Fernando de Noronha

Categories: Pernambuco | Islands | World Heritage Sites in Brazil

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, midway from South America to Africa, around 220 miles (354 km) away from the Brazilian coast. It is a special municipality (distrito estatal) of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. The position is 03°54′ S 32°25′ W.

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Geography

Image:Orthographic projection centred over Fernando de Noronha.png
Image:Orthographic projection centred over Fernando de Noronha

The main islands of this archipelago are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains . Consisting of 21 islands, islets and rocks of volcanic origin, the main island has an area of 7.1 square miles (18 km²), being 6.2 miles (10 km) long and 2.2 miles (3.5 km) at its maximum width. The base of this enormous volcanic formation is 2480 feet (756 m) below the surface. The main island, from which the group gets its name, makes up 91% of the total area; the islands of Rata, Sela Gineta, Cabeluda and São Jose, together with the islets of Leão and Viúva make up the rest.

The climate is tropical, with two well defined seasons: the rainy season from January to August, and the dry season for the rest of the year. The land vegetation of the islands is made up mostly of vines and bushes.

As occurs on other isolated ecosystems, the fauna of the Archipelago is as unique as it is exuberant. Among the common species on the islands, one can spot sea tortoises, dolphins, albatrosses, among many others.

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Images

Image:Noronha Fim de Tarde.jpg
Morro dos Dois Irmãos
Image:Noronha Leao.jpg
Praia do Leão
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History

Many controversies mark the archipelago's discovery. Its original name, Ilha da Quaresma (Lent Island), it is known to have been sighted by expeditions from the years 1501, 1502 and 1503. The Viscount of Santarém, however, attributed the discovery to Gaspar de Lemos, captain of the supply ship of Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet, sent back to Portugal with news of the discovery of Brazil. Modern historians, however, attribut the discovery of the archipelago to the 1501-1502 expedition led by Fernão de Noronha.

The first to actually describe the island was Amerigo Vespucci, who travelled with a Portuguese expedition to Brazil in the year 1503. In 1534, the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago was invaded by the English, and from 1556 until 1612, it was held by the French. In 1628, it was invaded by the Dutch, who were displaced two years later by a Spanish-Portuguese military expedition led by Rui Calaza Borges. The Dutch occupied the island once again in 1635, making it a hospital for its troops which occupied Northeastern Brazil. The island became known as Pavonia, in honor of Michiel de Pauw, one of the directors of the Dutch West Indies Company. It would remain under Dutch control for nearly twenty years, when it was reconquered by Portugal.

Finding it uninhabited and completely abandoned in 1736, the French East Indies Company took the island and renamed it Isle Dauphine. Only from 1737 on, after the expulsion of the French, Fernando de Noronha was definitively occupied by Portugal. This time Portugal decided to fortify the island. For this purpose, ten forts were built in all strategic points where a possibility of disembarkation existed. Nine in the main island and one in the Ilha de São José situated in front of the Saint Anthony harbour. All the forts were connected by a network of stone roads. The defence system was planned by the Portuguese militar engineer Diogo da Sylveira Vellozo. Around 1770, the first permanent settlement, Vila dos Remédios, was founded. The village was divided in two unities (pátios), in the superior were the administrative buildings in the other was the church and the religious buildings.

As Brazil became independent, very little changed for Fernando de Noronha.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the English arrived to provide technical cooperation in telegraphy (The South American Company). Later the French came with the French Cable and the Italians with Intalcable. In 1942, during World War II, the archipelago was made a Federal Territory that also included Rocas Atoll and Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and political and ordinary prisoners were sent to the local prison. In 1988 approximately 70% of the archipelago was declared a national park, with the goal of preserving the land and sea environment. On October 5, 1988, the Federal Territory was dissolved and added to the state of Pernambuco (except Rocas Atoll, which was added to the state of Rio Grande do Norte).

Nowadays, Fernando de Noronha's economy depends on tourism, restricted by the limitations of its delicate ecosystem. In addition to the historical interest noted above, the archipelago has been the subject of the attention of various scientists dedicated to the study of its flora, fauna, geology, etc.

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Diving

Fernando de Noronha is probably one of the best scuba diving places in the world. Warm water and exuberant subaquatic fauna an flora can be found in dives from 25 to 40 m deep. A Portuguese frigate, the Corvete, sank in 1987 and is lying in pristine condition at around 90 feet.

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