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 has a population of 18,427 with a population density of 33.3 inhabitants per square kilometer. The municipality consists of three islands: the Isla ...

municipality in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, 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 ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America ...

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 oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

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 ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), 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 ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, 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. The name ''Boipeba'' comes from the word "M'boi pewa" (literally "flat snake") in the

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to the ...

, 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, loggerhead, ...

References

External links

* Atlantic islands of Brazil Landforms of Bahia {{Bahia-geo-stub

See also

References

External links