Soldado Rock
 Soldado Rock
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| Geography | |
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| Total islands | 1 |
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Trinidad and Tobago
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| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited (2015) |
Soldado Rock or Soldier's Rock, formerly known as Soldado Island, is a small island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the Gulf of Paria 10 km off Icacos Point in Trinidad and north of the Venezuelan mainland. The island was originally a possession of the Venezuelan government, but became part of the territory of Trinidad and Tobago in 1942. The island is a wildlife sanctuary since being declared in 1934.
Soldado Rock is made up of limestone fossils from the Paleocene age and includes Eocene rock formations. The highest elevation point is 35 meters (115 ft) and its area is 1 hectare (10,000 m2). Reefs surround the island to the east for 1.2 km (0.75 miles), and to the south-south east and south-east. There are no trees on the island but different types of vegetation including plumbago and portulaca. There are other small rock formations near the island, including Pelican Rock and Black Rock.
On August 2, 1498, Christopher Columbus sailed near the island during his Third Voyage in the Serpent's Mouth and named the island El Gallo (Spanish for "The Cock"). Columbus anchored near the island and encountered native Amerindians in canoes prior to landing on Trinidad for the first time. Its current name is derived from the Spanish word for "Soldier". It was named in the 17th century after a Spanish boat shipwrecked near the island when a number of soldiers and sailors on board were rescued from the island. In the 19th century, it was also referred to as Île du Soldat (French) as charted by Dauxion Lavaysse in 1813.
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