Ilha de Boipeba () is an island in the

Cairu Cairu is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. The municipality consists of three islands: the Island of Cairu, which is only separated from the mainland by a narrow river; Tinharé Island, which has the dens ...

municipality in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, near the

Ilha de Tinharé Ilha de Tinharé (Tinharé Island) is an island located in the municipality of Cairu, on the coast of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countrie ...

and part of the Cairu Archipelago. It is surrounded on the east by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and on the west by the Rio de l'Enfer estuary. It is a popular tourist destination due to its scenic beaches and rainforest, which makes up the majority of the island's economy along with fishing. The island covers 88 square kilometers and had a population of 3,256 in 2010. There are four villages: Velha Boipeba, São Sebastião, Moreré, and Monte Alegre. Its beaches are Praia da Boca da Barra, Praia de Tassimirim, Praia da Cueira, Praia de Moreré, Praia de Bainema, Praia da Cova da Onça, and Praia da Ponta dos Castelhanos. Ilha de Boipeba was first settled in 1537 by

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, making it one of the oldest settled places in the state of Bahia. The Church of Divino Espírito Santo, built in 1610, is its most important monument. Cars are generally

banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meaning ...

on the island, with the exception of ambulances. Instead, people travel on foot, and goods are transported using vehicles such as tractors, mule-carts, and wheel-barrows. The name ''Boipeba'' comes from the word "M'boi pewa" (literally "flat snake") in the

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi () is a classical Tupian language which was spoken by the indigenous Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. In the words of Brazilian tupinol ...

, the native name for the

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

Transportation

Velha Boipeba is accessible by direct flights from

Salvador da Bahia Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

to Fábio Perini Airport.

References

External links

* Atlantic islands of Brazil Landforms of Bahia Car-free islands of South America {{Bahia-geo-stub

Transportation

See also

References

External links