Ilhabela

History

For at least 2,000 years before the arrival of the Portuguese, the archipelago had been inhabited by sambaqui indigenous peoples, and by ceramist peoples for at least 700 years. These early inhabitants were fishermen and collectors who lived in open-air camps near beaches and bays. Their collections of shells, shellfish and ceramics are the only traces of their existence available for researchers to study them. They deduce these peoples would not consume much of the forests of the islands, probably picking no more than fruits and ingredients for remedies. Before the Portuguese arrived, these tribes were replaced by tupi-guarani and jês peoples, who had mastered ceramic and agricultural techniques and left the only traces of an indigenous village, at the so-called "Vianna site" on the main island (São Sebastião Island). These tribes would take shelter under rocks during hunting and exploration expeditions. The first documented non-indigenous visit to the island was an expedition involving Italian cosmographer Amerigo Vespucci that arrived there on 20 January 1502. As with several other geographical features discovered by the Portuguese, the island was named after the saint of the day (Saint Sebastian). Around that time, the island would provide shelter for pirates and corsairs coming mainly from England, France and the Netherlands. They would explore the island for firewood, food and water. They carried out a number of attacks against Portuguese ships and settlements (namely Santos, São Vicente and Bertioga), which cost Portugal several quantities of gold and other precious stones until the 17th century. Such events gave birth to legends of hidden treasures scattered around the city's territory. Between 1588 and 1590 Edward Fenton who had sought shelter in the…

Geography

The main islands of the archipelago are São Sebastião (33737 ha), Búzios (739 ha), Vitória (219 ha) dos Pescadores (20 ha) - all of which inhabited. There are also the very small islets (das Cabras, da Sumítica, da Serraria, dos Castelhanos, da Lagoa, da Figueira and das Enchovas islands). Almost all the urbanized areas are in the very narrow plains between the sea and the mountains of the main island, preferably at the west part, facing the continent. A short (30 km) but high mountain range forms this main island, reaching above 1,000 meters in seven different points - Pico de São Sebastião (1,378 m), Morro do Papagaio (1,302 m), Pico da Serraria (1,285 m), Morro do Ramalho (1,205 m), Morro do Simão (1,102 m), Morro das Tocas (1,079 m) and Pico do Baepi (1,048 m). Running approximately 8 km into the Atlantic Ocean off the southeast corner of the island, there is the Península do Boi (Ox Peninsula). The east side of the island is inhabited by very few people, who concentrates mainly on the Castelhanos beach, the only on this side accessible by road. Only 4x4 jeeps are able to cross this particular road, though. Vitória, dos Pescadores and Búzios islands are 38, 37 and 24 km off the continent, respectively. Buzios and Vitória islands, 7½ and 2½ km away from the northeastern tip of the main island, respectively, are home to 142 and 50 caiçaras, respectively. Only canoes are able to go to the island, since the piers available are in poor condition. Both islands have traces of indigenous cemeteries. The locals will plant and grow their own food, though the number of fish is decreasing, but Búzios Island has two markets. There's no drinking water and people normally urinate and defecate on the vegetation. The islands possess no medical structures and…

Most-observed species

• humpback whale

  Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) · Mammalia
  1,528
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,200
• Bananaquit

  Coereba flaveola (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,051
• Mealy Parrot

  Amazona farinosa (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  1,025
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  1,006
• Magnificent Frigatebird

  Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 · Aves
  891
• Ruddy Ground-Dove

  Columbina talpacoti (Temminck, 1810) · Aves
  856
• Rufous-bellied Thrush

  Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  811