Ilhéu Branco

Island of Cape Verde

Ilhéu Branco

Map of the Cape Verde archipelago showing the position of Branco

Ilhéu Branco

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Ilhéu Branco

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Geography
Location| Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates| 16°39′29″N 24°40′11″W﻿ / ﻿16.658056°N 24.669722°W﻿ / 16.658056; -24.669722
Archipelago| Cape Verde
Area| 2.78 km2 (1.07 sq mi)
Length| 3.6 km (2.24 mi)
Width| 1.4 km (0.87 mi)
Highest elevation| 327 m (1073 ft)
Administration

Cape Verde

Ilhéu Branco (Portuguese for "white islet") is an uninhabited 278-hectare (690-acre)[1] islet in the Barlavento group of the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of north-west Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. Ilhéu Branco is flanked by the islands of Santa Luzia to the north-west and Ilhéu Raso to the south-east. Since 1990, the islet is part of the protected area Reserva Natural Integral de Santa Luzia.[2][3] Together with Santa Luzia and Ilhéu Raso, Ilhéu Branco is on the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.[4]

Branco is a large rectangular rock, less than 4 km long by more than 1 km wide, rising steeply to a ridge running the length of the island. Its highest point, Topa da Berta, is 327 metres (1,073 feet) above sea level.[5][6] Its summit is lower than that of Santa Luzia but higher than Raso. The coast is rocky, except for an area of dunes on the west side and a small area of level ground on the east side. Seas around the island are rough throughout the year, making access difficult.[7]

## Fauna

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The Cape Verde giant skink, which only occurred on Branco and Raso, has not been seen since the early twentieth century and is considered extinct. It is thought to have been wiped out through over-exploitation by humans for its skin and for food. The giant wall gecko (Tarentola gigas) is still present. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports 2500–3570 breeding pairs of Cape Verde shearwaters as well as peregrine falcons, Iago sparrows and Cape Verde barn owls (Tyto alba detorta).[7]

## References

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1. ^ Resolução nº 36/2016 Archived 2021-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, Estratégia e Plano Nacional de Negócios das Áreas Protegidas
2. ^ Proposta do Plano de Gestão da Reserva Natural de Santa Luzia, ilhéus Branco e Raso, p. 30
3. ^ Reservas Naturais, Áreas protegidas Cabo Verde
4. ^ Complexe d’aires Protégées de l’île de Santa Luzia et des Ilots Branco et Raso, UNESCO
5. ^ Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 143: West Coast of Europe and Northwest Africa (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 239.
6. ^ Tactical Pilotage Chart K-0A, Perry–Castañeda Map Collection
7. ^ a b "Ilhéu Branco". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-17.

## External links

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* Ilhéu Branco Important Bird Area at Birdlife

* v
* t
* e

Islands of Cape Verde

Island groups|

* Barlavento
* Sotavento

Islands|

* Boa Vista
* Brava
* Fogo
* Maio
* Sal
* Santa Luzia
* Santiago
* Santo Antão
* São Nicolau
* São Vicente

Islets|

* Ilhéu de Baluarte
* Ilhéu Branco
* Ilhéu de Curral Velho
* Ilhéu Derrubado
* Ilhéu Laje Branca
* Ilhéu dos Pássaros (Boa Vista)
* Ilhéu dos Passaros (São Vicente)
* Ilhéu Rabo de Junco
* Ilhéu Raso
* Ilhéu de Sal Rei
* Ilhéu de Santa Maria
* Ilhéus do Rombo
* Ilhéu de Cima
* Ilhéu Grande

* v
* t
* e

Important Bird Areas of Cape Verde

* Central mountain range of São Nicolau
* Coastal cliffs between Porto Mosquito and Baía do Inferno
* Fogo Volcano
* Ilhéu Branco
* Ilhéu Raso
* Ilhéus do Rombo
* Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast
* Kapok tree, Boa Entrada
* Mahoganies at Banana, Ribeira Montanha
* Lagoas de Pedra Badejo
* Lagoa do Rabil
* Serra do Pico de Antónia

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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