The Berlengas are a Portuguese archipelago consisting of small Atlantic islands 10 to 17 kilometres (6.2–10.6 miles) off the coast of Peniche, Portugal, in the Oeste region.

Human occupation on Berlenga Grande dates back to antiquity: the islands are referred to in Ptolemy's Geography as Λονδοβρίς (Londobris).

[6] In 1513, with the support of Queen Eleanor of Viseu, monks from the Order of São Jerónimo established a settlement on the island to offer assistance to navigation and victims of frequent shipwrecks.

As the archipelago has been declared a reservation area for the protection of the local fauna (primarily sea birds), it is only visited by scientists and, in the summer, by a number of tourists.

Berlenga Grande and Estelas are of igneous origin, composed of pink granites, and occur in outcrops with rounded morphologies, generally with flattened tops.

The Farilhões Forcadas group, on the other hand, consists of metamorphic rocks, where reliefs characterized by sharp peaks and vertical cliffs stand out.

[12] Berlenga Island is a pink granite plateau with rounded shapes, marked by a very jagged coastline, where several coves, caves, arches, paths, small islets and rocks stand out.

The pink granite fragments and metamorphic rocks found at Cabo Carvoeiro or Baleal, as well as in the Papoa tuff breccia, similar to those recognized in the archipelago, confirms this hypothesis.

[12] The absence of morphological structures typical of the erosion of granitic massifs and soils on the surface of Berlenga Grande suggest that it was underwater for long periods of time.

[12] The older metamorphic rocks that outcrop in Farilhões and Forcadas are erosion-resistance peaks of an underwater mountain that widens considerably below sea level.

[12] The Berlengas have a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) dominated by the Atlantic, especially on the northern and northwestern coasts, where strong winds are felt.

[19] Human presence led to the introduction of exotic species, like the ice plant and small mammals like the European rabbit and the black rat who work to diminish the native population.

berlengensis) and the ocellated lizard, although this last one is residual and is only seen in restricted areas of the islands such as caves and is thought to be different from the continental relatives, showing different morphological traits and demeanor.

[20] It is also in the southernmost range of the common murre (adopted as the symbol of the nature reserve)[20] and is one of the few breeding locations of the band-rumped storm petrel.

[21] The Berlengas archipelago is situated off of Peniche, south of the Nazaré Canyon and on the edge of the continental shelf (in Farilhões Islets) on a maritime zone known by its relatively high biological productivity, acting as a meeting point between coastal and oceanic fish species.

On the other hand, the upwelling currents originating in deep waters contribute to the development of an aquatic fauna with evident commercial interest.