Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago
Brazilian Navy scientific station and lighthouse of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago
Geography
LocationAtlantic Ocean
Coordinates00°55′1″N 29°20′45″W / 0.91694°N 29.34583°W / 0.91694; -29.34583
ArchipelagoArquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo
Total islands15[1]
Major islandsBelmonte, Challenger, Nordeste, Cabral, South
Area1.5 ha (3.7 acres)[1]
Highest elevation17 m (56 ft)[1]
Administration
Brazil
RegionNortheast
StatePernambuco
Demographics
Population4[2]
Additional information
Official websitewww.mar.mil.br/secirm/proarq.htm
Map of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (Portuguese: Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo [ɐʁkiˈpɛlɐgu dʒi sɐ̃w ˈpedɾwi sɐ̃w ˈpawlu]) is a group of 15 small islets and rocks in the central equatorial Atlantic Ocean.[3] It lies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a region of the Atlantic characterized by low average winds punctuated with local thunderstorms. It lies approximately 510 nmi (940 km; 590 mi) from the nearest point of mainland South America (the northeastern Brazilian coastal town of Touros); 625 km (388 mi) northeast of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha; 990 km (620 mi) from the city of Natal; and 1,824 km (1,133 mi) from the west coast of Africa. Administratively, the archipelago belongs to Brazil and is part of the special "state district" (Portuguese: distrito estadual) of Fernando de Noronha, in the state of Pernambuco, in spite of the very large distance between the two island groups and the even larger distance to the state mainland.

In 1986, the archipelago was designated an environmentally protected area.[4] This is now part of the Fernando de Noronha Environmental Protection Area.[5] Since 1998, the Brazilian Navy has maintained a permanently staffed research facility on the islands.[2] The main economic activity around the islets is tuna fishing.

  1. ^ a b c The Scientific Station of São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago Alvarez, Cristina; Melo, Julio; Mello, Roberto L. Retrieved on 2009-07-14.
  2. ^ a b Programa Arquipélago[permanent dead link] Brazilian Navy. Retrieved on 2009-07-16. (in Portuguese)
  3. ^ The scientific station of São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago - Brazil Archived 2013-10-20 at the Wayback Machine Alvarez, Cristina E., Melo, Julio E., Mello, Roberto L. Retrieved on June 6, 2009.
  4. ^ Decree 92755 of 5 June 1986 Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2009-07-16.
  5. ^ Área de Proteção Ambiental Fernando de Noronha – Rocas – São Pedro e São Paulo (in Portuguese), Parque Nacional Marinho Fernando de Noronha, archived from the original on 2017-01-04, retrieved 2016-04-21