Carenero, Los Roques

Cayo Carenero is a key (cayo) in the western Caribbean Sea, located in the Los Roques Archipelago. It is situated in the northeastern portion of this group of islands, which form a national park. Administratively, it is part of the Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory and the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela.

Geography

The island is part of the designated Primitive Marine Zone (PM), an area of the national park where tourist activities are permitted under certain restrictions, provided they do not harm the local ecosystem. It features a mangrove system that protects its waters from wave action. Carenero can be reached by boat from other keys and is popular for its calm, crystal-clear waters.

Located in the western part of the park, Carenero has an elongated and narrow shape. It lies west of Cayo Espenqui, northwest of Isla Larga, and northeast of Cayo Bequevé and Selesquí. It has an estimated surface area of 56 hectares (0.56 square kilometers).

The key's elongated, narrow, and curved shape tapers off at one end into a sandspit. Its terrain is mostly low and flat, a characteristic feature of Caribbean islands of coral and sandy origin. Because the terrain is flat and exposed to the trade winds, water and sediment tend to accumulate in small depressions inland, shaping the island's landscape.

A system of shallow interior lagoons is located in the center of the key. Two main bodies of water stand out, surrounded by dense coastal vegetation. The color of the water in these lagoons changes from light green to dark and brown tones, driven by variations in depth, salinity levels, or the accumulation of organic matter.

Mangroves grow around these lagoons, contrasting with the drier, flatter, and more open central areas of the island, which are characterized by salt flats and arid-climate vegetation.

The coasts of the key differ significantly depending on their exposure to the wind and marine currents:

• Windward coast (exposed to the wind): Receives the direct impact of the open sea. Waves break constantly and forcefully against a barrier reef or coral deposits.
• Leeward coast (protected from the wind): A zone of calm, shallow waters with turquoise and light blue tones. This calm allows fine white sand to accumulate, forming stable beaches.

See also

• Geography of Venezuela
• List of islands of Venezuela