The Isla de Lobos is a small island located about southeast of

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. T ...

(

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

) in the Atlantic Ocean. An islet lies east of the island. Since 2024 it makes up the ''Island and Islet of Lobos and their Submerged Environment National Park'' a

marine protected area A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity ...

Geography

The island is an outcropping of rocks as a continuation of the

Cuchilla Grande Cuchilla Grande is a hill range that crosses the east part of Uruguay from north to south. It extends from the south part of Cerro Largo Department, through the departments of Treinta y Tres and Lavalleja and ends in Maldonado Department where it ...

, in an area of the Atlantic Ocean immediately at the mouth (outer limit) of the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. Administratively, it falls under the jurisdiction of the department of Maldonado, although it constitutes a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

. Somewhat to the northwest is the smaller

Gorriti Island Gorriti Island () is a small island near the shores of Punta del Este, Uruguay. History Discovered in 1516 by Juan Díaz de Solís Juan Díaz de Solís ( – 20 January 1516) was a 16th-century navigator and explorer. He is also said to be the ...

which is the secondmost southerly place in

. Isla de Lobos was exploited economically until 1992. Hunting the island's marine life was prohibited by law in 1991. Today it constitutes a nature reserve that is integrated into the "Coastal Islands National Park" administered by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries. At 1250 meters (0,6 nmi) from the island is an uninhabited rock formation on which stands a votive chapel built in 1945 by German and Italian sailors fleeing Spain and surviving a disaster. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Storms (Nuestra Señora de las Tormentas - Finita Burrasca) and gives thanks for the storm that ended. Sailors called (as early as 1957) this rock by the name of Finita Burrasca to indicate that they found safe shelter here in case of storms.

History

It was first documented by Spanish navigator

Juan Díaz de Solís Juan Díaz de Solís ( – 20 January 1516) was a 16th-century navigator and explorer. He is also said to be the first European to land on what is now modern day Uruguay. Biography His origins are disputed. One document records him as a Portugues ...

in 1516 and named "San Sebastian de Cádiz". In 1527, it was visited by the Venetian navigator Sebastian Cabot during his expedition to the

and

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

. In 1528,

Diego García de Moguer Diego García de Moguer (1484 or 1496–1544) was a Spanish explorer who also sailed for the Portuguese Crown later in life. The Diego Garcia island, the largest of the Chagos Archipelago, is named after him. Biography Spanish sources indicat ...

sailed to the region and named it the "Island of the Snapper." In 1599, the island was visited by Laurens Bicker. Surveys conducted in 1997 revealed the presence of German navy sailors on the island along with Italian maritime personnel. There are inscriptions inside a votive chapel made of material to be attributed to German submarine use. In particular, some inscriptions in German that would refer to 1945 (July 1945) and others in Italian that read "Grazie per la Finita Burrasca" suggest mixed Italian/German personnel escaped from some safe harbor in Spain and through a long sail, running out of fuel and food, landed on this rock after self-sinking the submarine that carried them.

Lighthouse

In 1858 the Uruguayan government erected a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on the island, which was rebuilt in 1906. With its height of 59 meters above sea level, From the balcony outside, which is accessed by 240 steps, there is a wonderful panoramic view of the island and the coast of

. In July 2001, it became the first automated lighthouse in Uruguay, using solar energy and other new technology. It has a siren that runs on compressed air to provide an alternative signal on days of thick fog.

Animals

Isla de Lobos and

are parts of a nature reserve, holding the largest colony of

South American sea lion The South American sea lion (''Otaria flavescens'', formerly ''Otaria byronia''), also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the Monotypic ta ...

s and

South American fur seal The South American fur seal (''Arctocephalus australis'') breeds on the coasts of Peru, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The total population is around 250,000. However, population counts are sparse and outdated. Althou ...

s in the western hemisphere: in 2005 there were 250,000 sea lions of the species called "two hairs" and 1,500 of the species known as the "wig." Fewer in numbers,

southern elephant seal The southern elephant seal (''Mirounga leonina'') is one of two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its ...

s also appear around the area. Punta del Este is one of the most famous wintering area for

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20� ...

s in Uruguay and shore-based

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. ...

is becoming a popular attraction. Can also be found different types of orcas and birds. The area is one of few areas in Uruguay where more frequent appearances of

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

s have been confirmed; their prey in the area may include

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

s.¡Invasión!: ahora vieron una orca en la costa de Punta del Este
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Gallery

File:Isla de Lobos (Uruguay).jpg File:IslaDeLobos2.jpg File:IslaDeLobos1.jpg

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control

Lobos Lobos is the headquarters city of the Lobos Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded on 2 June 1802 by José Salgado. Background Located from Buenos Aires, Lobos is a fertile agricultural area known mainly because of the d ...

Tourism in Uruguay Punta del Este Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean Birdwatching sites in Uruguay