The
Federal Dependencies of Venezuela (
Spanish Dependencias Federales de Venezuela) encompass most of
Venezuela's off shore islands in the
Caribbean Sea and the
Gulf of Venezuela, excluding those islands which form the State of
Nueva Esparta. These islands, with a total area of 342 square kilometres, are sparsely populated - according to the preliminary results of the 2011 Census only 2,155 people live there permanently, with another hundred from
Margarita Island who live there seasonally to engage in fishing. Local government is under the authority of the
mayor of
Caracas.