The Caribbean Sea washes the northern and eastern coasts of Venezuela where warm blue waters and some 311 islands and islets welcome visitors. Among the is­lands, Margarita, with its offer of sun and nice beaches, and Los Roques, the only atoll of coral reefs in the Southern Caribbean Others like Las Tortugas (turtles), Los Testigos (witnesses) and Las Aves (birds) -former pirates' shelters- offer their guests today beautiful landscape and underwater sceneries, beaches of white fine sand, where maritime birds and turtles also make their nests. Wilderness in these islands invites visitors to get in touch with nature all along the Venezuelan Caribbean, with a coastline 2,150 kilometers long. To the west you find the mangrove tree-covered terrain of Zulia and Falcon; to the east the coast provides white-sanded beaches and dazz­ling rocky cliffs; the wood comes to the sea in the Paria Peninsula, while the Orinoco River opens its way through Bocas de Dragon (Dragon Mouths) into the Caribbean Sea in front of Trinidad-Tobago. The tropic is felt in Venezuela by persisting high temperatures the year round, except in those places where the altitude makes the thermometer drops. Venezuela's only island state, Nueva Esparta, lies on the eastern Caribbean side of the country, including the islands of Margarita, Coche and Cubagua.

Caracas, a Caribbean City. Caracas, Venezuela's capital and Federal District, sits on the country's north-central section in a long and narrow valley not far from the Caribbean Sea, separated from it by a mountain range, Sierra de Avila. For such closeness to the Antilles region it is considered a Caribbean city, whose values are manifested in the culture and idiosyncrasy of its people. The original cell of the Federal District (DF) is the old colonial province of Caracas and politically the DF is divided into two departments: Libertador (Caracas City) and Vargas, capital of La Guaira, considered the country's most important port. The landscape of the DF is basically mountainous, full of mountain ridges and valleys with some terraces. With 2,765 meters above sea level, the Naiguata Peak is this system's tallest mountain. La Guaira's colonial section near the coast is one of DF's tourist attractions, where beaches are open the year round thanks to a much favorable climate. In front of the Caribbean an ethnically varied mosaic of people, born in the time of the cocoa plantations and the slaves, makes a perfect mix of races and habits. The Venezuelan sea platform is economically rich with abundant fishing areas that sufficiently supply big cities like Caracas, Maracaibo, Puerto de la Cruz and Cumana. The Caribbean Venezuela roughly covers 123,125 square kilometers excluding the basins of the Gulf of Venezuela and the Unare River). It comprises the states of Falcon, Lara, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Miranda, Anzoategui, Sucre and the Federal District. It lacks abundant rivers for its dry conditions; nevertheless, the existing hydraulic resources are extensively used in this heavily populated area. The key rivers pouring their waters in the Caribbean Sea are Tocuyo, Tuy, Neveri, Manzanares and Carinicuao. Colonial constructions like the Castle of San Antonio in Cumana and the Fortress of Araya in the Araya Peninsula are also ano­ther of Sucre's attraction. Churches, in particular, with their colonial architecture provide additional interest. Carupano hosts every year the International Carnival, famous around the world. The State of Zulia takes its name from a river that meanders through it. Maracaibo, its capital, is Venezuela's second city in importance. Zulia's main attraction lies on its landscape with semiarid terrain in the north and thick woods in the west south. Every November Maracaibo is lightened by annual La Chiquinquira Fair. Museums and history and natural sciences welcomes visitors, while visitors can also practice fishing, swimming and water skiing in several sports of the Maracaibo Lake, South America's largest. In the north of Zulia several indigenous settlements still preserve many of their traditions, like living on stilt-supported houses as their ancestors did before the Spanish conquest. Oil is Zulia's greatest wealth, region being Venezuela's largest producer.

Nueva Esparta, in honor to courage. Margarita, the largest and most populated of the three islands making up the State of Nueva Esparta, will be the venue of the upcoming Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American nations next November. The boom in national and foreign tourism has turned this island, found by Christopher Columbus in 1498, into one of Venezuela's best resorts. It extends for 67 kilometers from west to east and 23 kilometers from north to south; in all it covers 150 square kilometers. It was named Margarita in tribute to Margarita of Austria, wife of Prince Don Juan, son of the Spanish Catholic Kings and its capital, Asuncion, is a National Historical Monument. The place where Columbus landed was Paraguachoa, which in indigenous language means abundance of fish, an area inhabited by the Guaiqueries Indians. The island's pearl banks suffered an extensive exploitation from 1516 and it was declared useless for pearl fishing in 1527. Its dwellers, called "margariteños" stood out in the struggle for independence and on May 4, 1810 the island province joined the Declaration of Independence. It was christened Nueva Esparta in 1874 in honor to the courageous attitude of its inhabitants during the fight for independence. Besides Asuncion, Porlamar is Margarita's second city in importance. Topographically, it is made up of two islands united by the La Restinga isthmus. The eastern mountains, the larger chain of the two, ends in Peak Copey, 957 meters high, which was declared a National Park, while the western ridge, in the Macanar Peak, 792 meters high. Both mountains slide down gently to end very close to the sea in their northern and eastern sides. To the south the coast is wide and sandy with beautiful beaches. The islands of Coche and Cubagua are rocky formations covered by marine sediments which had accumulated into 50-meter high terraces in several parts of their terrain characterized by some cliffs. Due to its landscape, the State of Nueva Esparta, which is right in the Caribbean Basin, has climatic variations, though temperatures are generally high. The influence of the sea and the east winds makes it nicer and fresher in several part where the temperature would have been otherwise more rigorous. In all, the rain season lasts short just during the months of December and January. For its dry conditions it has a poor hydrographic system being the San Juan and the Valle the only running rivers. And besides La Restinga, Las Maritas and Boca de Rio are the only two lagoons of importance. Nueva Esparta has developed into Venezuela's best tourist resort, nor only for its natural attractions, but also for a successful promotional campaign in America and Europe. Many visitors also come from Asia, Japan in particular. The beaches of El Tirano, El Agua and Manzanillo are just excellencies of this wonderful place, which also offers colonial attractions such as the Santa Rosa Fortress in Asuncion and the San Carlos Borromeo Castle in Pampatar. Porlamar and other towns in Margarita have quite urban contrasts and Puerto Libre opens the island to products coming from all the corners of the world. Gambling, which was recently legalized, is limited to five star hotels. In the island of Cubagua, the travelers can visit the ruins of Nueva Cadiz, the first town ever founded in Venezuela. The vegetation, mainly made up of mangrove trees in several areas as in La Restinga lagoon, is also another of the island's attractions. A well-conceived hotel and road infrastructure has contributed decisively to the tourist boom of Margarita which is linked to the continent by air and an efficient ferry service, departing from Puerto la Cruz, in the State of Anzoategui, and Cumana, in the State of Sucre. Venezuela's best beaches are in the states of Zulia, Falcon, Carabobo and Aragua. In the central coast there is a 65-kilometer stretch of coastline of smooth, tranquil waters, while in the east there is a surprising number of beaches, ideal for vacationers who can enjoy nice excursions and water sports. The Island of Margarita has a very rich culture and the artists are very skillful as shown by the well-made reproductions of the San Carlos Castle, the San Francisco Convent and the image of the Virgin of the Valley, Margarita's Patron Saint, beautifully carved out in wood. Another nice souvenir from Margarita is the aromatic wild marjoran, offered in small leaf-woven baskets or in little colorful bags.