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| Salas y Gómez Island | |
|---|---|
| Name | Salas y Gómez Island |
| Native name | Isla Salas y Gómez |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 26°27′S 105°10′W |
| Area km2 | 0.15 |
| Country | Chile |
Salas y Gómez Island Salas y Gómez Island is a small uninhabited volcanic islet in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, located east of Easter Island and west of the Nazca Plate boundary. The islet is part of the territorial waters of Chile and lies within an area of high maritime and ecological significance linked to the Juan Fernández Ridge, Nazca Ridge, and the wider Southeast Pacific Ocean biogeographic region. Its remoteness has attracted attention from explorers, scientists, conservationists, and national authorities since European contact in the 19th century.
The islet forms part of a chain associated with submarine volcanism on the Nazca Plate and sits near the intersection of the Nazca Plate and the Pacific Plate, adjacent to the Easter Seamounts and the Salas y Gómez Ridge. Its topography comprises a low rocky outcrop of basaltic lava flows, guano-covered ledges, and narrow coastal cliffs rising a few meters above sea level; the summit reaches only about 30 meters elevation and total land area is under 1 square kilometer. The surrounding marine environment includes steep bathymetric gradients, deep pelagic trenches, and seamount habitats contiguous with the Nazca Ridge and Easter Island Hotspot, influencing currents linked to the Peru–Chile Trench and the South Pacific Gyre. The islet lies within Chilean exclusive economic zones defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and is proximate to maritime features named during voyages by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa, Ferdinand Magellan, and later European navigators.
The islet entered European charts during the age of exploration when Spanish and Portuguese navigators recorded remote Pacific features; later 19th-century hydrographic surveys by vessels under the flags of Spain (Spanish Empire), United Kingdom, France, and United States improved mapping. Chilean annexation and administration were formalized during the 20th century under legal frameworks influenced by the Treaty of Tordesillas legacy in regional claims, and later diplomatic practice involving Chile and neighboring Pacific states. Scientific expeditions in the 20th and 21st centuries involved institutions such as the University of Chile, the Smithsonian Institution, the California Academy of Sciences, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, each conducting oceanographic, biological, and geological surveys linked to projects on Easter Island and the broader Polynesia research network. Naval and hydrographic missions by the Chilean Navy and Chilean government agencies periodically inspected the islet, while conservation initiatives arose from engagements with organizations including National Geographic Society and international environmental NGOs.
The islet supports seabird colonies characterized by species associated with eastern Pacific islands, with nesting populations recorded for taxa also known from Easter Island, Pitcairn Islands, and Henderson Island. Surveys documented breeding for species linked to the families Procellariidae, Laridae, and Diomedeidae, with visitors reporting connections to seabirds known from Galápagos Islands and Juan Fernández Islands. Marine ecosystems around the islet include reef fish assemblages and pelagic fauna comparable to those found near the Nazca Ridge and Rapa Nui waters, with occurrences of species documented by researchers from the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The terrestrial flora is sparse, with salt-tolerant plants and lichens also reported on remote Pacific islets such as Motu Nui and Motu Iti; invertebrate and arthropod communities are limited and show biogeographic affinities studied in comparative work with Polynesia and South America island ecosystems. The region’s oceanographic conditions influence migratory species including marine mammals that traverse corridors used by populations studied by the International Whaling Commission and marine mammal researchers from institutions like the University of Auckland.
Chile has included the islet within conservation frameworks tied to the Easter Island (Rapa Nui) administration and national marine protected area planning under agencies such as the Chilean Ministry of the Environment and the Chilean Navy. Proposals and designations have been discussed that relate to large-scale marine protected areas similar to those established around the Galápagos Marine Reserve and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, with involvement from international NGOs like Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, and regional conservationists. Scientific bodies including the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Convention on Biological Diversity have informed assessments of the islet’s ecological importance, while Chilean legislative instruments and maritime zoning apply protections modeled on global precedents including measures used in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and the Mariana Trench National Monument.
Human visitation is rare and limited to transient transits, scientific expeditions, and occasional patrols by vessels from the Chilean Navy and research institutions. Fieldwork has been conducted by teams from universities and museums such as the University of Chile, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, and the California Academy of Sciences, focusing on seabird ecology, marine biodiversity, and volcanic geology linked to studies at Easter Island and other Pacific hotspots. Non-governmental organizations and international research collaborations, including projects with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, have executed remote sensing, scuba surveys, and longline monitoring campaigns in adjacent waters, contributing data to global repositories maintained by the Global Ocean Observing System and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Access to the islet is subject to Chilean maritime jurisdiction enforced by the Chilean Navy and administrative authorities located in Valparaíso Region and on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Permits for scientific access typically require coordination with Chilean governmental bodies, universities, and conservation agencies, mirroring procedures used for remote island research around the Juan Fernández Islands and within Pacific archipelagos. The islet’s legal and environmental status is shaped by Chilean national law, international maritime law under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and bilateral arrangements affecting regional fisheries and biodiversity conservation negotiated with entities including the Food and Agriculture Organization and regional fisheries management organizations.
Category:Islands of Chile Category:Uninhabited islands