Rocks of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul

The rocks of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul ( Penedos de São Pedro E São Paulo in Portuguese) are a dozen tiny Brazilian islands, of volcanic origin, to approximately 950 km in the North-East of Natal.

Geography

The ground nearest is the island of Fernando de Noronha to 630 km in south-west. The rocks are part of the State of Pernambouc of Brazil.

The highest rocks (south-western Rock) have an altitude of 22,5 Mr. These rocks are crètes Dorsale the médio-Atlantic which exceed the level of water. The rocks are widespread on a surface which measures 350 m of north in the south and 200 m of the east in the west. The total surface of ground is of approximately 10 000 m ². Exact localization: .

The largest rocks are:

South-western Rock 3 000 m ²
South-eastern Rock 1 500 m ²
North-western Rock 1 000 m ²
North-eastern Rock 1 000 m ²

The Rocks are the point more in the East of all Brazil. The other Brazilian extreme points are:

in North: sources of the Rio Ailã on the Mount Caburaí, in the State of Roraima;
in the South: the Arroio Chuí, in the State of the Rio Grande C Sul;
in the East (on the continent): the Point of Seixas ( Bridged C Seixas ), in the State of the Paraíba;
in the West, the source of the Rio Moa, in the State of Acre.

Structures

A Phare 6 height meters is at the top of the south-western Rock; it was built in 1930. Less than 20 meters further, downwards, a hut is being used as shelter for the military personnel and the researchers.

Biology

Only largest of the small islands, the Rock of south-west, has vegetation, mainly foams and grasses. The other rocks are sterile. The rocks are inhabited by marine birds (insane brown or Sula leucogaster , noddis brown or Anous stolidus and black noddis or Anous minutus ), Crabe S ( Grapsus grapsus ), Insectes and Araignée S.

History

The morning of February 16th 1832, the rocks were visited by Charles Darwin in the first part of its voyage on HMS Beagle around the world. In 1942, the archipelago was made up in Brazilian territory directly depend on the ministry for the War, and the constitution of 1988 integrated it into the State of Pernambouc.

Information

More information
Information and images, February 2001
Images showing the headlight and the buildings

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