Fernando de Noronha History

Modern historians credit the expedition led by Ferno de Noronha with the discovery of the archipelago.The first person to actually describe the island was Amerigo Vespucci in 1503. In 1534, the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago was invaded by the English, and from 1556 until 1612, it was held by the French. In 1628, it was occupied by the Dutch, who were displaced two years later by a Spanish-Portuguese military expedition led by Rui Calaza Borges. The Dutch occupied the island once again in 1635, making it a hospital for their troops who occupied Northeastern Brazil. It would remain under Dutch control for nearly twenty years until it was reconquered by Portugal.

Finding it uninhabited and completely abandoned in 1736, the French East Indies Company took the island and renamed it Isle Dauphine. Only from 1737 on, after the expulsion of the French, was Fernando de Noronha occupied by Portugal, who decided to fortify the island. Around 1770, the first permanent settlement, Vila dos Rem?dios, was founded. The village was divided in two units: in the superior one were the administrative buildings, in the lower one the church and the associated religious buildings.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the British arrived to provide technical cooperation in telegraphy. In 1988 approximately 70% of the archipelago was declared a maritime national park. Nowadays, Fernando de Noronha’s economy depends on tourism, restricted by the limitations of its delicate ecosystem. In 2001, UNESCO declared Fernando de Noronha, with Rocas Atoll, a World Heritage Site.

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