Savage Islands

W1

The Selvagens ( German "wild islands", formerly known as Salvage, Sebaldinen or Sebald Islands ) are a belonging to the Portuguese autonomous province of Madeira small uninhabited island group west of the North African Atlantic coast. They belong to the community ( freguesia ) Sé the circle Funchal.

Geography

The archipelago, which lies about 280 kilometers from the island of Madeira and 165 kilometers from the Canary Islands, together with these archipelagos and the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands the island region of Macaronesia. The Selvagens be just like the Canaries counted geographically to Africa. Politically they belong to Portugal.

The Selvagens consist of three larger and 18 smaller islands of volcanic origin. The archipelago is made up of two groups of islands, which are about 3 kilometers away from each other:

• The Northeast Group Selvagem Grande (2.45 km ²), the largest island of Selvagens, and the three islets Ilhéu Sinho, Palheiro do Mar and Palheiro de Terra. The highest peak is the Pico da Atalaia on Selvagem Grande with 163 meters.
• The Southwest with the Islands Selvagem Pequena ( 0.30 km ²) and Fora (0.08 km ² ) as well as numerous, sometimes very small islands, such as Alto, Comprido Redondo and the Norte islands. The highest point is the Pico do Veado with 49 yards on Selvagem Pequena.

The archipelago is surrounded by a dense reef, making a landing on some islands impossible. Only a few points can be reached directly by boat. On the slightly larger islands cone Atalaia find of extinct volcanoes, such as the Pico da on Selvagem Grande.

The total area of ​​all islands is just 3.6 km ². All the islands are uninhabited, because they are difficult to reach due to the dangerous reefs and any fresh water sources are lacking.

History

The first cartographic evidence for the Selvagens are from 1375. 1438 they were officially discovered on behalf of Prince Henry the Navigator, and it was Diogo Gomes de Sintra, the left first a description of the main island Selvagem Grande.

In the 16th century the islands were administered by the living on Madeira family Caiado. In 1904 the archipelago to the banker Luis da Rocha Machado was sold. The WWF was interested in 1959 for the islands and signed a pre-sale contract with the heirs of Luis da Rocha Machado. 1971 intervened Portugal, was able to acquire the islands and declared them in the same year to the Nature Reserve ( Reserva Selva the gene). Thus, the Selvagens one of the oldest reserves in Portugal and the only one that has been recognized by the EU with the European Diploma.

Multiple islands in search of the fabled treasure of the Cathedral of Lima ( Peru) were dug. The Pirate William Kidd to have him coming from a Spanish ship, from Baltimore, raped and buried on the islands. Even the famous English explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton asked for permission for the treasure hunt.

Nature reserve

Since 1971, the islands are a nature reserve. The islands Selvagem Pequena and Ilhéu de Fora have a unique, intact plant world, because there never herbivores were introduced. Of the 90 mapped plant species that colonize the Selva gene, 10 are endemic. The islands are also many sea birds as a nesting site and are therefore also known as a "bird of paradise ".

The islands are designated as a bird sanctuary, which is run all year round from two people who are stationed on Selvagem Grande and Selvagem Pequena and replace regularly. In addition, they carry out scientific work such as species counts and wildlife viewing. They are supplied by the Coast Guard and the Portuguese Navy. Since 1989, the monitoring and management responsibility of the Agency for Nature Conservation of Madeira.

The nature reserve of Selvagens was on the Tentative List for World Heritage, but was not accepted as a World Heritage Site.