Cal Islet ( pt, Ilhéu da Cal, also: ''Ilhéu de Baixo'') is a small island about south of

Porto Santo Island Porto Santo Island () is a Portuguese island northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is the northernmost and easternmost island of the archipelago of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe and Africa. The muni ...

, in the Madeira Archipelago,

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 ...

. With an area of , Cal is the largest of six islets close to Porto Santo. The highest point is .Porto Santo – História
/ref> The islet has never been inhabited.

History

Cal Islet houses an important testimony to the history and culture of Porto Santo. It was once mined for

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

(''cal'' in Portuguese). Its extraction led to several accidents, one of which killed sixteen workers, victims of a mine collapse. The mines are no longer active, but remnants are still intact and can be visited with a proper license and specialized escort. The construction of a cable car was planned to connect the tip of Calheta (in Porto Santo) to the islet. The project was abandoned because the large numbers of visitors would have endangered the regeneration of the islet's fragile ecosystem.

Ecological Preservation

Despite of its rough appearance, this islet is home to a very rich flora, which includes the usual coastal shrubs and some traces of

laurisilva Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of Subtropics, subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glo ...

, probably due to its difficult access. It is also a breeding ground for at least four species of birds, the Atlantic canary, the

Berthelot's pipit Berthelot's pipit (''Anthus berthelotii'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is a common resident in both archipelagos. Berthelot's pipit is found in open country. The nest is on the ground, with 3-5 eg ...

, the

plain swift The plain swift (''Apus unicolor'') is a medium-sized swift. Although this bird is superficially similar to a barn swallow or house martin, it is not related to those passerine species. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent ev ...

and the

little shearwater The little shearwater (''Puffinus assimilis'') is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae. Despite the generic name, it is unrelated to the puffins, which are auks, the only similarity being that they are both burrow-nesting s ...

and home to endemic land snails, ''

Amphorella cimensis ''Amphorella cimensis'' is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ferussaciidae. Distribution and habitat This species is endemic to Madeira, Portugal, where it is restricted to Porto S ...

'' and ''

Leiostyla relevata ''Leiostyla relevata'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail in the family Lauriidae. It is endemic to Ilhéu de Baixo, an islet near Porto Santo Island Porto Santo Island () is a Portuguese island northeast of Madeira Island in th ...

''. For these reasons, its ecosystem is protected by the Portuguese PDM and Rede Natura 2000.

References

External links

Olhares.aeiou.pt: photo of Cal Islet—''Ilhéu da Cal''
Porto Santo Island Cal Islet Cal Islet {{madeira-geo-stub