Ilha Grande ( "Big Island") is an island located off the coast of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
state,
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 ...
. The island, which is part of the municipality of
Angra dos Reis
Angra dos Reis (; Portuguese for ''cove'' or ''bay of the Kings'') is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city is located by the sea and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the l ...
, remains largely undeveloped. For almost a century it was closed by the
Brazilian government
The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative or ...
to free movement or settlement because it first housed a
leper colony
A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Af ...
and later a top-security prison (''Colônia Penal de Dois Rios'', later known as ''Instituto Penal Cândido Mendes''). The Cândido Mendes prison, which housed some of the most dangerous prisoners within the Brazilian penal system, was finally closed in 1994. The largest village on the island is called Vila do Abraão with approximately 1900 inhabitants.
The island, which is in area, is now a popular tourist destination that is noted for its scenic beauty, unspoiled tropical beaches, luxuriant vegetation and rugged landscape. The highest point is the Pico da Pedra D'Água. Most of its territory is within the Ilha Grande State Park. The remainder of the island is subject to stringent development restrictions.
On 5 July 2019, Ilha Grande and
Paraty
Paraty (or Parati, ) is a preserved Portuguese colonial (1500–1822) and Brazilian Imperial (1822–1889) municipality with a population of about 43,000. Indeed, the name "Paraty" originates from the local Guaianá Indians' Indigenous Tupi ...
were inscribed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
Flora & fauna
The Ilha Grande is one of the most pristine remnants of Brazil's Atlantic
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
making it one of the richest ecosystems in the world. As a hotspot for biodiversity and conservation, it holds some of the largest remaining populations of many endangered species, including the red-ruffed fruitcrow, the brown howler monkey, the
maned sloth
The maned sloth (''Bradypus torquatus'') is a three-toed sloth that is native to South America. It is one of four species of three-toed sloths belonging to the suborder Xenarthra and are placental mammals. They are endemic to the Atlantic coast ...
, the
red-browed amazon
The red-browed amazon (''Amazona rhodocorytha'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil. It has been considered a subspecies of the blue-cheeked amazon (''Amazona dufresniana''), bu ...
parrot, and the broad-snouted caiman. The seas around the island, which are also protected, feature a unique convergence of tropical, subtropical, and temperate-zone marine life, where it is possible to see corals and tropical fish including sharks, sea turtles,
Magellanic penguin
The Magellanic penguin (''Spheniscus magellanicus'') is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Patagonia, including Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil and Uruguay, where they are occasionally seen as ...
s and cetaceans such as the
southern right whale
The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...
,
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...
,
Bryde's whale
Bryde's whale ( Brooder's), or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and maybe four. The "complex" means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research ...
,
orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black ...
, and
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
s.
The islands are contained within the
Tamoios Environmental Protection Area
The Tamoios Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental de Tamoios) is an environmental protection area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It protects an area of coastal forests, mangroves, rocky shores and islands.
Loc ...
(APA), created in 1982.
The island (and APA) contains the
Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve
The Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve ( pt, Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Aventureiro), formerly the Aventureiro Marine State Park, is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It supports ar ...
, created in 2014 from the former Aventureiro Marine State Park, which was integrated with the
Most of the visitor facilities, lodging and the park headquarters are located at Vila do Abraão. The village may be reached from the mainland by local ferries. The island is a popular
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...
destination. Although it has no roads and motorised vehicles are banned, the island has more than of hiking trails connecting the coastal villages and hamlets. A popular activity for visitors is to trek to Lopes Mendes beach, about a two-hour hike from Vila do Abraão. Travel companies offer trips to see the island's various beaches, mountains trails and waterfalls.
On January 1, 2010, devastating
mudslide
A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...
s killed at least 19 people on the island.
Gallery
File:Coruja em Ilha Grande-RJ (1376056863).jpg, Chouette on the island
File:Golfinho que acompanhou nosso barco (1376042755).jpg, Dolphin nearby the island
File:Tartaruga Verde ou Aruanã - Praia de Lopes Mendes - Ilha Grande - RJ.jpg, Sea turtle swims in the ocean