Tinhosa Grande

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Tinhosa Grande
Tp-map.png
Map of São Tomé and Príncipe with Tinhosa Grande on the top
Geography
Location São Tomé and Príncipe, SW of Príncipe
Coordinates 1°20′32″N7°17′30″E / 1.3421°N 7.2917°E / 1.3421; 7.2917 Coordinates: 1°20′32″N7°17′30″E / 1.3421°N 7.2917°E / 1.3421; 7.2917
Archipelago Pedras Tinhosas
Area0.2 km2 (0.077 sq mi)
Highest elevation55 m (180 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population0

Tinhosa Grande is an uninhabited islet in São Tomé and Príncipe, located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of the island of Príncipe and 124 km (77 mi) northeast of the island of São Tomé. Together with the smaller islet Tinhosa Pequena, 4 kilometers to its north, it forms the Pedras Tinhosas group. It is 55 metres high, [1] and its area is 20 hectares (49 acres). [2]

São Tomé and Príncipe country in Africa

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, about 140 kilometres apart and about 250 and 225 kilometres off the northwestern coast of Gabon, respectively.

Príncipe island off of the coast of Africa

Príncipe is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of 136 square kilometres (53 sq mi) and a population of 7,324 (2012). The island is a heavily eroded volcano speculated to be over three million years old, surrounded by smaller islands including Ilheu Bom Bom, Ilhéu Caroço, Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena. Part of the Cameroon Line archipelago, Príncipe rises in the south to 947 metres at Pico do Príncipe. The island is the main constituent of the Autonomous Region of Príncipe, established in 1995, and of the coterminous district of Pagué.

São Tomé Island island

São Tomé Island, at 854 km2 (330 sq mi), is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home to about 157,000 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts. It is located 2 km north of the equator.

Since 2012, it forms a part of the UNESCO's Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve. [3] A species of skinks found on the islet, Trachylepis adamastor , was first described in 2015. [4] [5]

Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve Biosphere reserve in Sao Tome And Principe | designated in 2012

The Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in São Tomé and Príncipe. It encompasses the entire emerged area of the island of Príncipe, its islets Bom Bom, Boné do Jóquei, Mosteiros, and Pedra da Galé, and the Tinhosas islands as well as surrounding marine habitats. The reserve is located in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa, and is managed by the regional government of Príncipe.

Trachylepis adamastor is a species of skinks in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the islet Tinhosa Grande southwest of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. It was first described in 2015.

Related Research Articles

Ilhéu das Rolas island

Ilhéu das Rolas is an islet in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. The island lies on the equator, off the southern tip of São Tomé Island, separated by Canal das Rolas. Its maximum elevation is 96 m. Its population is 76. It is part of the Caué District. Access is only by ferry departing from Ponta Baleia on São Tomé Island. There is a lighthouse on the islet, built in 1929. Its focal height is 106 meters and its range is 12 nmi. The island is home to a small resort, the Pestana Equador.

Ilhéu Bom Bom island

Ilhéu Bom Bom is an island in the Gulf of Guinea. The islet is located near the north coast of the island of Príncipe, one of the main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe and is almost completely forested. Its population is 15. There is a tourist resort near the island. There is a lighthouse on the island built in 1997. Its focal height is 64 meters and its range is 12 nmi.

Pedras Tinhosas is a small archipelago of two small islets, Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena, southwest of the island of Príncipe in the Atlantic Ocean. Since 2012, it forms part of the UNESCO's Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve, which includes the island of Príncipe and the surrounding islets.

Ilhéu das Cabras island

Ilhéu das Cabras is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Guinea. It is one of the smaller islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The islet is located about 2 km off the northeast coast of the island of São Tomé, 8 km north of the city centre of São Tomé. The islet consists of two hills, about 90 metres high. There is a lighthouse on the northeastern summit, built in 1890; its focal height 97 metres and its range is 12 nmi. The islet was mentioned as "Mooro Caebres" in the 1665 map by Johannes Vingboons.

Ilhéu Caroço island in São Tomé and Príncipe

Ilhéu Caroço is an uninhabited islet in the Gulf of Guinea, part of São Tomé and Príncipe. The islet is located southeast of the island of Príncipe, about 3 km off the coast. Its area is about 0.4 km². The islet is steep, rocky and wooded, and rises to 305 metres elevation.

Tinhosa Pequena island

Tinhosa Pequena is an uninhabited islet in São Tomé and Príncipe, located 20 km (12 mi) southwest of the island of Príncipe and 127 km (79 mi) northeast of the island of São Tomé. Together with the larger islet Tinhosa Grande, 4 kilometers to its south, it forms the Pedras Tinhosas group. It is 64 metres high, and its area is 3 hectares.

The São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón moist lowland forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that covers the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, which form the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as the island of Annobón, which is part of Equatorial Guinea.

Wildlife of São Tomé and Príncipe

The wildlife of São Tomé and Príncipe is composed of its flora and fauna. São Tomé and Príncipe are oceanic islands which have always been separate from mainland West Africa and so there is a relatively low diversity of species, restricted to those that have managed to cross the sea to the islands. However the level of endemism is high with many species occurring nowhere else in the world.

Pico Cão Grande mountain in São Tomé and Príncipe

The Pico Cão Grande is a landmark needle-shaped volcanic plug peak in São Tomé and Príncipe, in the south of São Tomé Island in Parque Natural Obô de São Tomé. Its summit is 663 m (2,175 ft) above sea level, and it rises about 370 m (1,210 ft) over the surrounding terrain. The volcanic plug was formed by magma solidifying in the vent of an active volcano. The nearest village is Vila Clotilde, 3 km to the east. The district seat São João dos Angolares is 9 km to the east.

Ana Chaves Bay

Ana Chaves Bay is a bay on the northeast coast of São Tomé Island in São Tomé and Príncipe. The capital city of São Tomé and its port are situated by the bay. It stretches from the Ponta Oque del Rei in the north to Ponta São Sebastião in the south. Forte de São Sebastião, now part of São Sebastião Museum, occupies Ponta São Sebastião. The port of São Tomé was built at the end of the 1950s on reclaimed land that extends 0.2 miles (0.32 km) north of Ponta São Sebastião; there is a 200 m quay at its north end, with a depth of 3 metres alongside. It is the main port of the country for solid goods; the port of Neves is the main point of entry for liquid fuels. The bay is generally shallow, offering anchorage for small vessels in depths of less than 5 metres (16 ft).

Ilhéu de Santana geographical object

Ilhéu de Santana is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Guinea and is one of the smaller islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The islet is located 0.7 nmi (1.3 km) off the east coast of the island of São Tomé near the town of Santana in Cantagalo District. It is 50 metres high. The islet was mentioned in the 1616 map by Jodocus Hondius as I. de S. Anne.

Ponta da Mina

Ponta da Mina is a headland located some 2 km northeast of Santo António, the island capital of Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe. The point is on the southern shores of Baía de Santo António. It is fringed by rocks, and the ancient fortress Fortaleza de Santo António da Ponta da Mina stands at its summit.

Sete Pedras

Sete Pedras is a group of rocky islets in the Gulf of Guinea, part of São Tomé and Príncipe. The islets lie about 2.5 nmi (4.6 km) off the southeast coast of the island of São Tomé. The largest islet is 42 metres high. The islets were mentioned as "Seven Steen" in the 1665 map by Johannes Vingboons.

Pedra da Galé

Pedra da Galé is an uninhabited islet in the Gulf of Guinea, part of São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies 3.7 km westnorthwest the north coast of the island of Príncipe. It is 190 meters long and up to 60 meters wide in its northern part, and four meters high. Since 2012, the islet forms a part of the Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve.

Ilhéu dos Mosteiros islet of São Tomé and Príncipe

Ilhéu dos Mosteiros is an uninhabited islet in the Gulf of Guinea, part of São Tomé and Príncipe. It lies about 0.8 km off the northeast coast of the island of Príncipe. It is 20 metres high. Since 2012, the islet forms a part of Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve.

References

  1. Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 123: Southwest Coast of Africa (PDF). Sailing Directions . United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 75.
  2. "Ilots Tinhosas". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. "World Network of Biosphere Reserves". Island of Príncipe. UNESCO. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. Trachylepis adamastor at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 28 October 2018.
  5. Ceríaco, Luis M.P. (2015). "Lost in the middle of the sea, found in the back of the shelf: A new giant species of Trachylepis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Tinhosa Grande islet, Gulf of Guinea". Zootaxa . 3973 (3): 511–527. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3973.3.6.