The Berlengas are a Portuguese

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

consisting of small Atlantic islands off the coast of

Peniche, Portugal Peniche (), officially the City of Peniche (), is a seaside municipality and a city in the Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. It has 26,431 inhabitants, in an area of 77.55 km2. The city its ...

, in the Oeste region. These islands were traditionally known to British mariners as "the Burlings". The only inhabited island is its largest island, Berlenga Grande, although there is currently no permanent habitation in the archipelago. The other islands are grouped into two groups of islets, the Estelas Islets and the Farilhões-Forcados Islets.

History

Human occupation on Berlenga Grande dates back to antiquity: the islands are referred to in Ptolemy's ''Geography'' as Λονδοβρίς (''Londobris''). Much later it was referred to as the island of ''Saturno'' by Roman geographers, and was visited successively by

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

and

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s. The islands are thought to be a former sacred place adopted by the

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

ns in the first millennium BC where the cult of

Baal Baal (), or Baʻal, was a title and honorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The ...

–

Melqart Melqart () was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre and a major deity in the Phoenician and Punic pantheons. He may have been central to the founding-myths of various Phoenician colonies throughout the Mediterranean, as well ...

was celebrated. In 1513, with the support of Queen Eleanor of Viseu, monks from the Order of São Jerónimo established a settlement on the island to offer assistance to navigation and victims of frequent shipwrecks. The monastery founded there, the Monastery of the Misericórdia da Berlenga, remained until the 16th century, when disease, lack of supplies and poor communication (due to constant inclement weather) forced the monks to abandon their service on the island. After the

Portuguese Restoration War The Restoration War (), historically known as the Acclamation War (''Guerra da Aclamação''), was the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, bringing a forma ...

, during the reign of King John IV, the

council of war A council of warFort of São João Baptista das Berlengas was constructed from the remnants of the monastery ruins. By 1655, it had already, during its construction, resisted an assault by three

Barbary Coast The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...

pirates. The island's lighthouse (dubbed ''Duke of Braganza'' by locals) was constructed in 1841. In the 20th century a solar panel was installed in the lighthouse's column, providing a field of vision. The International Coordinating Council of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Man and the Biosphere Programme Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

(MAB), meeting in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

(Germany) from 28 June to 1 July, while adding 18 new sites, included the Berlengas to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR): in a statement on 30 June 2011, the list of classified reserves were presented.

Geography

The archipelago is made up of the largest island, Berlenga Grande, and two groups of smaller islets, the Estelas Inlets and the Farilhões-Forcados Islets. As the archipelago has been declared a reservation area for the protection of the local

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

(primarily sea birds), it is only visited by scientists and, in the summer, by a number of tourists. There is little soil on the rocky archipelago, so little plant life is supported. Sea birds and marine life, such as mackerel, mullet, and

swordfish The swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as the broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are the sole member of the Family (biology), family Xiphiidae. They ...

are abundant.

Berlenga Grande

At long and wide, Berlenga Grande is the largest of the islands of the Berlengas Archipelago. At its highest, it rises to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The island has a number of notable caves, including ''Gruta Azul'' (English: "Blue Cave") and ''Furado Grande'' (English: "Big Hole"). The ''Furado Grande'' is a natural tunnel wide and tall which crosses through the entire island before opening up into a dramatic bay. The Fort of São João Baptista (English: "Fort of St. John the Baptist") is located in the waters off the southeastern coast of Berlenga Grande, on a small islet connected to the island by a causeway/arch-bridge and anchorage to the north. It has been retrofitted as a rest house for tourists to stay at while visiting the islands.

Farilhões-Forcadas Islets

The Farilhões-Forcadas Islets are uninhabited islands located northwest of Berlenga Grande.

Geology

These islands consist of a pink granite very rare in Europe and very common in America, rich in

feldspar Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...

s. Erosion has created remarkable landforms, such as the "sugar loaf", or even narrow valleys with almost vertical walls (the ''carreiros'', formed by selective erosion along subvertical fault planes), as well as numerous caves and marine tunnels The different groups of islands have different morphology, composition and origins. Berlenga Grande and Estelas are of igneous origin, composed of pink granites, and occur in outcrops with rounded morphologies, generally with flattened tops. The Farilhões Forcadas group, on the other hand, consists of

metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causi ...

rocks, where reliefs characterized by sharp peaks and vertical cliffs stand out. Berlenga Island is a pink granite plateau with rounded shapes, marked by a very jagged coastline, where several coves, caves, arches, paths, small islets and rocks stand out. All these landforms were shaped by the continuous action of erosive processes over a long period of time. The very embedded and relatively aligned paths of Cações and Mosteiro stand out, which almost separate the island of Berlenga into two fragments, the Ilha Velha and the Berlenga itself, and give it a curious figure-eight shape. It is hypothesized that the archipelago had its origin on a horst. Its absence on the

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

suggests that, during this time, the Berlengas block was essentially subjected to erosive processes. The pink granite fragments and metamorphic rocks found at Cabo Carvoeiro or Baleal, as well as in the Papoa tuff breccia, similar to those recognized in the archipelago, confirms this hypothesis. It is also expected that this block was larger and had a different configuration than it currently has. The absence of morphological structures typical of the erosion of granitic massifs and soils on the surface of Berlenga Grande suggest that it was underwater for long periods of time. Its rounded shape and the relatively flat surface of its top propounds the presence of an ancient marine abrasion platform, confirmed by the presence of numerous erosive forms, such as potholes, which developed on top of the applanation surface when it was at the bottom of the sea. On the other hand, the existence of small cavities and caves in the cliffs above the current mean sea level, such as Furado Seco, and marine terraces that correspond to residual deposits of old beaches, located at similar altitudes, seem to indicate that sea level was once positioned on that horizon. These observations suggest significant variations in the mean sea level, possibly as a result of

quaternary glaciation The Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, is an alternating series of glacial period, glacial and interglacial, interglacial periods during the Quaternary period that began 2.58 Year#SI prefix multipliers, Ma (million ...

s. Additionally, Berlenga Grande has a poorly developed drainage network, (when precipitation occurs, rainwater is taken and falls directly into the sea in cascades), which clearly evidences that the erosion rate of the granitic massif is lower than the speed of variations in the mean sea level. The older metamorphic rocks that outcrop in Farilhões and Forcadas are erosion-resistance peaks of an underwater mountain that widens considerably below sea level. These rocks are strongly deformed and contain textures and minerals characteristic of high pressure and high temperature environments, typical of the lower crust.

Climate

The Berlengas have a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csb'') dominated by the Atlantic, especially on the northern and northwestern coasts, where strong winds are felt. Heavy rains in winter alternate with periods of drought, between spring and autumn. The climate of the archipelago is strongly influenced by the winds, very strong on the north-facing cliffs and more moderate on the southern coasts. These wind currents affect the distribution of flora and fauna in the islands. This climatic feature endows the archipelago with a unique ecosystem, both on land and at sea level. The presence close to the mainland, whose coast is oriented north–south, also strongly influences the climatic characteristics of the island, especially in summer. In this season, the differential warming of the sea and the land causes the formation of a

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

during the day. This breeze strengthens the main wind current associated with the

Azores High The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda- High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse ...

and gives rise to a wind regime known as the Nortada. These winds push surface waters offshore, causing cold waters from deeper layers of the water to replace warm surface waters in an

upwelling Upwelling is an physical oceanography, oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted sur ...

process. This phenomenon causes frequent mists during summer and results in nutrient enrichment of surface water. Average monthly temperatures in summer are cool (below ) and highs rarely exceed . In winter, the monthly averages remain high (above ) and the minimum above . The thermal amplitude (both

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

and yearly temperature variation) therefore remains moderate. Due to generally cloudy conditions in the winter and the summer morning fog, the archipelago has a relatively low number of sunshine hours, though clear sky afternoons are frequent in the summer. Averages for the closest point on the mainland to the islands, Cabo Carvoeiro, are expressed in the climate box below:

Terrestrial biome

Flora

The flora of the Berlengas mainly consists of bushes and grasses, adapted to the strong winds, high aridity and salinity, some of them are common on the coastal mainland, others are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the islands. There are two known endemic species to the islands, '' Armeria berlengensis and '' Pulicaria microcephala''; and two subspecies, '' Echium rosulatum subsp. davaei'' and '' Herniaria lusitanica subsp. berlengiana''. There are around 100 different plant species present on the archipelago. Human presence led to the introduction of exotic species, like the ice plant and small mammals like the European rabbit and the

black rat The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...

who work to diminish the native population.

Fauna

There are two species of lizard in the islands, the Carbonell's wall lizard (subs. berlengensis) and the ocellated lizard, although this last one is residual and is only seen in restricted areas of the islands such as caves and is thought to be different from the continental relatives, showing different morphological traits and demeanor. The Berlengas archipelago is an important breeding area for seabirds such as the lesser black-backed gull and the yellow-legged gull, whose population increased dramatically due to artificial feeding and has become a serious problem in some cases, and land birds like the black redstart and the

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

. It is also in the southernmost range of the

common murre The common murre or common guillemot (''Uria aalge'') is a large auk. It has a Subarctic, circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming ...

(adopted as the symbol of the nature reserve) and is one of the few breeding locations of the band-rumped storm petrel. A new endemic species of snail, '' Oestophora barrelsi'' spec. nov was described in 2015.

Marine biome

The Berlengas archipelago is situated off of Peniche, south of the Nazaré Canyon and on the edge of the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...

(in Farilhões Islets) on a maritime zone known by its relatively high biological productivity, acting as a meeting point between coastal and oceanic fish species. On the other hand, the upwelling currents originating in deep waters contribute to the development of an aquatic fauna with evident commercial interest. Its variety of fish and marine mammals, marine plants and other marine organisms as led to its classification as a marine reserve.

Fish

The water around the islands hosts a great variety of fish, at least 44 species are known from two study expeditions. The most frequently observed fish is the common two-banded sea bream and the

ballan wrasse The ballan wrasse (''Labrus bergylta'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the Family (biology), family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it inhabits rocky areas. Like many wrasse species, it is a pr ...

, along with the

European bass The European seabass (''Dicentrarchus labrax''), also known as the branzino, European bass, sea bass, common bass, white bass, capemouth, white salmon, sea perch, white mullet, sea dace or loup de mer, is a primarily ocean-going fish native to the ...

, the red porgy, the

gilt-head bream The gilt-head bream (''Sparus aurata''), also known as the gilthead, dourade, gilt-head seabream or silver seabream, is a species of marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Sparidae, the seabreams or porg ...

and the dusky grouper, frequent on Farilhões Islets. In the 1950s the islands were an important spawning ground for school sharks.

Marine mammals

The oceanographic conditions of the archipelago commonly lead to an abundant ichthyofauna, represented by

sardine Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it com ...

s and other species that feed on plankton. This attracts a lot of marine mammals, mainly

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

ns, whose species include the common dolphin, the common bottlenose dolphin, the

harbour porpoise The harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena'') is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar ...

, the striped dolphin, the common minke whale and the Cuvier's beaked whale.

Wrecks

A number of ships have wrecked on the Berlengas throughout documented history. In 1808, wrecked on Berlenga Grande in a gale, though without loss of life.Hepper, David J. (1994). ''British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859'', p. 123. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot.

Culture

Berlenga Grande did star in a post-revolutionary Portuguese film called '' O Rei das Berlengas'' (The King of the Berlengas), a comedy about someone who decides to become king of the archipelago. In this movie, several people, tourists and residents from the nearby towns, attempt to declare the independence of the islands, and declare themselves as king, prince or president of the Berlengas. These declarations and liberation armies are nothing more than fiction intended for amusement.

References

External links

Old press articles
{{Authority control Natura 2000 in Portugal Uninhabited islands of Portugal Biosphere reserves of Portugal