Isla Salas y Gómez 1657217 223696350 2008-07-05T09:02:20Z CieloEstrellado 1386203 [[Image:salaygomez.jpg|thumb|250px|Aerial view of Salas y Gómez.]] '''Isla Salas y Gómez'''<ref>[http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/demografia_y_vitales/demografia/pdf/cdpubaldcasjunio2005.zip Chile: Ciudades, Pueblos, Aldeas y Caseríos 2005], Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas - June 2005.</ref>, also known as '''Isla Sala y Gómez''', is a small uninhabited [[Chilean]] island in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. It is the easternmost point in the [[Polynesian Triangle]]. Administratively, it is part of the [[Easter Island]] commune and province of the [[Valparaíso Region]]. ==Geography== [[Image:SyG-map.png|thumb|left|200px|Map of Salas y Gómez.]] Isla Salas y Gómez is located 3,210 km west of the Chilean mainland, 2,490 km west of Chile's [[Desventuradas Islands]], and 390 km east-northeast of [[Easter Island]], the closest landmass. Salas y Gómez consists of two [[islet|rocks]], a smaller one in the west measuring 4 [[hectare]] in area (270 meters north-south, 200 meters east-west), and a larger one in the east measuring 11 ha (500 meters north-south, 270 meters east-west), which are connected by a narrow [[isthmus]] in the north, averaging approximately 30 meters in width. The total area is approximately 15 hectares (0.15 km²), and the total length northwest-southeast is 770 meters. Its highest point, 30 meters above sea level, is in the south of the eastern rock, less than 30 meters from the shore, above a 10 meters high [[cliff]]. The highest elevation on the western rock is 26 meters. The island is showered with [[Seawater|saltwater]], and the shoreline is dotted with countless [[tidepool]]s. Because the shoreline consists primarily of cliffs, landing on the island is difficult in all but the calmest of conditions. [[Image:SalaYGomez.jpg|thumb|View of [[Sala-y-Gómez]]. (''Image courtesy of [http://matthew.mumford.com Matthew Mumford]''.)]] There are no permanent sources of [[freshwater]] on the island, but there is an intermittent rainwater pool in a depression on the eastern rock, which often forms a cache of freshwater 75 meters in diameter. This is essential for the survival of the large population of seabirds. Even when this area appears dry at the surface, the [[sand]] is still moist just a few [[inch]]es below the surface. This flat sandy area is also the only place on the island suitable for landing [[helicopter]]s. In [[1994]], the [[Chilean Navy]] installed an automated [[beacon]] and a [[tsunami warning system]]. The island has since been declared a nature sanctuary.{{ref|sanctuary}} ==History== ===Human visitation=== [[Image:Sala y gomez.png|thumb|right|Position of Sala-y-Gómez relative to Easter Island and the South American mainland]]Although there is no evidence that the island has ever been permanently inhabited, Easter Islanders were certainly aware of its existence, as indicated by the pre-[[Europe]]an name of the island. Tradition says that the island was occasionally visited to collect fledglings and eggs. The island was said to have been difficult to land upon, because the gods [[Make-make]] and [[Huau]] protected the seabirds from those who ate their eggs and offspring. Because of these historical connections to Easter Island, Salas y Gómez can be considered part of Polynesia; if so its location makes it the easternmost landmass of Polynesia. The title is usually awarded to Easter Island, 415 km further west.{{ref|polynesia}} The first European to sight the island was [[José Salas Valdés]], a [[Spanish people|Spanish]] sailor, on [[23 August]], [[1793]]. Between then and [[1917]], visits are recorded in at least [[1805]], [[1806]], [[1817]], [[1825]], [[1875]], and 1917.{{ref|visitors}} ===Name=== The [[Rapa Nui language|Rapa Nui]] name for the island is ''Motu Motiro Hiva'' or ''Manu Motu Motiro Hiva'', meaning ''(Bird's) Islet on the way to Hiva''. ''Hiva'' is part of the names of several Polynesian islands, particularly in the [[Marquesas Islands]]. In the [[Rapa Nui language]], however, it means "far off lands" and is the name for the mythical original homeland of the Polynesians. From Easter Island, Salas y Gómez is almost the ''opposite'' direction to the Marquesas, and the next inhabited territory "behind" Salas y Gómez would be the coast of [[South America]]. This was one of the factors that led [[Thor Heyerdahl]] to theorize that there was pre-European contact between Polynesia and South America. The current name, Salas y Gómez, is derived from the name of [[José Salas Valdés]] and [[José Manuel Gómez]], whom made the first detailed description of the island, following a visit beginning [[18 October]], 1805. The island is sometimes also referred to as '''Isla Sala y Gómez''', with "Sala" being a misspelling of Salas. {{ref|name}} ===Political situation=== Salas y Gómez was claimed by Chile in [[1808]], and from [[1888]], was administered by the Chilean Navy. Beginning [[1 March]], [[1966]], the island was included in the [[Department (subnational entity)|department]] of [[Isla de Pascua]]. [[25 July]], [[1974]], the department was reorganized as the [[province]] of Isla de Pascua.{{ref|province}} ==Geology== [[Image:Sala y gomez 1927.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Map of Isla Salas y Gómez]] Salas y Gómez is a [[volcanic]] [[high island]], consisting of the summit of a large mountain which rises about 3500 metres from the sea bed. ''Scott Reef'' (not to be confused with [[Scott and Seringapatam Reefs|Scott Reefs]] off [[Western Australia]]), 1.5 km further northeast, is another peak of the same mostly submarine mountain, and has a least depth of 25 meters above it. Salas y Gómez is part of the same '''Salas y Gómez Ridge''', as Easter Island to the west, the only places where the otherwise submarine mountain range extends above [[sea level]]. There are several dozen more [[seamount]]s in the range, which extends 2232 km eastward until '''[[Nazca Seamount]]''' at {{coor dm|23|36|S|83|30|W|}}, where it joins the [[Nazca Ridge]].{{ref|seamounts}} Salas y Gómez is the fourth youngest mountain in the chain, which is being formed by the [[Nazca Plate]] floating over the [[Easter hotspot]]. The two youngest mountains in the chain, [[Pukao (Seamount)|Pukao]] and [[Moai (seamount)|Moai]] are sea mounts to the west of Easter Island.{{ref|hotspot}} <ref>[http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/petroj/online/Volume_38/Issue_06/html/ega038_gml.html The Petrogenetic Evolution of Lavas from Easter Island and Neighbouring Seamounts, Near-ridge Hotspot Volcanoes in theSE Pacific<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Flora== ''Salas y Gómez'' and Easter Island form a distinct [[ecoregion]] the ''Rapa Nui [[subtropical]] [[broadleaf forest]]s''. However Salas y Gómez is largely barren with no [[forest]]s and only four species of terrestrial plants; these include ''[[Asplenium]]'' (or "Spleenwort"), a type of [[fern]] which only grows in protected areas at higher elevations. ==Fauna== Besides a number of insect species, the only non-aquatic fauna are about a dozen species of [[seabird]], which use the island as a [[rookery]], with the estimated number of adult birds in [[1985]]: {| border cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 ! Species (''Polynesian Name'') !! Scientific Name !! Adult birds in 1985 |- | [[Christmas Shearwater]] || ''Puffinus nativitatis'' || align="right" | 5000 |- | [[Masked Booby]] (''Manukena'') || ''Sula dactylatra'' || align="right" | 3000 |- | [[Brown Noddy]] || ''Anous stolidus'' || align="right" | 1400 |- | [[Great Frigatebird]] (''Makohe'') || ''Fregata minor '' || align="right" | 700 |- | [[Sooty Tern]] || ''Onychoprion fuscata'' || align="right" | 200 |- | [[Blue Noddy]] || ''Procelsterna cerulea'' || align="right" | 80 |- | [[Red-tailed Tropicbird]] (''Tevake'') || ''Phaëthon rubricauda'' || align="right" | 30 |- | [[Polynesian Storm-petrel|Polynesian (White-throated) Storm-petrel]] || ''Nesofregetta fuliginosa'' || align="right" | 2 |- | [[White Tern]] || ''Gygis alba'' || align="right" | 2 |- | [[Red-footed Booby]] || ''Sula sula'' || align="right" | 2 |- | [[Black Noddy]] || ''Anous minutus'' || align="right" | 2 |- | [[Grey Noddy]] || ''Procelsterna albivitta'' || align="right" | 1 |- |} Those numbers may vary considerably from year to year, due to weather conditions, and it has been observed that the overall numbers were much lower in 1986. Marine fauna includes a large number of [[littoral]] [[crustacean]]s, [[echinoidea]], etc., as well as a large assortment of [[reef]] fishes and a number of species of [[shark]], which swimmers report to be "curious", but not aggressive. ==Cultural references== The [[German people|German]] poet [[Adalbert von Chamisso]] wrote a poem about the island, based on his reflections upon visiting the island in 1816.{{ref|poem}} ==See also== *[[Desventuradas Islands|San Félix y San Ambrosio]] *[[Juan Fernández]] ==Notes== #{{note|sanctuary}} [http://www.wetlands.org/oldsite/inventory&/OceaniaDir/ChileanTerr.htm Wetlands.org] information about the designation of SyG as a wildlife refuge #{{note|polynesia}} [http://www.rapanui.co.cl/download/tenui8.pdf Te Rapa Nui (The Gazette of Easter Island)] Vol. 4 No. 8, Summer/Fall 1999 #{{note|visitors}} [http://www.gunthar.com/archive/easter_island_95/ei_web_site/islands.html The Islands] from notes on the Cordell Expeditions. Aug. 1995 #{{note|name}} [http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01371630566724836320035/p0000005.htm ''Revista Española del Pacífico'' No. 2, 1992]. From the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. #{{note|province}} [http://www.vdiest.nl/America/chili.htm Chilian history page] outlining history of Rapa Nui province #{{note|seamounts}} [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2003EAEJA.....7056D&amp;db_key=PHY&amp;data_type=HTML&amp;format= ''Radiometric Ages for Seamounts from the Easter-Salas y Gomez-Nazca Hotspot Track''] from Smithsonian/NASA ADS Physics Abstract Service. Duncan, R.A., ''et al.'' #{{note|hotspot}} [http://www.agu.org/meetings/os02/os02-pdf/os02_OS32P.pdf ''Priliminary Multibeam Mapping and Dredging Results along the Nazca Ridge and Easter/Salas y Gomez Chain''] from the 2002 Ocean Sciences Meeting #{{note|poem}} [http://www.sisemin.gov.ee/atp/failid/5_paeva_eurovisioonini.pdf_inlise.pdf Address by Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia Siim Kallas] ([http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:vEyJ7SNPOCkJ:www.sisemin.gov.ee/atp/failid/5_paeva_eurovisioonini.pdf_inlise.pdf+%2B(%22Sala+y+Gomez%22+OR+%22Sala-y-Gomez%22+OR+%22Salas+y+Gomez%22+OR+%22Salas-y-Gomez%22)+-wikipedia+%2Bpoem+%2Btallinn&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a as HTML]) from a Eurovision website. ==References== {{Reflist}} * {{cite book | last = González-Ferrán | first = Oscar | title = Volcanes de Chile | publisher = Santiago, Chile: Instituto Geográfico Militar | date = 1995 | pages=640 pp | isbn =956-202-054-1 }} <small>(in Spanish; also includes volcanoes of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru)</small> == External links == *[http://www.monumentos.cl/monumento.php?monumento_id=10535 National Monuments], Chilean government. *[http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/issues/v090n01/p0259-p0261.pdf document with sketch map] *[http://www.rapanui.co.cl/numero8/syg.htm http://www.rapanui.co.cl/numero8/syg.htm] *[http://www.gunthar.com/archive/easter_island_95/ei_web_site/islands.html http://www.gunthar.com/archive/easter_island_95/ei_web_site/islands.html] *[http://www.ecole-navale.fr/fr/irenav/cv/poupin/publis/Checklist_Easter_Poupin.pdf http://www.ecole-navale.fr/fr/irenav/cv/poupin/publis/Checklist_Easter_Poupin.pdf] *[http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/chamisso/gedichte/salas.htm Adalbert von Chamisso's ''Salas y Gomez'' at Gutenberg (in German)] <!--Navigation box--><br /> {{Polynesia}} [[Category:Islands of Chile|Salas y Gómez]] [[Category:Polynesia|Salas y Gómez]] [[Category:uninhabited islands]] [[Category:Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean]] [[Category:Easter Island]] {{coor title dms|26|28|20|S|105|21|45|W|type:landmark}} [[ca:Illa Sala i Gómez]] [[de:Sala y Gómez]] [[es:Isla Sala y Gómez]] [[eu:Sala eta Gomez uhartea]] [[fr:Île Sala y Gómez]] [[it:Isola Sala y Gómez]] [[nl:Sala y Gómez]] [[ja:サラ・イ・ゴメス島]] [[no:Isla Sala y Gómez]] [[pl:Sala y Gómez]] [[pt:Sala y Gómez]] [[ru:Сала-и-Гомес]] [[fi:Sala y Gómez]] [[sv:Sala y Gómez]]