Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in Brazil with a total area of 26 km2. The main islands are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains whose base is 4000 m below the surface.
Noronha is a great place for aquatic sports. Due to its north-south geographic position, the island presents, at the same time, perfect places for diving, surfing and fishing. It has the most wonderful beaches situated in Pernambuco.
Its discovery is assigned to Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512), Italian merchant and cartographer. In 1503, he wrote in a letter..."Paradise is here"..and this is the first document regarding the island, called Sâo Laurenço back then.
Throughout its 500 years history, it's been temporarily occupied by the Dutch (17th. century), by the French (18th. century) and Portugal took over it definitively from 1737 onwards.
The island was covered in forest until the 19th century, when it was cleared to prevent prisoners on the island from building rafts.The islands are now predominantly covered by shrubs, with some areas of recently planted secondary forest. Many of the plants on the island today were introduced by people.
Since 1988, approximately 70% of the archipelago was declared a National Marine Park and is base of several research projects such as, studying the behavior and reproduction of the dolphins, migratory bird species, sharks and marine turtles. As an unique ecological sanctuary, Fernando de Noronha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The visitation is restricted by a certain number of tourists per day, who must pay a daily Environmental Presevation Fee to stay in the Park.
April 30, 2013
I. C.
