Everything about Trindade Island totally explained
The islands of
Trindade (occasionally called Trinidad) and
Martim Vaz (also called Martin Vaz), which are located about 1,200 km East of
Vitória in the Southern
Atlantic Ocean, belong to the
State of Espírito Santo, of the
Brazilian Federation. The islands, 10.4 km² in area, are uninhabited, except for a
garrison of the Brazilian Navy, 32 strong. The group consists of Ilha Trindade, by far the largest island with an area of 10.1 km², and Ilhas de Martim Vaz 47 km further East, with an aggregate area of just 0.3 km² (30
hectares).
The islands are of
volcanic origin and have rugged terrain. They are largely barren, except the Southern part of Ilha Trindade. They were discovered in 1502 by
Portuguese explorer
João da Nova and stayed Portuguese until they became part of Brazil at its independence. From 1890 to 1896, Trindade was occupied by the
United Kingdom, until an accord with Brazil was reached. During the period of British occupation, Trindade was known as "South Trinidad".
The individual islands with their respective locations are given in the following:
- Ilha Trindade
- Ilhas de Martim Vaz
- Ilha do Norte, 300 meters NNW of Ilha da racha, 75 meters high.
- Ilha da Racha (Ilha Martim Vaz), 175 meters high near the northwest end. The shores are strewn with boulders.
- Ilote de Angulha, a flat circular rock, is 200 off the northwest end of Ilha da Racha, 60 meters high.
- Ilha do Sul, 1,600 meters south of Ilha da Racha. It is a rocky pinnacle. Ilha do Sul is the Easternmost point of Brazil.
Geography
Trindade
The small island of
Trindade, with an area of 10.3 km², lies at the eastern end of an E-W-trending chain of
submarine volcanoes and
guyots extending about 1100 km from the continental shelf off the Brazilian coast. The island lies more than halfway between Brazil and the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the eastern end of the submarine
Vitória-Trindade Ridge.
Trindade is a mountainous, dissected volcanic island with numerous phonolitic lava domes and steep-sided volcanic plugs. The highest summit is Pico Desejado, near the center, 620 meters high. Close by to the northwest are
Pico da Trindade (590 m) and Pico Bonifácio (570 m). Pico Monumento, a remarkable peak in the form of a slightly inclined cylinder, rises from the west coast to 270 m. The youngest volcanism, at Vulcao de Paredao (217 m) on the southeast tip of the island, constructed a
pyroclastic cone with lava flows that are no older than the
Holocene (Almeida,
1961). Remnants of the crater of the 200-m-high cinder cone are still preserved. Lava flows traveled from the cone to the north, where they form an irregular shoreline and offshore islands. Smaller volcanic centers of the latest volcanic stage are found in the Morro Vermelho (515 m) area in the south-central part of the island.
There is a small settlement in the north on
Enseada dos Portugueses, supporting a garrison of the Brazilian Navy, 32 strong.
Martim Vaz
History
The Trindade and Martin Vaz Islands were discovered in 1502 by
Portuguese navigators, and, along with Brazil, became part of the Portuguese ultramarine domain.
In 1893 the American
James Harden-Hickey claimed the island and declared himself as James I,
Prince of Trinidad. According to
James Harden-Hickey's plans Trinidad after being recognized as an independent country would become a
military dictatorship and have him as dictator. He took his idea seriously because he designed
postage stamps, a
national flag, and a
coat of arms, he established a
chivalric order, the "Cross of Trinidad", he bought a
schooner to transport
colonists, appointed M. le Comte de la Boissiere as
Secretary of State and opened a
consular office at 217 West 36th Street in New York, and even issued
government bonds to finance construction of
infrastructure in the island. Despite his plans his idea was ridiculed or ignored by the world.
In July 1895, the
British again tried to take possession of this strategic position in the
Atlantic. The British planned to use the island as a cable station. However, Brazilian diplomatic efforts, along with Portuguese support, reinstated the Trindade Island to Brazilian sovereignty.
In order to clearly demonstrate sovereignty over the island, now part of the State of
Espírito Santo, a landmark was built on
January 24,
1897. Nowadays, Brazilian presence is marked by a permanent
Brazilian Navy base on the main island.
Many visitors have been there, the most famous of whom was the English astronomer
Edmund Halley, who took possession of the Island on behalf of the
British Monarchy in 1700.
It was the site of an alleged
UFO sighting in 1958.
Cultural references
The Cruise of the Alerte
In 1889
Edward Frederick Knight sailed to Trindade in a 64 foot yawl named the
Alerte, in search of a
buried treasure reported to have been left there by
pirates in 1821. He wrote the book
The Cruise of the Alerte about his journey with detailed descriptions of Trindade.
Arthur Ransome used the descriptions from Knight's book as a basis for Crab Island in his book
Peter Duck, except that he set the island further north in the
Caribbean Sea.
Discovery and Terra Nova Visits
In September 1901
Captain Scott's expedition ship
Discovery called at Trindade, then known as "South Trinidad", on its way to
Antarctica.
Edward Wilson, in his diary, recorded a vivid encounter with the fearsome land-crabs that abounded on the island . Scott returned in July 1910 with the
Terra Nova Expedition, a visit noteworthy for the extreme difficulty of re-embarkation, an operation during which several expedition members nearly drowned .
Frank Mildmay, or the Naval Officer
In 1829 Captain
Frederick Marryat published a novel
Frank Mildmay, or the Naval Officer, which included the title character's
Robinson Crusoe-like adventures on Trinidade.
Ramage and the Renegades
In 1981
Dudley Pope used Trinidade as the setting for his book
Ramage and the Renegades. Fictional character Nicholas Ramage led a voyage set in 1802 to claim Trinidade for the British, in the aftermath of Napoleon's first armistice.
In the episode
"The Survivors," Commander Data refers to the undersea Earth colony of New Martim Vaz.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Trindade Island'.
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