Savage Islands
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. |
- 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]) consist of a small archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean roughly midway between Madeira Islands and the Canary Islands at 30°01′N 15°31′W / 30.01°N 15.52°W. The archipelago is comprised of two islands and several islets and consists the extreme southern region of Portugal.[1]
The Savage Islands are administered by 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 one on Selvagem Pequena Island.
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 Madeira, and 165 km from the 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 and 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 neutrality of this section is disputed. |
There is evidence that the existence of these islands was known from early times. They were first indicated on a venetian chart attributed to the Pizzigani brothers dated from 1367.[2] The islands are considered to be a column branch that extends from Canary Islands at a 3000m depth.[3]
The Canaries received visits from Europeans, including natives of Minorca, from the 14th century. In 1402, vassals of the kingdom of Castile, with papal permission, began the conquest of the Canaries to join them to the Castilian realm. The conquest was difficult and took almost a full century, because the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands proved to be a brave and tenacious people. During the years of fighting, Castilian ships did not stop to visit the Savage Islands, thus they did not populate the islands, which were considered uninhabitable, and to give seated that concerned to the set of Canaries that it they concerned legally (papal permission, the same one that the Portuguese were using in their conquests).[citation needed]
In 1438, the Portuguese mariner Diogo Gomes was said to have discovered the Savage Islands, by chance while returning to Portugal from the Guinea coast of Africa. For Castile, the Islands, which had no economic value, concerned to the Wreath, but it does not leave a reserve armed in the islands since it is so that to occupy. Spain supposed that Portugal would respect the agreements and the papal bulls.
Evidence the Savage Islands did not belong to Portugal after Gomes de Sintra's proclamation is in that in the 15th century the islands were not included in the list of possessions of Christ's Order (order of the one that was a great master of the Portuguese king). The portuguese historian João de Barros(1496-1570) admits that they belong to Canaries and Gaspar Frutuoso in his work Saudades of Terra mentions them expressly as belonging to Canaries and to the dominion of the king of Castile (and then also of Portugal) Philip II.
The islands were deserted in spite of attempts of Canaries and Portuguese who failed, even there were Portuguese who proclaimed that it they concerned legally as private property, when the fact is that to the being of Spanish sovereignty, the property of a foreigner does not imply that him the islands are yielded to his country.
Spain decided that it was necessary to act in The Savages finally in 1881 since they were a danger to navigation towards The Canaries and it decides to construct a lighthouse, which Portugal protested.[citation needed]
In 1911, the Spanish government advised Portugal that Spain was going to erect a lighthouse in the islands.[citation needed] The two countries reached an agreement to avoid any act that could prevent an amicable solution to the territorial dispute. Portugal did not lose time and without negotiating with Spain enacted legislation on the Savage Islands.[citation needed] In 1912, Admiral Schultz Xavier conducted a survey of the Selvagem Grande Island to locate where Portugal was going to place the lantern.
In 1929, counter admiral Gago Coutinho declared that the islands belong concern to Portugal. Spain, while, immersed in the political crisis that finished with the General Primo de Rivera does not even find out. In 1932 the Portuguese government them declares estate of hunt.
In 1938, Portugal prepared a map of the islands placing geodesic points. At the time, Spain was immersed in the Spanish Civil War and there was no government capable of defending Spain's foreign interests. Portugal, packed, gives the definitive blow, orders a process the Permanent Commission of International Maritime law and this one fails on February 15, 1938 in favour of Portugal as for the sovereignty. Spain, roiled in internal struggles, did not respond to the Portuguese claim or send an advocate to appear before the commission. It is not clear that Spain was present in the above mentioned commission and today for today it has not been accepted de jure.
The dictorial government of Franco did not take action when it obtained power. It silenced the press on the topic so that the Spanish people did not know the matter had been lost. The Portuguese government acted always taking advantage of its alliance with the United Kingdom and its membership in NATO, being the only dictatorship that was belonged to NATO, but also it remembered to Franco everything what had helped him to gain the war.
In July 21st of 1970 the italian ship Fluvia sinks close to the islands.
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 1976, a few Canary Islands sailors came to the Savages and there they waved a Spanish flag, but the administration did not dare to support them. Today the Savage Islands have a permanent team of guards from Madeira Natural Park (2 or 3 guards in Selvagem Grande Island during all the year and two guards in Selvagem Pequena usually between April and September). From time to time a marine corps team is on the islands to train. The real and like that aim appears in the Portuguese press it is the Portuguese sovereignty affirms what would not need if they did not have doubts of her(it).[citation needed]
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
- Template:Pt icon Parque Natural da Madeira - O que é a Reserva Natural das Ilhas Selvagens? Official website
References
- ^ a b c UNESCO World Heritage Sites entry for “Ilhas Selvagens” (Selvagens Islands)
- ^ Albuquerque, Luis and Vieira, Alberto, The Archipelago of Madeira in the 15th Century, Funchal, Centro Estudos História Atlântico, 1988
- ^ Carvalho, Luis and Leitão, Nuno, A Noção "Estratégica" das Ilhas Selvagens (in Portuguese)