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Isla Culebra ((:kuˈleβɾa), "Snake Island") is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo (Dewey), the downtown area and the administrative center of the city. Residents of the island are known as ''Culebrenses''. With a population of 1,818 as of the latest census, it is Puerto Rico's least populous municipality. Originally called ''Isla Pasaje'' and ''Isla de San Ildefonso'', Culebra is also known as ''Isla Chiquita'' (“Little Island”) and ''Última Virgen'' (“Last Virgin”, due to its position at the end of the Virgin Islands archipelago). ==History== Some sources claim that Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive at the island during his second voyage in 1493.〔(Culebra, Puerto Rico ) on AreciboWeb〕〔(Costa Bonita Villas: Historia ) on CostaBonitaPR.com〕〔(Isla de Culebra ) on PRFrogui〕 It is believed that the island was populated by Carib Indians during the colonization. After Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II led the Taíno rebellion of 1511, Taíno Indians from the main island sought refuge on Culebra and allied with Caribs to launch random attacks at the island estates.〔(Historia de Culebra ) on PorMiPueblo〕 After that, the island was left abandoned for centuries. During the era of Spanish commerce through the Americas, it was used as a refuge for pirates, as well as local fishermen and sailors.〔 Some sources mention an Englishman named Stevens, who was put in charge of Culebra in 1875 by the Spanish crown to protect the island from foreigners.〔(Historia - Culebra ) on IslaCulebra.com〕 Culebra was then settled by Cayetano Escudero Sanz on October 27, 1880. This first settlement was called San Ildefonso, to honor the Bishop of Toledo, San Ildefonso de la Culebra. Two years later, on September 25, 1882, construction of the Culebrita Lighthouse began. It was completed on February 25, 1886 which made it the oldest operating lighthouse in the Caribbean until 1975, when the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard finally closed the facility.〔(Culebra, Isla Chiquita ) on SalonHogar.net〕 In 1902, Culebra was integrated as a part of Vieques. One year later, on June 26, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Culebra Naval Reservation. A bird refuge was established on February 27, 1909.〔〔 In 1939, the U.S. Navy began to use the Culebra Archipelago as a gunnery and bombing practice site. This was done in preparation for the United States' involvement in World War II. In 1971 the people of Culebra began protests, known as the Navy-Culebra protests, for the removal of the U.S. Navy from Culebra. Four years later, in 1975, the use of Culebra as a gunnery range ceased and all operations were moved to Vieques. Culebra was declared an independent island municipality in 1917. The first democratically elected government was put into place in 1960. Prior to this, the government of Puerto Rico appointed delegates to administer the island. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Culebra, Puerto Rico」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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