History
History – Know here some more about this paradise.
Get set to know one of the most breathless Brazilian landscapes, a tropical archipelago 360 km (200 miles) from Natal, that mixes up colors, winds and sounds, rich in beauty, rich in history.
The occupation of Fernando de Noronha is almost as old as t he continent’s. Due to its location, the archipelago was one of the first lands to be sighted in the New World, as registered on a nautical chart in 1500 by Spanish cartographer Juan de la Cosa and, in 1502, by Portuguese Alberto Cantino, who called it Quaresma.
Its discovery in 1503 is attributed to navigator Amerigo Vespucci, a member of the second expedition that explored the Brazilian coast under the command of Portugal’s Gonçalo Coelho and financed by Portuguese nobleman Fernão de Loronha, a new Christian and leaseholder of brazil wood extraction.
“Paradise is here,” said Vespucci when he landed on that desert island on August 10, 1503, soon after the main ship of the six that made up the expedition wrecked. The letter (lettera) he wrote is the first paper to mention the island, which he christened St. Lawrence. On it, he tells of “infinite waters and infinite trees; very tame birds that approached to eat from your hands; a very good parturition that was good to the entire crew.” As a result of the discovery, the island was given in 1504 to Fernão de Loronha, who had bankrolled the expedition. So it was the first Hereditary Captainship of Brazil, albeit never occupied by its proprietary.
Forsaken for over two centuries and situated on the route of the great navigations, it was approached by a number of peoples and temporarily occupied by the Dutchmen (who called it Pavonia) in the 17th century and, in the 18th, by the French (who settled for Ile Delphine.)
Since the islands were vulnerable to invasions, the Portuguese decided to definitively occupy it through the Pernambuco Captainship starting in 1737, and a defensive system with ten fortifications was built - “The largest fortified system of eighteen century Brazil” – including the Fortress of Our Lady of Remedies. Most of these forts are still up nowadays, the others having left only remnants of what they once were.
At that time, the Archipelago was becoming a Prison for people condemned to long sentences. It was those prisoners who provided the labor who put up the buildings and road system that interconnect villages and forts. The heartless regime had even solitary confinement and stone beds on which the inmate could hardly turn over. Besides, in order to prevent escape attempts and deny hideouts to escapees, since that time the original vegetation began to be cut off, leading to a climate change on the archipelago. This is why only in some places of the island is possible to see some of the original vegetal cover, as Ponta da Sapata, on the slope of the Pico Hill, and the miradors of Sancho, Dolphin Bay and Lion Beach.
Scientific Interest
Famous scientists have visited the archipelago at different times, such as naturalist Charles Darwin, the father of the Theory of the Evolution of Species, in 1832. All of them were lured by the place’s great biodiversity and collected data about the environment, describing it in memorable works. Also during the 19th century, artists such as France’s Debret and Laissaly portrayed on their screens the human settling on the island.
20th Century
In 1938, the Archipelago was transferred to the federal government for the installation of a Political Prison. In 1942, during the Second World War, the Federal Military Territory, as well as the Mixed War Detachment were established there. An alliance with the U.S. Navy allowed it the set up on t he island a Support Base with about 300 men. During that time, an overpopulation of more than 3,000 men required to the construction of pre-molded houses to shelter them. From 1942 to 1988, the island was administered by the military: the Army up to 1981, the Air Force up to 1986 and the General Staff of the Armed Forces up to 1987. Still a federal territory, it was transferred to MINTER (National Integration Ministry), when it had its sole civilian governor. During that time, between 1957 and 1965, there was a second U.S. presence with the construction of a Guided Missile Observation Post.
In 1988, the new Constitution determined t hat the islands were reintegrated to the State of Pernambuco, and so, nowadays, it is a State District. Also in 1988, the National Marine Park (PARNAMAR) was established, with 26 sq. km., where the PARNAMAR/FN and the state Environmental Protection area are located. On December 13, 2001, UNESCO considered the archipelago a SITE OF THE WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE, and the respective diploma was granted on December 27, 2002. 2003 marked the 500th year since Fernando de Noronha had been registered in man’s history for the first time: five centuries since the first approach and its description by one of history’s leading navigators, Américo Vespucci.
Histórico da ilha
1500
Appears in the planisphere of Juan de la Cosa.
1502
Appears in the map of Cantino under the name "Quaresma".
1503
Discovered by Américo Vespúcio, a member of the Exploratory Expedition under the command of Gonçalo Coelho.
1504
Donated as a Hereditary Land Division to the portuguese nobleman FERNAN (or FERNÃO) de LORONHA, financier of the 1503 expedition.
1505
Rescue of the last survivors of the 1503 expedition by a ship coming from Normandy (ship of Binot Paulmier de Goneville).
1534
Landing of the german voyager Ulrich Schmidel, which remains there for some years.
1556
Landing of the French coming from Rio de Janeiro (Fr. André Thevet, fellow of Villeigagnon).
1558
Coasted by the French coming from Rio de Janeiro (Jean de Lèry, fellow of Villeigagnon).
1577
Landing of the English navigator Francis Drake, which tried to travel over the world.
1612
Landing for 15 days of the French going to Maranhão. (Fr. Claude d'Abeville, fellow of Daniel de la Touche, Sir of la Ravardière).
1619
Guarded by a portuguese expedition, which disembark on the island and describes it (Pedro de Castro).
1626
Landing of the Dutch, which stopped there for refreshing purposes.
1629/1654
Dutch ownership under the command of Corlizon Jol, the "Wood Leg".
1631
Hired to Michel de Pavw (name: "Pavônia").
1654
Delivery of the island after the dutch surrender in Pernambuco.
1700
Island ownership transferred to Pernambuco, which didn't anything to occupy it.
1736
Occupied by the French of the Oriental Indies Company, which settled down in it for one year (name: "Isle Delphine" or "Dauphine").
OCCUPATION AND DEVELOPMENT PERIOD
1737
Recovered by Pernambuco, construction of the Village and of the fortified system. Beginning of the Correctional Colony.
1739
All gypsies of Brazil, considered as "idlers", were banished to Fernando de Noronha.
1745
Passing of Juan and Ulloa (Spanish).
1760
Visit of a swedish ship. Report of Ekeberg.
1816
Passing of a french delegation. Debret paints the Pico Mount.
1817
Insurrection in Pernambuco. Consequence for Fernando de Noronha: loss of every built thing and all goods, withdrawn by João de Barros Falcão de Lacerda.
1819
Sending of indians from the settlements of Cimbres and Escada, for agricultural practices on the Island.
1824
Only in this year it was known in Fernando de Noronha that Brazil was independent from Portugal.
1823/1827
Administration by the Ministry of War.
1832
Visit of the scientist Charles Darwin. Description of the Island.
1844
Farroupilha revolutioners banished to Noronha.
1877/1891
Administration by the Ministry of Justice.
1890
All "capoeira" fighters of Brasil, considered as "rowdies", were banished to Fernando de Noronha.
1893
Installation of the British from the "South American Cables Ltd.".
1914
The concession of the undersea cables is transferred to the French (Cabo Submarino Francês).
1925
Installation of the Italian from Italcable (Cabo Submarino Italiano).
1927
Installation of the Cie. Générale Aeropostale, (predecessor of Air France).
1930/1931
Operation of german and french airplanes of the South Air Mail.
1934
Construction by the Civil Aviation Department of the first airport runway in Fernando de Noronha.
1938
Construction by the Civil Aviation Department of the first airport runway in Fernando de Noronha.
1942
Installation of the Mixed Detachment for the war activities in Noronha (World War II).Installation of an american Navy Base near the Sueste Bay. The second airport runway is built.
Establishment of the Federal Territory of Fernando de Noronha:
1942 / 1981
Army
1981 / 1986
Air Force
1986 / 1987
General Staff
1987 / 1988
Ministry of Home Affairs
1946
Establishment in the island of a Detachment of the Brazilian Air Force for flight control and meteorological services.
1957/1965
Installation of the Americans in the Missile Observation Station, near Boldró.
1988
Establishment of the National Marine Reserve in Fernando de Noronha. Reintegration to the State of Pernambuco, becoming a State District under the command of an administrator indicated by the State Governor.
2001
Designated by UNESCO as a "Site of the Natural World Patrimony", which title was handed over in 2002.
2003
500 years "discovery" celebration of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.
Source: www.noronha.pe.gov.br
