The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: Estado Nueva Esparta, ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua.
The state has the smallest area, and is located off the northeast Caribbean coast of Venezuela. It is the only insular state of Venezuela (not including the Federal Dependencies, a federal territory but not a state). The main island of Margarita has an area of 1,020 km2. Its capital city is La Asunción, and the main urban center is Porlamar.
Its name, Nueva Esparta ("New Sparta"), comes from the heroism shown by its inhabitants during the Venezuelan War of Independence, deemed similar to that of the Spartan soldiers of Ancient Greece.
