Ilha dos Marinheiros
Encyclopedia
Lagoa dos Patos
Lagoa dos Patos is the second largest lagoon in Latin America and the biggest in Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. It is 174 miles long, has a maximum width of 44 miles , and a total area of 3,803 sq. mi....
, located in the municipality of Rio Grande
Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande is the oldest city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and also the former state capital from 1835 to 1845...
, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is situated on the west bank of that lagoon. This island has an area 39.28 km² (15.17 sq mi) and is situated 1.5 km (0.93 mi) off the continent at its nearest point.
It has 1,324 inhabitants (2000 Census), the majority of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
descent.
History
Ilha dos Marinheiros is considered part of the heritage of the city of Rio Grande due to the preservation of the culture of the Portuguese, who colonized it. Before the arrival of the first Portuguese settlers, the island was occupied by indigenous peopleIndigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
. According to archaeological evidence discovered there, the groups were: Minuane
Minuane
Minuane were one of the indigenous tribes of Uruguay and Brazil . They were related to the other tribes in the area like Charrua and Guenoa. Nowadays no one claims Minuane ancestry in Uruguay or in neighbouring countries. The tribe seems to be extinct....
, Charrua
Charrua
The Charrúa were an indigenous people of southern South America in the area today known as Uruguay and southern Brazil. They were a nomadic people that sustained themselves through fishing and foraging...
and Guaraní.
The importance of the island was tied to the Rio Grande, which supplied water, firewood, and wood for the fortifications as well as for the settlers of the Town of Rio Grande de São Pedro. In the past, the island supplied all of the trade in Rio Grande and nearby locations; it currently produces about 80% of the vegetables consumed in Rio Grande.
In 1845, the island was visited by Emperor Dom Pedro II.
Geography
The Ilha dos Marinheiros is the largest and most fertile island of the Lagoa dos Patos. Near the banks, the depth of the basin is less than 1 metre (3.28 feet). To the south, there is a thin chain of dunes covered by heterogeneous vegetation.The island formed from the gradual accumulation of sediments of fluvio-lacustrine origin and its natural landscape consists of three different areas: the margins, the high dunes area and the interior (depression on dunes). From the limits of the chain of dunes to the interior of the island, there is a great scene of lagoons, dunes, a forest of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and shrubs. The chain of dunes covers an extension from northeast to northwest. The high dunes are formed by quartz grains. Currently, the dunes have thicker vegetation because of reforestation programs carried out by private companies. There is a depression
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
on the island, which creates many lakes in the winter, which almost completely dry in the summer.
It is considered the most fertile part of the municipality of Rio Grande and has been the most important agricultural centre for the production of vegetables, fruit and manufacture of wine, which supplied the town and export on a large scale.
The climate of the island is subtropical or temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
(Cfa
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
), with warm summers, cool winters and rainfall well distributed throughout the year. The summers’ average registers approximately 22°C (71.6°F), and the winters register average of 13°C (55.4°F). The average annual temperature is 17.6°C (63.6°F) and the average precipitation is 1,200 mm (47.24 in) annually.