Santa Rosa Island (Amazon River)

For the larger island also sometimes known as Santa Rosa, see Chinería Island. For other uses, see the district.
Santa Rosa Island
Disputed island
Geography
LocationColombia–Peru border
Administration
DistrictSanta Rosa de Loreto
Claimed by
Colombia
MunicipalityLeticia

Santa Rosa, also known as Santa Rosa de Yavarí[1] and Santa Rosa de Loreto,[2] is a disputed river island located in the Strait of Nazareth, the easternmost part of the Amazon River in Colombian and Peruvian territory, and the southernmost limit of the Amazon Trapeze, which forms part of the Colombia–Peru border. It is located close to Tres Fronteras, the tripoint of Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Its largest settlement is Santa Rosa de Yavarí.

It separated from Chinería Island around 1970 through a natural process of fluvial fragmentation. However, the channel that separated both islands has since dried up.[3] The official position of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry is that the island no longer exists, but that it's part of Chinería Island.[4]

Name

The island is named after an image of Rose of Lima brought by the Civil Guard to a newly formed outpost.[5]

Geography

The island is located on the Amazon River, which is part of the natural border between Colombia and Peru, near Tres Fronteras, the triple border between Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. It is located south of Chinería Island and Ronda Island, administered by Peru and Colombia, respectively.

History

According to the Peruvian government, the island is part of Santa Rosa de Loreto District, created on July 3, 2025, through Law N° 32403, approved by the Congress of Peru following the initiative of President Dina Boluarte. Formerly part of Yavari District, its capital is Santa Rosa de Yavarí, one of three border crossings of Tres Fronteras.[6] Its creation led to the protest of president of Colombia Gustavo Petro, who claimed that Peru had usurped Colombian territory, and announced that the celebrations of the Battle of Boyacá would be moved to nearby Leticia in response.[6][7]

Since 2004, the Peruvian government's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC) operates a branch in the island.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Turkewitz, Julie; Taj, Mitra (August 8, 2025). "War of Words Erupts Between Colombia and Peru Over Island in Amazon". The New York Times. Both nations claim Santa Rosa de Yavarí, a tiny island of just 3,000 people that sits in the Amazon River, more than a thousand miles from their capitals.
  2. ^ a b "Reniec garantiza continua y sostenida identificación en isla Santa Rosa de Loreto". Andina. 2025-08-08.
  3. ^ "Boluarte y Petro suben la apuesta y se enfrentan por la soberanía de la isla de Santa Rosa". CNN en Español. 2025-08-08.
  4. ^ Treneman, Alvaro (7 August 2025). "¿Isla Santa Rosa o Isla Chinería?: Este es el nombre oficial". Perú 21.
  5. ^ Aspajo Morales, Silvia Maribel; Espiritu Guerra, Safira Celeste (2023-11-22). "Isla Santa Rosa". Recursos Turísticos.
  6. ^ a b Giner Vásquez, Renzo (2025-08-07). "Santa Rosa, la historia detrás del distrito que crispó la relación entre Perú y Colombia". El Comercio.
  7. ^ Ortiz Martínez, Sebastian (2025-08-06). "La postura de Gustavo Petro genera rechazo unánime en el Perú: la historia y las claves del impasse por la isla Santa Rosa". El Comercio.
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