VIEQUES ISLAND

Spanish Isla De Vieques, island, Puerto Rico, second in size only to the main island. It lies 13 miles (21 km) east of the main island, fronting south on the Caribbean Sea and north on the Vieques Sound, which connects the Caribbean with the Atlantic Ocean. Composed mostly of volcanic and granite intrusives, the generally hilly island is 21 miles (34 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide, and it is 52 square miles (135 square km) in area. It was annexed to Puerto Rico in 1854. Vieques (also called Isabel Segunda), the chief town, is located on an inlet of the northern coast. Since 1941 about 70 percent of Vieques has been under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy. Sugarcane is the principal crop in the civilian areas of the island; coconuts, grains, sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and papayas are also grown. Fishing is important and cattle are also raised. Vieques municipio, which is coterminous with the island, has four barrios (wards), three of them rural. Pop. (1990) 8,602.