Trindade and Martim Vaz

A Brazilian volcanic island group in the South Atlantic comprising Trindade Island and the smaller Martim Vaz islets. It is Brazil’s easternmost territory.

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Trindade Island: A volcanic island in the South Atlantic and the largest part of Brazil’s Trindade and Martim Vaz territory. It is the group’s main island and the site of its Brazilian research station.
Trindade hotspot: A proposed mantle hotspot associated with volcanic islands and seamounts off southeastern Brazil. It is one explanation for the volcanic chain that includes Trindade.
João da Nova: A Galician navigator in Portuguese service who led voyages in the early sixteenth century. He is traditionally credited with sighting Trindade in 1501.
Oceanographic research: Scientific investigation of ocean circulation, chemistry, geology, and marine life. The isolated waters provide a setting for research on South Atlantic systems.
Martim Vaz Islands: A small, uninhabited group of rocky volcanic islets east of Trindade Island. These islets form the group’s remote eastern component.
Oceanic island: An island rising from the seafloor, separated from continental land by deep ocean. The group’s islands are isolated oceanic landforms.
Edmund Halley: An English astronomer and geophysicist best known for predicting the return of Halley’s Comet. He visited Trindade in 1700 and briefly claimed it for England.
Marine protected area: A geographically defined ocean area where activities are regulated to conserve marine ecosystems. Protected waters around the islands support conservation of ocean habitats.
South Atlantic Ocean: The portion of the Atlantic Ocean between South America, Africa, and the Southern Ocean. The island group lies far offshore in this ocean basin.
Seamount: An underwater mountain, commonly of volcanic origin, that does not reach the ocean surface. Submerged volcanic relief surrounds and extends beyond the islands.