Vieques (English pronunciation: vee-AY-kayz or -kez), in full Isla de Vieques, is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. Like mainland Puerto Rico, the island is US territory, though it retains strong Spanish influences from 400 years of Spanish ownership. Both Spanish and English are spoken on the island.
Vieques lies about 10 miles to the east of the Puerto Rican mainland, and measures approximately 21 miles long by 3 miles wide. It has a population of about 10,000. Its two towns are the administrative centre Isabel Segunda (sometimes written Isabel II) on the northern side of the island, and Esperanza on the south.
The island's name is a Spanish spelling of a Native American word meaning "small island". It also has the nickname "Isla Nena", usually translated from the Spanish as "Little girl island". Its natives are known as "Viequenses". During the colonial period the British name was "Crab Island".
Vieques is best known internationally as the site of a series of protests against the US Navy's use of the island as a bombing range and weapons testing ground, which eventually led to the Navy's departure in 2003.
