Ilhabela, São Paulo

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Ilhabela

View of Pereque Beach from ferry-boat

Flag

Seal

Nickname: Ilhabela, Capital da Vela (Ilhabela, Capital of Sailing)

Motto: Ilhabela da Princesa

Location in the state of São Paulo and Brazil

Coordinates: 23°46′28″S 46°21′20″W / -23.77444, -46.35556

Settled

Government

- Mayor

Manoel Marcos de Jesus Ferreira (PTB)

Area

- Total

348,300 km² (130 sq mi)

Elevation

1,378 m (4,521 ft)

Population (2006)^[1]

- Total

26,230

- Density

75.3/km² (195/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC-3 (UTC-3)

- Summer (DST)

UTC-2 (UTC-2)

Website: Prefeitura Municipal de Ilhabela

Ilhabela (Portuguese for Beautiful Island) is an archipelago situated 4 miles off the coast of São Paulo state, in Brazil. The island is 205 km (138 miles) from the city of São Paulo and 340 km (210 miles) from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The largest island, although commonly called Ilhabela, is officially named Ilha de São Sebastião (São Sebastião Island). It and the other islands; (Búzios and Vitoria) and the islets (Cabras, Castelhanos, Enchovas, Figueira, Lagoa and Serraria) make up the municipality of Ilhabela. The islands in total cover 348 km² (130 square miles). The population of Ilhabela in 2006 was 26,230, but during the holiday months, up to one hundred thousand people may be on the island. To access the city on the island, one must take a boat or ferry in São Sebastião, as there are no roads which reach it. During the summer, one may wait more than an hour to take the ferry boat. The ferry takes 15 minutes to cross the channel between the two cities.

1 History
2 Tourism
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Before Portugal colonized Brazil in 1500, the Tupinambas Indians inhabited the island. They called it Ciribai, which means tranquil place. The island was named São Sebastião Island by Americo Vespuccio, on January 20th, 1502. During the 16th ceuntury, the Portuguese set up military points on the shore of São Sebastião Island. On September 3rd, 1805, the Governor of the Province of São Paulo, Antônio José da França e Horta, decreted the political-administrative independence of the county. The Island had already 3.000 inhabitants at that time. The new county was named Villa Bella da Princeza, paying homage to the princess of Beira. On November 30th, 1938, during the Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo, an act altered the name of the county to Formosa. Six years later, on November 30th, 1944, another act ultimately changed the name to Ilhabela.

Pico do Baepi (Baepi's Peak)

[edit] Tourism

Ilhabela is very famous for being a popular Sailing point. Several Sailing championshops take place at Ilhabela. Also, it is popular for many other watersports, including scuba and free diving. The waters around the archipelago are filled with more than 50 shipwrecks, six of them being opened for visiting via diving.

There are many hiking trails with varying degrees of dificulty and many waterfalls in the typical atlantic jungle.