Mouro Island ( es, Isla de Mouro), originally Mogro Island (), is a small uninhabited island in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

, located off the

Magdalena Peninsula The Magdalena Peninsula is a 69-acre (28 hectare) peninsula located near the entrance to the Bay of Santander in the city of Santander, Cantabria, along the north coast of Spain. The peninsula is a popular recreational destination for both tour ...

. It lies close to the entrance to the

Bay of Santander The Bay of Santander is both a ''comarca'' of Cantabria and the largest estuary on the North coast of Spain, with an extension of 22.42 km (9 km long and 5 km wide). Due to the influence of Santander and its metropolitan area, nea ...

near the city of

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

along the north coast of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The island is approximately 2 hectares (0.02km²) and lies about .75 km (.5 mi) from the entrance to the harbor.

History

The original name of the island, found in 16th-century documents, was Mogro Island. In the 18th century, a transcription error by cartographer Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel changed the name to Mouro Island. In July 1812, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, Spanish ally Great Britain captured the island from Napoleon's forces, allowing the Spanish ships to make landfall at Sardinero. The only structure on the island is a 19th-century lighthouse, which is now automated. Until 1921, it was occupied by two lighthouse keepers, who were often isolated by storms. In 1865, one of the keepers was swept out to sea during a storm and drowned. In 1895, one of the keepers died suddenly, but due to the storm, his body was not able to be evacuated for some time. Another death was recorded when the son of a lighthouse keeper slipped when he was about to step onto the rocky island and died. In February 2014, a spectacular photograph of a wave crashing over the lighthouse appeared in newspapers around the world, including on the cover of the ''International New York Times''.

Plants and wildlife

Mouro Island has a high biodiversity of fish and plant life in its waters, with more than 39 species of fish found nearby. It was declared a marine reserve in 1986, with a perimeter extending to 300 meters surrounding the island. Plants found on the island include heath (''

Erica vagans ''Erica vagans'', the Cornish heath or wandering heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Ericaceae, native plant, native to Ireland, Cornwall, western France and Spain. It is a vigorous, spreading, evergreen heathe ...

''), gorse (''

ulex ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...

''), broom (''

genisteae Genisteae is a tribe of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in the subfamily Faboideae of the family Fabaceae. It includes a number of well-known plants including broom, lupine (lupin), gorse and laburnum. The tribe's greatest diversity is in ...

'') and the eagle fern (''

Pteridium aquilinum ''Pteridium aquilinum'' (bracken, brake or common bracken), also known as eagle fern, is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions in both hemispheres. Originally native to Eurasia and North America, the extreme lightness o ...

''). ''

Carpobrotus edulis ''Carpobrotus edulis'' is a ground-creeping plant with succulent leaves in the genus ''Carpobrotus'', native to South Africa. Its common names include hottentot-fig, sour fig, ice plant or highway ice plant. Description ''Carpobrotus edulis'' ...

'' is also found on the island, thought to be brought there by a lighthouse keeper. Mouro Island is an important habitat for seabirds, particularly

European storm petrel The European storm petrel, British storm petrel, or just storm petrel (''Hydrobates pelagicus'') is a seabird in the northern storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. The small, square-tailed bird is entirely black except for a broad, white rump and ...

s and

herring gull Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus ''Larus'', all formerly treated as a single species. Three species are still combined in some taxonomies: * American herring gull (''Larus smithsonianus'') - North America * European he ...

s. In 2014, Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment declared Mouro Island to be a Special Protection Area (SPA) to ensure the conservation of the birds that inhabit this area. It was estimated that fewer than 150 of the storm petrel lived in the area. It is illegal to bring cats, rats and other mammals onto the island. A smaller islet to the northwest, Islote la Corbera, is also part of the protected area.

World Oceans Day

An annual swim and scuba diving event is held around Mouro Island to mark

World Oceans Day World Oceans Day is an international day that takes place annually on 8 June. The concept was originally proposed in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Earth Summit ...

each June. It features an island "hugging" event, in which surfers and kayakers completely encircle the island. The event is held to raise awareness of the importance of conserving the seas and oceans.

Gallery

File:Campeonato Mundial de J80 en Santander 2009 11.jpg, Yacht race in 2009 File:Isla de Mouro (16 de agosto de 2013, Santander) 04.JPG, Island with lighthouse and lodgings, as seen in 2013 File:Isla de Mouro (bahía de Santandé).JPG, View of the island as seen from Sardinero File:Isla de mouro, Waves.jpg, Waves crash over the lighthouse

References

External links