Ilhéu das Rolas (also: ''Ilheu Gago Coutinho'') is an

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. The island lies on the Equator, off the southern tip of

São Tomé Island São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in May 2018 to about 193,380 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts. It is located 2 km (1¼ miles) north of the equ ...

, separated by Canal das Rolas. Its maximum elevation is . Its population is 76 (2012 census).2012 detailed census São Tomé e Príncipe
, Instituto Nacional de Estatística It is part of the

Caué District Caué is a district of São Tomé and Príncipe, on São Tomé Island. Covering , it is the largest of the nation's seven districts in terms of area. In population it is the smallest, with 6,031 residents (2012).Ponta Baleia on São Tomé Island. There is a lighthouse on the islet, built in 1929. Its focal height is and its range is . The island is home to a small resort, the Pestana Equador. São Tomé - Ilhéu das Rolas HDR

History

The island was mentioned as "Illie de Rolle" in a 1665 map by Johannes Vingboons. and as "I. de Rolle" in a 1780 map by A. Dalrymple.1780 map of the island of São Tomé
by T. Harmar and A. Dalrymple, now at the

French National Library French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Gago Coutinho Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho (; 17 February 1869 – 18 February 1959) was a Portuguese geographer, cartographer, naval officer, historian and aviator. An aviation pioneer, Gago Coutinho and Sac ...

(1869–1959), officer of the

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, headed a geodesic mission to São Tomé between 1915 and 1918, when marks were placed as a basis for a geodetic network in the archipelago. After that, observations for triangulation, precise base measurement and astronomical observations were made. In the process, Gago Coutinho proved that Ilhéu das Rolas is crossed by the equatorial line. The resulting map was published in 1919, together with the ''Report of the Geodetic Mission on São Tomé Island 1915–1918,'' that was officially considered the first complete work of practical geodesy in the Portuguese colonies.

Nature

The islet is abundant in flora and fauna. Some endemic species are Greeff’s giant gecko, birds such as the São Tomé prinia and the São Tomé weaver and frogs such as '' Phrynobatrachus leveleve'' and '' Schistometopum thomense''.

Gallery

File:São Tomé - Ilhéu das Rolas - Praia de Santo António (3).jpg, Praia de ''Santo António'' File:São Tomé - Praia Café.jpg, Beach scenery in São Tomé and Príncipe File:2012SaoTome-486 (8042895924).jpg, Ilhéu das Rolas, STP File:São Tomé (4084121766).jpg, Ilhéu das Rolas File:São Tomé - Ilhéu das Rolas - Depois da Tempestade.jpg, São Tomé and Príncipe File:2011-SaoTome-33 (8084210067).jpg, STP File:Sao Tome Praia Inhame 24 (16063202247).jpg, Beach close to Ilhéu das Rolas, São Tomé and Príncipe File:Rolas Furnas Geysir Sao Tome e Principe.jpg, ''Furnas'', a blowhole in Rolas

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilheu das Rolas Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe Populated places in Caué District Populated coastal places in São Tomé and Príncipe Equator monuments