Monchique Islet ( pt, Ilhéu do Monchique) is a small uninhabited

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 ...

off the coast of the island of

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and the ...

, west of the village of Fajã Grande, in the western part of the Portuguese archipelago of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. It is the westernmost point of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a Sovereign state, country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southern Europe, Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes ...

and, if considered part of Europe (although it sits on the

North American Plate The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Cuba, the Bahamas, extreme northeastern Asia, and parts of Iceland and the Azores. With an area of , it is the Earth's second largest tectonic plate, behind the Pacifi ...

), is Europe's westernmost point as well. Approachable only by boat, the deep bay provides opportunities for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

during the day in the summer. The islet and the waters around it are protected for their rich

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') le ...

. Ninety-six species of flora and fauna have been identified congregating in the waters near the islet, including brown algae,

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails that exhibit a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. Limpets are members of the class Gastropoda, but are polyphyletic, meaning the various groups called "limpets" ...

barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive ...

s, and

Mediterranean rainbow wrasse The Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (''Coris julis'') is a small, colourful fish in the family Labridae. It can be found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Senegal (though it is a rare wanderer to the southe ...

History

Historically, the islet functioned as an astronomical or

celestial Celestial may refer to: Science * Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms: ** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe ** Celest ...

navigational guide and reference mark for mariners, who calibrated their navigational equipment by referencing the islet on long Atlantic crossings. Its unique geological formation also attracted visitors traveling between Europe and America, intersecting here on their way to the ports of Lajes or Santa Cruz on Flores Island. The steep rock slopes of the islet's shoreline served as shelter from strong gales. The islet gave its name to the defunct monthly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports an ...

''O Monchique'', the last regularly-published newspaper on Flores.

Geography

The islet is located more than north-northwest of the island of Flores, in a bay between ''Ponta de Fenais'' (''Point Fanaes'' or ''Fanais Port'') and Fajã Grande. The islet is located on the

between the two westernmost Azorean islands of Flores and Corvo. The islet is a solid monolith of black

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

ic rock consisting of a vertical wall formation, remnants of a coastal volcanic cone eroded by ocean forces. It extends steeply to a height of above sea level. It was formed from irregular lava flows that produced many submarine cavities along the islet's relief, with sand and boulders accumulating around the shoreline over time. The islet is an elevated area that includes two rock outcroppings above the water's surface. A deep channel separates Monchique Islet from Flores, with only a rock shoal called the ''Baixa Raza'' separating it from the Flores shoreline. Since the channel is between and deep, ships are able to anchor in the bay, aiding visits to the area and providing shelter from storms. The deep channel is considered safe for navigation, though ships must navigate with care to avoid surface rocks. The ''Baixa Raza'' rock formation extends over a length of to the west of ''Ponta de Fenais''.

Biome

The maximum depth of water in the coastal channel is , with water temperatures varying between . The islet is the centre of a region of great biodiversity, with 96 identified species, with a Margalef index of 11.0 biodiversity. The flora along its flanks are dominated by an iridescent brown algae (''

Dictyota dichotoma ''Dictyota dichotoma'' is a species of Brown algae found in the temperate western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean. Description The thallus of ''Dictyota dichotoma'' grows ...

''), while numerous fauna species including limpets ('' Patella ulyssiponensis'' and '' Patella aspera''), barnacles ('' Megabalanus azoricus'' and '' Megabalanus tintinnabulum''), and

(''Coris julis'') are found in the inner straits. Measures to conserve the islet and its waters fall under the ''Plano do Ordenamento da Orla Costeira (POOC) Flores'' (English: ''Organizing the Flores Coastline Plan''), which identifies the islet as part of an area of conservation and preservation for ecological and tourism reasons. The islet itself is identified as "vulnerable" and designated areas have been marked for terrestrial and marine species protection, limiting human use and access to the islet and surrounding waters.

Recreation

Visits to Monchique Islet are considered ideal in late spring or early summer (June and July) when the weather is good and vegetation is green and flowers bloom. The airport nearest the islet is Flores Airport in

Santa Cruz das Flores Santa Cruz das Flores (; ) is a Concelho, municipality situated in the north half of the Flores Island (Azores), island of Flores, in the Portugal, Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Situated in the sparsely populated Western Group, the popula ...

. Locally, the islet is only accessible by boat. The water around the coast is suitable for scuba diving as the underwater visibility is good in the warm, clear, and clean waters. There is an advisory which states diving in these waters should be done only during daylight hours as a precautionary measure to avoid any surprises from sea currents.

Kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

ers can travel to Monchique Islet from Flores.

External links

* Map View o
Ilhéu do Monchique
a
GeoNames.org

References

{{Azores Islands Flores Island (Azores) Islets of the Azores Uninhabited islands of Portugal Extreme points of Portugal