Isla Salas y Gómez

Sala y Gómez ( Salas y Gómez also, Spanish Isla Sala y Gómez, Rapanui: Motu Motiro Hiva ) is located at 26 ° 28 ' south latitude and 105 ° 22' west longitude an island in the Pacific Ocean, 391 km east of Easter Island. The island got its name from the Spanish captains José Salas Valdés, who sighted the island on 23 August 1793, and José Manuel Gómez, who in 1805 explored the island for the first time; It was first sighted by Europeans may already in 1687, from the English buccaneer Edward Davis. The uninhabited island belongs to Chile since 1808 and has been managed since 1 March 1966 by the Department of Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) from. 1994 installed the Chilean Navy an automatic beacon and a tsunami warning system.

Geography

The 3735 km from the Chilean mainland lying island is of volcanic origin. It represents the peak of a mountain, which is about 3500 meters high rises from the Sala -y- Gómez- back from the ocean floor, Sala y Gómez dar. consists of two large, nearly unvegetated rocks, which are connected by a narrow isthmus. It is 0.15 km ² in size, with a length of 770 m and a maximum width of 500 m. There are no natural sources of fresh water, a 200 m² large recess on the larger eastern rocks but sometimes contains fresh water. At its highest point, in the south of the eastern rock, less than 30 meters from the coast, the island measures 30 meters. The landing with boats is considered difficult. About 1.1 km north-east of the island is located just 25 meters below the surface, with the Bajo Scott, another submarine summit.

Flora and Fauna

With the Sala y Gómez Easter Island Rapa Nui subtropical broadleaf belongs to the forests ecoregion, although the island itself is not forested. Because the island is heavily sprayed by salt water grow there only better protected places four types of land plants, including strip ferns ( Asplenium ). The island is a breeding places for many sea birds, including Christmas Shearwater ( Puffinus Nativitatis ) Bindenfregattvögel ( Fregata minor), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra ), Sooty Terns (Sterna fuscatus ), Noddiseeschwalben ( Anous stolidus ), White -throated Sea Runner ( Nesofregetta fuliginosa ) Red-tailed Tropicbird ( Phaethon rubricauda ), White Fairy Terns ( Gygis alba), red-footed boobies (Sula sula ) and Graunoddis ( Procelsterna albivitta ).

Others

The island is best known for the poem by Adelbert von Chamisso, who had visited during his circumnavigation.