in 1517 it is indicated that the population resided in tents and huts.

At first all the official attempts to achieve the colonization of Cubagua fail, the problem of water supply is paramount and the conclusion is reached that the establishment of a village in Cubagua cannot be fruitful without the prior construction of a fortress at the mouth of the river of present-day Cumaná, which was the one that supplied the water.

The version of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, that the establishment of Cubagua dates from 1517, is considered correct. Under the protection of the Cumaná fortress that was finally built at the beginning of 1523, the village of Cubagua is quickly organized and an extraordinary boom arises due to the exploitation of pearl placers.

Boceto de Nueva Cádiz

It is not probable that before 1525 the residents of the village of Cubagua were conscious of a town or city. In none of the records of pearls from 1521 to 1525, which are the first local sources of Cubagua that are known, the name of the town of this island is mentioned, and they only speak of Cubagua.

In 1526 the town was elevated to the category of Villa with the name of “Villa de Santiago de Cubagua”, although apparently it never used this title. On September 13, 1528, this town was granted the rank of city, it was endowed with a coat of arms, the first ordinances were issued that granted the city political autonomy and its name was changed to “Nueva Cádiz”. Through these ordinances, the city of Nueva Cádiz, today recognized as the first city of Venezuela, did not depend on Hispaniola and could trade directly with Castilla. This helps the inhabitants of Nueva Cádiz to stimulate their activity. They prepare to build their city, they replace the huts with stone houses, material brought from Araya and the number of inhabitants increases.

Between 1531 and 1532 the pearl beds show the first signs of exhaustion. The growing boom of the population with scarce means of livelihood, created in Nueva Cádiz problems of supply of food, water and firewood. Food came from Santo Domingo, water from the Manzanares River in Cumaná, and firewood was transported from Isla Margarita. When pearls are scarce, they look for new fisheries and with the authorization of the Royal Court of Santo Domingo and King Carlos I, they move to Cabo de la Vela.

The disappearance of the population of Cubagua was a slow process mainly due to the lack of water, the resistance of the Indians to the exhausting work of the pearl fishery and the conquests of distant lands. The visit of the French corsairs meant a serious threat to the survival of the city. Likewise, carib boats prowled the contours of the island. However, the fundamental cause of the depopulation of Cubagua was the disappearance of the oysters.

The population did not emigrate suddenly. Coinciding with the peak of the fisheries in Cubagua, there is already a migration to Cabo de la Vela, because the ones in Cubagua were not enough. By 1537 the island was becoming depopulated and in 1541 history indicates that a hurricane devastated it and a possible earthquake and its inhabitants fled to Margarita and founded a town. French pirates arrived in the ruins of Nueva Cádiz, where some 10 inhabitants still remained, in 1543, leaving the city engulfed in flames and once again causing the island to be abandoned.

Although the exact date of its total abandonment by the Spanish at this early period is not known, history indicates that by 1545 a group of residents of Nueva Cádiz aspired to incorporate Margarita under their jurisdiction, which confirms the existence of a population on the island at least for that date.

In 1676, Charles François d'Angennes, Marquis de Maintenon, with a fleet of 10 ships and 800 French buccaneers, attacked Margarita Island and Cumaná. This bold action motivated the Spanish to build several forts on the island.

The Province of Margarita is the oldest of those that in 1777 formed the General Captaincy of Venezuela. It had depended on the Royal Audience of Santo Domingo until 1739, when it was annexed to the Viceroyalty of New Granada, along with other entities; and in 1830, when the Republic of Venezuela emerged, it was one of its 13 original provinces.

19th and 20th centuries

In the Church of Santa Ana (1749) an Assembly of Notables was held on May 6, 1816 in which the Third Republic of Venezuela was proclaimed as a single and indivisible nation, the Provisional Government of the Republic was established, General Simón Bolívar is recognized as Supreme Chief of the Republic, General Santiago Mariño is named second in command, various military promotions are made and Bolívar signs the repeal of the Decree of War to the Death of 1813. Inside the Church there is still the chair where General Bolívar and the other illustrious people who participated in the assembly sat.

In 1835 the province of Margarita was divided into the cantons of La Asunción (composed of the parishes of Paraguachí, Pampatar, Los Robles, El Valle and Porlamar) and Norte (composed of the parishes of Tacarigua, Juangriego, San Juan, Pedro González and Sabana Grande).

In 1856 the province of Margarita was divided into the North cantons (composed of the parishes of Norte, Juangriego, Tacarigua, Pedro González, Los Hatos, Pedregales, San Juan and the Tortuga, Blanquilla, Testigos and Aves de Barlovento islands), headquartered in Santa Ana del Norte, and Sur (composed of the parishes of Asunción, Pampatar, Porlamar, Paraguachí, Espíritu Santo, Robles, and Sabana Grande), headquartered in La Asunción.

In 1864, when the country was divided into 20 states and a Federal District, Margarita took the name of Nueva Esparta State. The name of Nueva Esparta honors the courageous behavior of its inhabitants during the heroic defense actions in the independence campaign. The nascent Republic grants the title of "Nueva Sparta" to the insular territory due to its similarity with the Sparta of classical Greece due to the heroism shown by the inhabitants of the island in the fight for the Independence of Venezuela. The complete exhaustion of the pearl oysters of Cubagua in the year 1857, determined the abandonment of this island and from then on it will be visited by fishermen who will improvise ranches. In 1881 it became a section of the Great Guzmán Blanco State (called Miranda from 1889 to 1898). In 1901, two years after the autonomy of the states was restored, it resumed the name of Nueva Esparta, but lost it again between 1904 and 1909, a period in which it was included in the Federal District as the Eastern Section. Finally, in 1909 it regained its status as a state and in 1948, the island of Cubagua was annexed to its territory.

Geography

Political-territorial organization

Nueva Esparta State. Population density, according to municipalities, based on the 2001 Population Census

Nueva Esparta is located between the coordinates 10º44, 11º10` North latitude and 63º(degrees) 46`(minutes), 64º13` West longitude, in the island region of the country.

The entity is limited in all its cardinal points by the Caribbean Sea.

Together, the three islands of the entity gather magnificent beaches, marvelous mangroves and other landscapes that make it a true island paradise. Margarita, the largest of them, has a maximum elevation in Cerro Copey (900 m.a.s.l.) and includes the Macanao mountainous nucleus to the west. Coche and Cubagua are rocky nuclei covered with marine sediments and have a flat relief, with cliffs. The climate is arid or semi-arid, to the point that there are no permanent rivers. Nueva Esparta state is divided into 11 municipalities, which are:

Isla de Margarita Island of Cubagua Island of Car Macanao Peninsula Boca de Río MAR CARIBBEAN Tubors Tubors Punta de Piedras Villalba San Pedro Díaz San Juan García The Valley Mariño Porlamar Maneiro Pampatar Arismendi ASUNTION Marcano Juan Greek Santa Ana Gómez Santa Ana Gómez Paraguay Antolin

New Sparta Regional Political Division 2011 Municipality Capital Surface (km2) Population (hab) Anthodontics of the Field The Plaza de Paraguachí 72 28 294 Arismendi The Assumption 52 28 309 Antonio Díaz San Juan 166 71 466 García The Valley 85 68 490 Gómez Santa Ana 96 40 409 Maneiro Pampatar 35 48 952 Marcano Juan Greek 40 35 691 Mariño Porlamar 39 97 667 Macanao Boca de Río 331 26 423 Tubors Punta de Piedras 180 36 924 Villalba Car 55 8985 New Sparta The Assumption 1150 491 610

Geology

The state territory is characterized by events of volcanism, sedimentation, emersion, deposition and uplift. Igneo-metamorphic rocks from the Mesozoic era form the basement of the mountainous areas and their foothills, including the hilly landscape, with the exception of the undulating reliefs of Pampatar, made up of Tertiary sediments, as well as the coastal plain. The lowest marine areas are Pleistocene and Holocene formations, composed of alluvium, coastal and alluvial terraces, calcareous sandstones, and lagoon deposits. Coche and Cubagua are rocky nuclei covered with marine sediments. It can also be seen that it is from the Precambrian geological era.

Relief

The eastern sector of the island of Margarita presents three small mountain ranges, aligned in a southeast-northwest direction, whose altitude limits are the Copey, Matasiete, La Guardia and Guayamurí hills; towards the southwest the relief is flat, with the exception of some moderate elevations, known as Las Tetas de María Guevara. The Macanao peninsula, in the western sector, boasts an elongated massif in an East-West direction, between the Macanao and Guarataro hills. The rest are coastal plains that slope down to wide beaches. The islands of Coche and Cubagua offer flat terrain with some cliffs.

The relief is made up of coastal plains, lagoons and mountain ranges. The coastal plains of the eastern massif descend towards wide oceanic beaches and white sands that constitute a great tourist attraction, and are also conducive to sports and recreational activities. Among the highest elevations found in the state, are cited:

Hydrography

Playa el Agua, Isla de Margarita.

There are no major permanent water currents, but thin rivers that have been seasonal recently due to climate changes that have raised temperatures across the planet in recent years. Dry most of the year and torrential in the short periods of rain. The main ones are San Juan (Posas de San Juan), San Francisco, La Asunción, El Valle, Chaguaramal, El Muco, La Vieja, Negro and Tacarigua.

The lagoons of La Restinga, Los Mártires and Las Marites, together with the thermal waters of the Espiritu Santo Valley and the San Francisco sector, complete a scarce, insufficient and unsuitable hydrographic system to supply drinking water to the population local.

Climate

Nueva Esparta has a semi-arid climate, with microclimates ranging from very hot arid to warm-moderate semi-arid. The semi-arid climate dominates in Margarita. In Porlamar the rainfall is only 399 mm. annual with an average temperature of 27°. The areas with the highest rainfall are located in the Serranía de El Copey, reaching up to 1100 mm., which together with local mists, allows the development of cloud forests, which lead to formations of premontane dry forests on lower slopes. Rainfall is less in the Macanao Peninsula, fluctuating from 300 to 500 mm. annual, with temperatures from 27° to 28°. In Coche the average annual temperature is also high with rainfall of 512 mm. annual. Dry conditions are rigorous in Cubagua with 250 mm of rainfall per year. If it is considered that in coastal and beach sites, such as Porlamar, there are only 66 days of appreciable rain a year, the optimal conditions for various types of tourism exist. Some examples of its climate are Cerro Copey, La Restinga lagoon, Macanao peninsula, the islands of Coche and Cubagua.

View from the hilltop El Copey

On rare occasions tropical cyclones affect the islands of the state due to their low latitude. Some cyclones that have affected the islands either directly or indirectly have been Hurricane Joan-Miriam in 1988 and Tropical Storm Bret in 1993.

Floor

The soil is thin and poorly developed, subject to an intense erosive process due to overgrazing. Fluctuations in sea level and deforestation for agricultural use contribute to this. The soils of the valleys, the best quality lands, are well developed, have an organic layer, are protected from the erosive action of the wind and are covered with vegetation, but they only occupy a small proportion of the state. In the foothill areas, the ejection cones and colluvial materials give rise to very stony soils. The islands of Coche and Cubagua present soils with salinity and strong erosion resulting from the action of the winds, which gives its superficial layer a stony character.

Vegetation

On the island of Margarita, climatic and/or edaphic effects have produced a mixture of life zones, with varied ecosystems that range from tropical desert undergrowth, in low-lying and dry areas, to thorny forest and dry forest tropical in higher altitude areas. The premontane humid forest is found on Cerro Copey and mangroves abound in the swampy and saline areas. The most representative species are olive, divide and pardillo, around the Matasiete, El Copey, and Guaraguao hills. The very dry forest is found in areas of heavily intervened vegetation. The main species are: cují, guatacare, guamache, cardón, divide and olive. Thorns and desert scrub, the state's dominant formations, occupy the coastal plains. Its main species are thistle, cují, yaque, oregano, naked Indian, prickly pear, cardón, divide, guamache and others. Mangrove concentrations are located in La Restinga, Las Marites and other coastal water areas. The most important species are the red mangrove, buttonwood and black mangrove.

Flora

The semi-arid climate of Nueva Esparta state is one of the fundamental reasons for the evolution of two main types of vegetation. In the state there are abundant areas of tropical vegetation on the slopes of the main hills of the island

Mangroves in New Sparta

Characteristic Species: Puy, Curari, Araguaney, Egg Yolk, Naked Indian, Indian Skin (Bursera Simaruba); Torco, White Spoon (Croton xanthochloros); Copey (Clusia major), Maytenus karstenil, Coccoloba coronata, Cascarón (Machaerium robinifolium), lemongrass (Ximenia americana) Neea Anisophyla, Ouratea guildingii and Linociera caribaea.

Natural resources

The entity stands out for its scenic resources, represented in natural landscapes, such as lagoons, beaches, hills, salt pans and wind formations, all of them with great tourist potential. On the other hand, it does not have large energy resources, and its availability of minerals is limited to the existence of gravel, sand, limestone, dolomite, chromite, manganese, talc and stone. Likewise, it has meager forest resources: araguán, cardón, cují, yaque, guayacán, jobo, vera, among others. The vegetation and natural resources of the state are few because it is an arid zone in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, but heat plants such as cacti, palm trees are widely seen in warm areas, but there are also green areas such as Cerro Copey and others..

Economy

Trade predominates, due to its status as a Free Port (established in 1971 by presidential decree) and its relationship with local tourism. Tourist activity has stimulated the construction industry, as evidenced by the existence of hotels, restaurants, holiday homes and entertainment centers, as part of an infrastructure that revalues this area for visitors of both national and international origin. Fishing has allowed the production of; marlin, anchovy, tuna, snapper, corocoro, lamparosa, king mackerel, torito, mullet, catfish, dogfish, vaquita, horse mackerel, picua and sardines (seafood); shrimp and lobster (crustacean); clam, squid, chipichipi, guacuco, pearl gut and oysters (molluscs). Agriculture is also observed as a complementary economic activity, especially on the island of Margarita, where the cultivation of eggplant, corn, melon, paprika, sideburns, margariteño chili and tomato stands out. As well as, poultry farming, goats and pigs.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the resident populations of the three islands, mainly in Margarita. Nueva Esparta State has become a place of rest and escape for the inhabitants of the large cities in the center of the country.

Panoramic Shopping Centre Parque Costa Azul

Main shopping centers

• Costazul Park: The largest and most modern shopping center on the island and the third largest in the country.
• Sambil Margarita: is a shopping center with a variety of shops and many alternatives for natives and visitors.
• Centro Comercial La Redoma
• The candle in Porlamar.
• Rattan Plaza Shopping Center in Pampatar.

Tourism

The region is one of the most important tourist attractions in Venezuela. The islands have beaches with conditions for surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and other water sports, as well as historic colonial towns. In recent years, several projects have been planned to boost tourism, such as the Puerto la Mar Cruise Port, the expansion of the Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport, the Punta Ballena Lighthouse (in cooperation with the Venezuelan Navy) among others. In Margarita there are several old Spanish fortifications (castles, forts and fortresses), which are considered national heritage.

Coche has exceptional conditions for selective quality tourism. To the west of the island, the conditions for the practice of windsurfing and kiteboarding (strong winds of more than 50 km/h with a sea without waves) and sailing tricycles or Sand Yachts can be cited among the best in the world. You can see the effect of the strong and continuous breezes in the sparse vegetation of the island, as can be seen in the image of San Pedro de Coche. On the roads you can practice cycling, of course, with sun protection to avoid sunstroke, given the absence of clouds throughout the year. The temperature, although high, is pleasant due to the cool sea breeze, taking into account that this breeze intensifies precisely in the hottest hours of the afternoon.

In Margarita there are high quality hotels that offer tourists all the necessary services for a pleasant stay. In addition, both water and land rides and tours are offered.

Demographics

Its density exceeds the national average and is one of the highest in the country, due to constant population growth since the 1940s, only slowed down by the decrease in birth rates starting in the 1960s. Free Port decree, promulgated in 1971, caused a drastic increase in immigration. Most of the population is concentrated in the municipalities most closely associated with the commercial activity emanating from tourism. The Mariño municipality, for example, concentrates more than 23.7% of the entity's inhabitants, and its capital, Porlamar, is the largest economic center on the island of Margarita. Next in importance are the municipalities of García and Maneiro, which are neighbors of Porlamar, a city that, given the physical impossibility of continuing to grow, has expanded towards them. Other important populations are Villa Rosa, Pampatar, San Juan Bautista, La Asunción, Paraguachí, Juangriego and El Pilar (Los Robles).

The following is a list of social statistics, according to the 2001 census:

• Doctors: 461.

• Life expectancy: 73.61 years.

• Alphabet rate: 95.3%.

• School attendance rate: 66.2%.

• Gross birth rate: 23.1 For a thousand.

• Gross mortality rate: 4.49 For a thousand.

• In total:655.235

Ethnography

The autochthonous inhabitants of Nueva Esparta were indigenous people of the Guaiquerí nation, who called the current Isla de Margarita Paraguachoa (Place where there are abundant fish). They were great fishermen and farmers, they made canoes, hammocks, bows, arrows, wooden mortars, bamboo tubes (plant currently extinct in the area) to extract palm oil and clay utensils. Grouped into nomadic tribes ruled by caciques, firm believers in the eventual advent of a demigod the color of the sun, the guaiqueríes offered a friendly reception to the conquerors who arrived on the islands, for which they were favored by Spain with the status of free vassals..

It should be noted that Nueva Esparta encompasses a total of 256,624 foreigners, which represents almost 1/4 of the population, among these groups the Spanish (Canarians and Andalusians), Italians (Sicilians, Sardinians and Neapolitans), Portuguese (Madeirans) and are followed by the Lebanese, Chinese and Haitians

Religion

Photo of the Virgin of the Valley located in the Basilica of the Valley

In the state there is a predominantly Catholic population and other Christian branches, evidenced by the churches present in the neo-Spartan entity, among the most important are: Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Valley (in the Valley of the Holy Spirit), La Asunción Cathedral, San Juan Evangelista Church (in Juangriego), San Juan Parish Church (in San Juan Bautista), San Nicolás de Bari Church (Porlamar), San José de Paraguachi, Santa Ana Church in the Gómez Municipality where Simón Bolívar was declared supreme head of the Republic and its armies on May 6, 1816 in an assembly held in this church located in the town of Santa Ana del Norte, and other minor churches located in towns such as: Punta de Piedras, Porlamar, Pampatar and practically in all the towns on the island. On the other hand, there are also a variety of religions on the island, including Muslim and Judaic.

Culture

The festivities in honor of San José de Paraguachí, Patron of the town, are celebrated from March 19 of each year, the day of San José, for a week. This week there are cultural activities, dances, food fairs and the famous procession in honor of San José, where hundreds of parishioners go through the town.

Gastronomy

Chichipi soup, with guaguco and arepa.

The state of Nueva Esparta has a wide range of autochthonous dishes, generally made from seafood or obtained from local crops. The torta de cazón could be considered the emblematic dish of the region; It is a cake made with cazón (baby shark) and banana (similar to pastel de chucho, only that it is made with chucho —rajiforme fish— and has more ingredients). Similarly, they can be "boiled" de pescado, which are basically soups made with local fish (catfish, corocoro, snapper, kingfish and others). Among the products of the land used in local gastronomy, the tomato and margariteño chili stand out.^{[citation required]}

Another representative dish is the pabellón margariteño, in which the shredded meat is replaced by shredded and stewed dogfish. Fried or roasted fish are also consumed, among which the corocoro, snapper, king mackerel, Catalan, etc. stand out, accompanied by arepas or casabe.^{[citation required]}

Other typical dishes obtained from the sea can be molluscs and crustaceans such as: mussels, clams, sea urchins, crab, prawns, shrimp and others, which are prepared in various ways. One of the most common is a stewed dish commonly called fosforera, or stewed with rice, called arroz a la marinera.^{[citation required]}

It is common to observe in many of the streets and squares of the towns of Nueva Esparta, stalls selling dogfish empanadas and white cheese, where the food stalls located in the Los Conejeros Market, those of the Valley stand out of the Holy Spirit and the Assumption. As for sweets, the piñonate stands out, made in the San Juan Bautista Parish, the coconut kisses, the mango jellies and the "tetas" (frozen).^{[citation needed]}

Crafts

Since its beginnings, Nueva Esparta State has been a region made up of artists. Mainly due to the heritage of pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Guaiqueries; as well as by artisans who came to the islands mainly from Spain. Each region of the state has a recognized artisan product, and although these activities have been reduced over time, certain activities that are mentioned are grouped by region as follows:

Craft work with mud in the Near.

Sandal industry

Within the genre of handicrafts, in the Antonio Díaz municipality, the espadrille, footwear of Hispanic-Arab origin, presents the variant of the rubber sole. For several years, especially in the 50s, 60s and 70s, it became a prosperous industry, where large espadrille businessmen had more than 100 people directly under their orders in the so-called espadrilles. and a large amount indirectly; and the one that was used in the state was produced and was taken to others in Venezuela.

The espadrille basically consists of four parts: the sole, the upper or upper, the heel and the straps; the first part is extracted from the rubber used by motor vehicles; the rest are made with thread; the upper or upper and the heel are made on knitting machines, specially designed for this purpose; and the strips are made manually.

The process to obtain the sole begins by selecting the rubber, which must meet some conditions, it is divided into two parts, when it is cut exactly in the middle, from there the strips are removed, which can be canvas or rubber, depending on thickness and utility; on these strips, using pre-made templates of different numbers (from No. 1 the largest to 12 or 13 the smallest), they are marked on these to be cut later; After being cut, they are traced with very special knives (tracers) with which it is indicated where the holes will be made. This task corresponds to the specialist in using the pin, a knife used for this purpose.

After the sole is prepared, the gluing process follows, which consists of adhering the upper and the heel to the sole with thread, to which beeswax is added, to make it more resistant, once this is finished, we proceed to join the heel and the cut with the straps.

Music

One of the Cultural Heritage groups of the Nation, is Cuerdas Espartanas, born in the town of Pampatar, they are the representatives of traditional music from Margarita.

Education

Green areas of the UDONE.

In different areas of the state we can find universities that offer careers related mostly to activities related to tourism, fishing and scientific research of the sea. However, over the decades, these institutions have been adapting to the increasing demands and labor demand not only for the activities mentioned above, to such an extent that currently the variety of careers they offer are from the branches of Social Sciences to Human Sciences.

Transportation

With 592.6 km of roads, the main routes are CL5, which crosses Margarita from east to west, local #4 and #1 that cross the eastern part of the island in the direction North South; and branch #11, which goes from Punta de Piedras to CL5. The island of Coche has a land route, which partially skirts it.

The entity has the Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport, located near El Yaque beach, and small runways in Coche and Macanao.

The port infrastructure is led by the El Guamache International Port and the piers of Chacachacare and Punta Algodones; The Punta de Piedras ferry terminal serves tourist routes to Puerto La Cruz, Cumaná, La Guaira and San Pedro de Coche, while other maritime operators dispatch from Pampatar and Juangriego. There are also piers in La Isleta and El Yaque, which provide transportation services to the neighboring island of Coche, as well as a service of smaller boats (tapaítos) that leave from Porlamar to the town of Chacopata in Sucre State.

Politics and government

The state is autonomous and politically equal to the rest of the federation, it organizes its administration and its public powers through the Nueva Esparta State Constitution, issued by the former Legislative Assembly published in the Nueva Esparta State Official Gazette, Extraordinary Number, dated July 6, 1993, and its Amendment No. 1 published in the Official Gazette of the Nueva Esparta State, Extraordinary Number E-060 dated December 29, 2000.

Executive Branch

It is represented by the Governor of Nueva Esparta and a group of State Secretaries. The Governor is elected by the people by direct and secret vote for a period of four years and with the possibility of immediate re-election for an equal period, being in charge of the state administration.

Until 1989, the governors were appointed by the National Executive Power, since then several parties have alternated in the government of the State:

Since 2012 the governor has been General Carlos Mata Figueroa of the PSUV. On October 15, 2017, Alfredo Díaz, from the Acción Democrática party, was elected.

The current governor is Morel Rodríguez, from the Fuerza Vecinal party, who has been in office since 2021

Legislative branch

The state legislature falls on the Legislative Council of Nueva Esparta, a unicameral regional parliament, elected by the people by direct and secret vote every four years and may be re-elected for new consecutive periods, under a system of proportional representation of the population of the state and its municipalities, the State has 5 deputies, of which 4 belong to the opposition and 1 to the ruling party.

Police

The State has its own police force called INEPOL on the basis of what is established in the National Constitution of Venezuela, which is in charge of regional security and organized under the legal figure of the Autonomous Institute. It was created in 1970 and has depended on the Nueva Esparta State Government since 1989. It is currently attached to the State's Directorate of Civil Protection and Citizen Security.