Rocas-Atoll

Template: Infobox Atoll / Maintenance / height Missing

The Rocas Atoll, Brazilian Atol das Rocas, is an atoll in the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte.

The atoll is a nature reserve and since 2001 a UNESCO-approved World Heritage Site and a natural monument. In the nature reserve many different turtles, sharks, dolphins and seabirds. The atoll itself consists largely of corals and red algae.

The atoll is elliptical in shape and comprises 7.5 km ². The major axis is 3.7 km and the minor axis of 2.5 km long. The Ringriff is almost closed. In the north, there is a 200 m wide channel, and in the west a much narrower.

The land area of the two islands of the atoll ( Cemitério Iceland ( brasil. Ilha do Cemitério ) in the southwest and Farol Cay ( brasil. Ilha do Farol ) in the northwest) is 0.36 km ². Farol Cay is almost twice as large as Cemetério Iceland. The highest point is a 6 m high sand dune in the south of Farol Cay. The islands are covered with grass, bushes and some palm trees. There are crabs, spiders, sand fleas, beetles and large cockroaches as well as numerous bird species.

At the north end of Key Farol is a lighthouse of the Brazilian Coast Guard, which has been in operation since the 1960s. In its vicinity there is a decayed light of 1933.