Ilha de Cotunduba

About

Ilha de Cotunduba (Cotunduba Island) is an uninhabited island located on Guanabara Bay, off the coast of Leme and Urca, in city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The island has a 340 metres (1, 120 ft) long peduncle to the southeast, dubbed the "Lower Cotunduba". The island's highest point is at 73 metres (240 ft) above sea level, with Lower Cotunduba reaching only 4 metres (13 ft) above sea level. It has for multiple decades been part of an environmental protection area (Área de Proteção Ambiental, APA); initially, the APA do Morro do Leme, Urubu e Ilha de Cotunduba, created in 1990, which prohibited any construction in its territory, permanent or otherwise, unless for scientific or cultural purposes and with permission by the City. This protection was expanded in 1995, further designating the island as a Wildlife Conservation Zone (Zona de Conservação da Vida Silvestre, ZCVS) and prohibiting withing its limits, among other things, the extraction of any resources, the disposal of any material, and the setting off of fireworks. Despite its protection status prohibiting fishing in the surrounding waters, artisanal fishing is still often practiced on and around the island.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.