Island of Despair. A small island located 100 km off the coast of South America, near the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela. French cartographers have previously misplaced it, incorrectly situating it between Juan Fernández Island and Chile. Also known as Speranza, the island is hilly and divided by fertile valleys. It features many sandy beaches and sea caves. In the northwest, at the mouth of a small river, there is a natural harbor suitable for anchorage. The island became famous in the early 1700s through a chronicle written by Robinson Crusoe of York, who was shipwrecked off its coast on September 30, 1659.