Desertas Islands

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The Desertas Islands (Portuguese: Ilhas Desertas, pron. IPA: ['iʎɐʃ dɨ'zɛɾtɐʃ]; literally Desert Islands), are a small Portuguese archipelago that stands to the south east of the island of Madeira, the whole chain located roughly between the Azores and the Canary Islands.

Though only 20 nautical miles (37 km) distant from the main island of Madeira, the geology of the Ilhas Desertas is starkly different. The high, long, and rocky islands of the group are barren of soil, and the only wildlife consists of about sixteen bird species, eight being seagoing, and a scarce population of non native goats, rabbits, and rodents, brought from Portugal by the mariners who first touched the rocky shores. Native species of tarantula, and reptilians, also exist in the fragile and arid ecosystem.

The only inhabitable island, with its own water source, is Deserta Grande. This water is however murky and scarce, and all historical attemps to colonise the island failed due to the impractibility of communal agriculture.

A tiny colony of monk seals inhabit the beaches, and since 1990 the islands have been a Nature reserve for their protection. Although in 1998 the colony numbered only eight, by today, the population numbers roughly twenty. The only human presence comes in the form of geologists, occasional boaters, and the few research stations on the islands.

The islands of the Desertas are Deserta Grande, Bugio and Chão Islet.

[edit] See also

• List of islands of Portugal

Coordinates: 32°29′N 16°29′W