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'Saint Peter and Paul Rocks' (''Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo'' in Portuguese) are about 12 tiny rock islands about 1010 km northeast of Natal, Brazil. Unlike most oceanic islands, the Saint Peter and Paul Rocks are not volcanic and mostly made of peridotite.

Contents

Geography

Structures

Biology

History

Literature

External links

Geography

The closest piece of land is the island of Fernando de Noronha 630 km to the Southwest. The rocks are part of Pernambuco state, Brazil.
The highest of the rocks, Southwest Rock, has an elevation of 22.5 m, are peaks of the largely submarine Mid-Atlantic Ridge that extend above the water level. The rocks are scattered across an area that measures 350 m North-South and 200 m East-West. The total land area is about 10,000 m². The exact location is given as .
The largest rocks are:

★ Southwest Rock 3,000 m²

★ Southeast Rock 1,500 m²

★ Northwest Rocks 1,000 m²

★ Northeast Rock 1,000 m²

Structures

There is a six meter high lighthouse on top of the peak of Southwest Rock, originally erected in 1930. Less than 20 meters further south is a shelter hut for military personnel and researchers.

Biology

Only the largest of the islets, Southwest Rock, 80 m by 40 m is vegetated with mosses and grasses. The other rocks are barren. The rocks are inhabited by sea birds (''Sula leucogaster'', ''Anous stolidus'', ''Anous minutus''), crabs (''Grapsus grapsus''), insects and spiders.

History

On the morning of February 16, 1832 the rocks were visited by Charles Darwin on the first leg of his voyage of the HMS ''Beagle'' around the world. Until 1988, the islands were part of the Federal Territory of Fernando de Noronha, which was dissolved and added to Pernambuco state.

Literature

★ Willis L. Tressler: Rochedos São Pedro e São Paulo (St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks), Washington, U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office, 1956 (Technical report, TR-31).

External links

★ Further Information

★ More Information, in German

★ Information and pictures from landing, February 2001

★ Picture showing lighthouse and building

★ Darwin's description from Voyage of the Beagle