Located on the north coast of South America, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was colonized by Spain early in the 16th century and was ruled as part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada until the viceroyalty won its independence in a complex struggle in 1810-1819. The former viceroyalty, known as Gran Colombia, fell apart in 1831, creating the nations of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Venezuela has a long coastline facing the Caribbean Sea. In addition, Venezuela administers a number of islands in the westward extension of the Lesser Antilles chain. Geographers call these islands the Leeward Antilles, from the Dutch Benedenwindse Eilanden; the chain also includes the Dutch islands of Bonaire, Curaçao, and Aruba. This page lists the lighthouses of the Venezuelan Leeward Antilles. Venezuela is a federal republic with 23 states and a capital district. The Isla de Margarita and associated smaller islands are comprise the state of Nueva Esparta; the smaller, mostly unpopulated islands are governed as federal territories (Dependencias Federales). The word for a lighthouse is faro in Spanish; smaller lighthouses are often called balizas (beacons). In Spanish isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Active lighthouses in Venezuela are owned by the navy and managed by the Oficina Coordinadora de Hidrografía y Navegación (OCHINA). Special note: Following the election of President Nicolás Maduro in 2013 economic conditions in Venezuela deteriorated, leading to an outbreak of civil unrest. As of this revision (May 2024) the country is still not safe for tourists and other visitors. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.
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Dependencias Federales Lighthouses
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![]() 2003 Los Monjes Light, Monjes del Sur OCHINA photo (no longer online) |
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Nueva Esparta Lighthouses
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Isla de Aves Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: Southeast: Eastern Venezuela | Southwest: Western Venezuela | West: Bonaire
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index
Posted July 7, 2003. Checked and revised May 13, 2024. Lighthouses: 34. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.