Baixo Islet (; ''Lower Islet'' in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

), also known locally as ''Ilhéu do Carapacho'' (''

Carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

Islet'') and historically as ''Ilhéu dos Homiziados'' (''Islet of the Fugitives''), is a small uninhabited

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

group located off the southeast coast of the island of

Graciosa Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese), also referred to as the ''White Island'', is a volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores archipelago. The o ...

in the Portuguese archipelago of the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

. Along with

Praia Islet Praia Islet (; literally, ''Beach Islet'') is a highly vegetated uninhabited islet located approximately away from the town of Praia off the eastern coast of the island of Graciosa in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Along with Baixo ...

to its north, Baixo Islet is one of two main breeding places of

Monteiro's storm petrel Monteiro's storm petrel (''Hydrobates monteiroi'') is a seabird species from the storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. The cryptic species was once considered to be conspecific with the band-rumped storm petrel.M. Bolton, A.L. Smith, E. Gomez-Diaz, ...

, an endemic marine bird of the Azores.

Geography

Baixo Islet is in fact two basaltic islets, one much larger than the other. The islets are the exposed remains of a Surtseyan eruption, Surtseyan volcanic cone, cone composed of volcanic tuff rock, heavily eroded by the ocean and seismic activity. The larger main islet is located about southeastof ''Ponta da Restinga'' (''Restinga Point''), which is a small peninsula of Graciosa. It measures or in area, with a highest point of above sea level.

Biome

The islet and its exposed sea cliffs provide a habitat for flowering coastal plants endemic to the Azores, some of which are endangered, including Azorean forget-me-not (''Myosotis azorica''), Azorean spurge or ''erva-leiteira'' (''Euphorbia azorica''), ''bracel-da-rocha'' fescue grass (''Festuca petraea''), ''Spergularia azorica'', and ''vidália'' (''Azorina vidalii''). Thanks to limited human access and a lack of predatory mammals such as cats, rats, and ferrets, the islet shelters a variety of marine birds. Along with

to its north, Baixo Islet is one of two main breeding places of

, an endemic marine bird of the Azores. Other marine birds present on the islet include band-rumped storm petrel, Barolo shearwater, black-headed gull, Bulwer's petrel, common tern, Cory's shearwater, Eurasian whimbrel, Fea's petrel, great black-backed gull, grey heron, Kentish plover, little egret, ruddy turnstone, sanderling, and yellow-legged gull. This biodiversity and abundance of endemic species led to the creation of a conservation area around the islet called the ''Zona Especial de Conservação do Ilhéu de Baixo e Ponta da Restinga'' (''Baixo Islet and Restinga Point Special Conservation Zone''). The conservation zone is part of the Nature Park of Graciosa, one of the locally protected areas of the Azores. Since March 1990 the islet has been protected through the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 initiative under the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive.

History

Human access to the islet is infrequent and only possible by small boat. Historically the islet was known as ''Ilhéu dos Homiziados'' (''Islet of the Fugitives''). According to Azorean chronicler Gaspar Frutuoso in his publication ''Gaspar Frutuoso#Saudades da Terra, Saudades da Terra'', the moniker derived from a possibly apocryphal 1541 occurrence. Seven young men landed on the island for recreational purposes and were trapped overnight by rough seas. Five of their friends jocularly referred to them as ''os homiziados'' (''the fugitives'') and endeavored to rescue them. Unfortunately, en route to the islet the rescuers' boat capsized, killing four of them.

References

{{Azores Islands Graciosa Island (Azores) Islets of the Azores Uninhabited islands of Portugal