Savage Islands
- Savage Island is also the former name of Niue in the Pacific Ocean. For the 1983 film Savage Islands, see Savage Islands (film).
The Savage Islands (Portuguese: Ilhas Selvagens, pron. IPA: ['iʎɐʃ sɛɫ'vaʒɐ̃ĩʃ]) form a small archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean roughly midway between Madeira Islands and the Canary Islands at . The archipelago is comprised of two islands and several islets and is considered the extreme southern region of Portugal.[1]
The Savage Islands are part of the Portuguese municipality of Funchal and are set aside as a nature reserve. There are two reserve zones, one on Selvagem Grande Island and another on Selvagem Pequena Island.
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Geography
The Savage Islands are part of the Macaronesian island groups of the North Atlantic Ocean, near Europe and off Morocco, North Africa. The archipelago lies about 230 km from Portuguese Madeira, and 165 km from Spainish Canary Islands. The total land area of the Savage Islands is 2.73 km². The islands are surrounded by dangerous reefs, rendering access difficult and limited to few places; there are no fresh water sources.
The archipelago consists of two islands and several islets, in two groups about 15 km apart from each other:
- Northeast group - Selvagem Grande Island and three islets: Sinho Islet (Portuguese: Ilhéu Sinho), Palheiro do Mar, and Palheiro da Terra.
- Southeast group - Selvagem Pequena Island, Fora Islet (Ilhéu de Fora), and a group of very small islets collectively called Norte Islets (Ilhéus do Norte): Alto, Comprido, Redondo.
As with all Macaronesian islands, the Savage Islands are of volcanic origin. On the larger islands, cones of extinct volcanoes are found, such as the Atalaia Summit on Selvagem Grande. Other summits include Tornozelos and Veado. Headlands include Atalaia and Leste on Selvagem Grande, and Norte, Oeste, Leste and Garajaus on Selvagem Pequena.
History
The first recorded official discovery of the Savage Islands dates from 1438: Diogo Gomes de Sintra sighted them when returning to Portugal from Guinea, eighteen years after the discovery of Madeira Island. Such discoveries were commonplace during the period of Henry the Navigator who sponsored exploration of the coast of African Mauritania and during the Portuguese age of discovery.
The islands remained private property until purchased by the Portuguese government, which converted them into a nature reserve. In 1971, the Savage Islands Reserve was created as part of the Madeira Natural Park; it is one of the oldest nature reserves of Portugal and it also includes the surrounding shelf to a depth of 200 m. In 1976, permanent surveillance began, and in 1978 the reserve was elevated to the status of Nature Reserve.
In 2002, part of the nature reserve was nominated to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. They are currently included in the tentative World Heritage Site list.[1]
Climate and Environment
The temperatures in the Savage Islands exceed those in Madeira and the sea temperature remains comfortable all year round. Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said he found the cleanest waters in the world there. Although there are commercial tours available, all visitors require special authorization from the Madeira Natural Park, the regional environmental authority.[1]
The scientific and natural interest of this tiny group of islands lies in its marine biodiversity and unique flora as well as the sea birds that breed there. The White-faced Storm-petrel, the Bulwer's Petrel, and the Roseate Tern breed and nest on the islands and are the subject of annual scientific expeditions.
The Savage Islands host 150 species of plants, most of them creepers. The richest islands in flora are the Selvagem Pequena and Fora Islet as they have never suffered the introduction of non-indigenous animals or plants.
See also
External links
- (Portuguese) Official website
References
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| Madeira Island: Calheta | Câmara de Lobos | Funchal | Machico | Ponta do Sol | Porto Moniz | Ribeira Brava | Santa Cruz | Santana | São Vicente | Porto Santo Island: Porto Santo | |
Categories
Savage Islands | Uninhabited islands