Margarita Island

Margarita Island, island, northern Venezuela. With an area of 1,072 sq km (414 sq mi) it is the largest of the group of islands constituting Nueva Esparto State, in the Caribbean Sea. Porlamar, centre of the island's long-established pearl industry, is the largest town; Pampatar is the chief port, and La Asunción is the capital. Christopher Columbus landed here in 1498; the island was settled by the Spanish in the 1520s. Since the late 1960s Margarita has gained prominence as a tourist centre. It was declared a duty-free area in 1970, and a free port in 1975.