The Monchique Islet (Portuguese: Ilhéu de Monchique) is a small islet, west of the village of Fajã Grande, off the coast of the island of Flores, in the western part of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It lies just over 1 mile (1.6 km) north-northwest of Ponta de Fenais, and is considered the westernmost point of Europe.
The islet and the waters around it are protected for its rich biodiversity; ninety-six species of flora and fauna have been identified congregating on or in the waters of the islet, including the species of Dictyota dichotoma, Patella aspera ulyssiponensis, Megabalanus sp. Coris and julis.
Approachable only by boat, the bay, which has water depth of about 43 metres (141 ft), provides opportunities for scuba diving during the day in the summer.
Read more about Monchique Islet: History, Geography, Biome, Tourism
Famous quotes containing the word islet:
“Again we mistook a little rocky islet seen through the “drisk,” with some taller bare trunks or stumps on it, for the steamer with its smoke-pipes, but as it had not changed its position after half an hour, we were undeceived. So much do the works of man resemble the works of nature. A moose might mistake a steamer for a floating isle, and not be scared till he heard its puffing or its whistle.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)