Cíes Islands

{{Short description|Archipelago off the coast of Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain}} {{Redirect|Cíes|for topics with similar names|CIES (disambiguation){{!}}CIES}} {{Infobox islands | name = Cíes Islands | native_name = Illas Cíes | native_name_link = Galician language | sobriquet = | image_name = Illas_Cíes_Topographic_Map_en_(with_shadows).png | image_caption = Location and topographic map of the Cíes Islands | image_size = 300px | image_alt = | locator_map = | locator_map_size = | location = | coordinates = {{coord|42.223333|-8.903889}} | archipelago = | total_islands = 3 | major_islands = Monteagudo, Do Faro, San Martiño | area_km2 = | rank = | length_km = | width_km = | coastline_km = | highest_mount = | elevation_m = 197 | country = Spain | country_admin_divisions_title = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous Community]] | country_admin_divisions = [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Province of Spain|Province]] | country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Pontevedra (province)|Pontevedra]] | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[List of municipalities in Pontevedra|Municipality]] | country_admin_divisions_2 = [[Vigo]] | country_capital = | country_largest_city = | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | demonym = | population = 3 | population_as_of = | density_km2 = | ethnic_groups = | website = | additional_info = }} [[File:Illas Cies Praia.jpg|thumb|Praia dos Viños in Cíes]] The '''Cíes Islands''' ({{langx|gl|Illas Cíes|link=no}}; {{langx|es|Islas Cíes|link=no}}) are an [[archipelago]] off the coast of [[Pontevedra]] in [[Galicia, Spain|Galicia]], Spain, in the mouth of the [[Ria de Vigo]]. They were declared a [[Nature Reserve]] in 1980 and are included in the [[Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park]] (''Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre das Illas Atlánticas de Galicia'') created in 2002.

==The archipelago== [[File:Islascies2.jpg|thumb|400px|Looking South from Monte das Figueiras (Monteagudo Island)]] The Cíes consist of three islands, '''Monteagudo''' ("Sharp Mount" or North Island), '''do Faro''' ("Lighthouse Island", or Illa do Medio, "Middle Island") and '''San Martiño''' ("Saint Martin" or South Island).

Monteagudo is separated from the Morrazo [[peninsula]] by the North Canal while San Martiño is separated from the coast of Santoulo [[cape (geography)|cape]] (mount Ferro) by the Freu da Porta [[Strait]]. The Do Faro island is linked to the North island by an accumulation of sand {{convert|1200|m|0|abbr=on}} long known as Rodas [[beach]], in the eastern side of the island. During [[high tide]] the sea flows between the islands in the western side and, blocked by the beach it fills the [[lagoon]] between the sandy area and the rocks. The highest peak is the ''Alto das Cíes'' ({{convert|197|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}) in Monteagudo.

The islands formed by the end of the [[Tertiary period|Tertiary]], when some parts of the coast sank, creating the ''[[rías]]'' ("estuaries"). All three islands are the peaks of the coastal mountains now partially under the sea and are formed mainly of [[granitic]] rock.

The land is mountainous with rough, nearly vertical [[cliffs]] of more than {{convert|100|m|0|abbr=on}} on the western side, and numerous [[caves]] (''furnas'') formed by [[erosion]] from the sea and the wind. The eastern side is less steep, covered by [[woodland|woods]] and [[bushes]] and protected from the Atlantic winds, allowing the formation of beaches and [[dunes]].

Atlantic [[squalls]] pass over the islands, unloading as they collide with the coast. Therefore, the Cíes receive more or less half the quantity of rain as the rest of the [[Rías Baixas]].

==Nature reserve== Because of the high natural value of this area and its deterioration due to human activity, it was declared a Nature Reserve in 1980. The level of legal protection varied until November 21, 2000, when the [[Galician Parliament]] unanimously agreed to apply for the status of [[National Park]] to the central Government. The [[Spanish Congress of Deputies]] signed a definite agreement in June 2002, creating the National Land-Marine Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, formed by a number of [[archipelago]]s, [[islands]] and [[cays]], namely the Cíes, [[Ons Island|Ons]], [[Sálvora]], {{Interlanguage link|Noro Island|es|3=Isla de Noro|lt=Noro}}, Vionta, [[Cortegada Island]] and the {{Interlanguage link|Malveiras Islands|es|3=Islas Malveiras|lt=Malveiras}}.

The marine part of the Park is measured as a 100-meter-wide strip from the shore in [[low tide]]. Since 1992, [[fishing|underwater fishing]] is forbidden in the islands. [[National Parks]] are nature areas nearly untransformed by human activity that, based on their [[landscape]], [[geological]] or [[ecosystems]] possess [[aesthetic]], [[ecology|ecologic]], [[education|educative]] or [[scientific]] values worth of special protection. Therefore, the activities that alter or endanger the stability of the ecosystem are forbidden. Some traditional activities (like traditional fishing) are allowed as long as they are compatible with the environment and the preservation of natural resources.

Since 1988, the Islands have a status of ''ZEPA'' (''Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves'', Spanish for [[Special Protection Area]] for Birds), and they are included in the [[Natura 2000]] network, which develops [[European Union Directive]]s in relation to [[habitats]] and [[bird]]s. It contains one of the main colonies of the [[yellow-legged gull]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/red-parques-nacionales/nuestros-parques/islas-atlanticas/visita-virtual/ |title=Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre de Las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia |publisher=gob.es |accessdate=17 July 2015|language=es}}</ref> The ''ZEPAs'' are protected mainly to avoid [[pollution]] and general deterioration of the places used by birds permanently or during their migrations.

==Tourism==

In summer, boats link Monteagudo with the ports of [[Vigo]], [[Baiona (Pontevedra)|Baiona]] and [[Cangas do Morrazo|Cangas]]. There is a [[camping|camping area]] but permissions have to be reserved at the Vigo port. A supermarket, a visitor center and a restaurant cater for visitors. There are no waste bins on the islands. Visitors are required to take their litter back to the mainland. The Cíes Islands are composed of nine beaches with fine white sand and clear waters. In February 2007 the British newspaper [[The Guardian]] chose the [[Playa de Rodas|beach of Rodas]], on the island of '''Monteagudo''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/feb/16/beach.top10|title = Top 10 beaches of the world| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 16 February 2007}}</ref> as "the best beach in the world." "''Galegos come here to spend long, lazy summer days on the Praia das Rodas, a perfect crescent of soft, pale sand backed by small dunes sheltering a calm lagoon of crystal-clear sea''", says the magazine. In 2022, the island was chosen by the ''[[New York Times]]'', as one of the ''52 Places for a Changed World'', due to its efforts "to protect its environment and guard against [[overtourism]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/travel/52-places-travel-2022.html|title=52 Places for a Changed World | website=[[New York Times]] |date= 9 January 2022}}</ref>

==Flora== The [[scrubland]] is formed mainly of [[Indigenous (ecology)|autochthonous]] species, like [[gorse]], [[Genisteae|broom]], [[asparagus]], spurge flax (''[[Thymelaea]]'') or rockrose (''[[Cistaceae]]'').

The [[woodland]] has suffered bigger alterations, since most native species like the [[common fig]] or the pyrenaean oak ([[Quercus|Quercus pyrenaica]]) are now reduced to symbolic representation by the reforestation of nearly one fourth of the surface with [[pine trees]] and [[eucalyptus]]. On the other hand, the strong winds with a high content in salt act as barrier in the development of the trees.

Some rare and representative coastal species do grow in the dunes, beaches and cliffs under very extreme climatic conditions, as the sea pink (''[[Armeria]] pungens''; in [[galician language|galician]] ''herba de namorar'' or "love plant"), locally endangered, and an important number of ''camariñas'' (galician common name for ''[[Ericaceae|Corema album]]''), an [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species from the [[Iberian Peninsula]] western coast. Typically [[marshland]] flora (like [[Juncaceae|rushes]]) grow in the area of the lagoon.

==Fauna== There is a large colony of gulls, about 22,000 pairs, and that is the dominant group in Cíes. A census in 1960 counted 400 pairs of Iberian guillemots (''[[Common murre|Uria aalge albionis]]''), a subspecies now almost extinct on the islands. Other species include birds of prey, pigeons, [[petrel]]s, pelicans, doves, woodpeckers and other types of bird, which nest in trees and cliffs. Also, there are a variety of birds wintering or resting on their [[Bird migration|migratory journeys]] here. In the ''Alto da Campa'' (Illa do Faro) and in the ''Faro do Peito'' (San Martiño), there are ornithological observatories. The waters around the islands are rich in biodiversity,<ref>Celtaia Association. 2015. [https://celtaiamadrid.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/parque-nacional-maritimo-terrestre-de-las-islas-atlanticas-de-galicia/ Marine-Terrestrial National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia]. Retrieved on August 28, 2017</ref> attracting whales, dolphins, and sharks including [[blue shark]]s and [[basking shark]]s.<ref>[[Faro de Vigo]]. 2017. [http://www.farodevigo.es/gran-vigo/2017/06/23/ballenas-les-gustan-cies/1704243.html A las ballenas les gustan las Islas Cíes]. Retrieved on August 28, 2017</ref><ref>Faro de Vigo. 2017. [http://www.farodevigo.es/gran-vigo/2017/08/09/tiburones-ria-vigo/1730673.html El tiburón más bello escoge Galicia]. Retrieved on August 28, 2017</ref>

== Life and seabed == The underwater area surrounding the Cíes forms one of the richest ecosystems on the Galician coast. The most remarkable thing is an important forest of brown algae.

The perimeter of the islands has different types of environments: the cliffs, exposed to strong waves, are populated by barnacles and mussels. In its underwater part, very rocky, you can find crabs, spider crabs, lobsters and octopuses. On the beaches of the most protected areas there are many bivalve molluscs, as well as turbot, plaice and sole. The rocky but protected areas of the interior of the islands are populated by true forests of anemones and numerous sea urchins.

The waters surrounding the Cíes are usually visited by dolphins, whales and sea turtles.

The water circulation system that enters and leaves the Galician estuaries and the mixture of fresh and salt water favor the concentration of nutrients and microorganisms that are a source of food for the rest of the marine species.

Archaeological remains can also be observed on these seabeds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hoxe.vigo.org/conecenos/cies_ff_fondos.php?lang=cas#/|title=Las islas Cíes. Vida y fondos marinos|access-date=28 March 2019|author=Concello de Vigo|work=www.hoxevigo.org}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}} <references group="http://www.turismodevigo.org/en/" />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cies Islands}} [[Category:Archipelagoes of the Atlantic Ocean]] [[Category:Archipelagoes of Spain]] [[Category:National parks of Spain]] [[Category:Special Protection Areas of Spain]] [[Category:Landforms of Galicia (Spain)]] [[Category:Protected areas of Galicia (Spain)]] [[Category:Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean]]