Trindade Island (Brazil, 1958)

Photographs of an object taken from a Brazilian Navy ship, much debated.

Trindade and Martim Vaz (Portuguese: Trindade e Martim Vaz, pronounced [tɾĩˈdadʒi i maʁˈtʃĩ ˈvas]) is an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean about 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) east off the coast of the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, of which it forms a part. The archipelago has a total area of 10.4 square kilometres (4.0 square miles) and a navy-supported research station of up to 8 persons. The archipelago consists of five islands and several rocks and stacks; Trindade is the largest island, with an area of 10.1 square kilometres (3.9 square miles); about 49 kilometres (30 miles) east of it are the tiny Martim Vaz islets, with a total area of 0.3 square kilometres (70 acres). The islands are of volcanic origin and have rugged terrain; the date of last eruption in the island is unknown, but occurred on the southeastern tip of the island at Vulcão de Paredão. They are largely barren, except for the southern part of Trindade. They were discovered in 1502 by Portuguese explorer Estêvão da Gama and stayed Portuguese until they became part of Brazil at its independence in 1822. From 1895 to 1896, Trindade was occupied by the United Kingdom until an agreement with Brazil was reached.