Cabras Islets

In the southern part of the island of Terceira, some people claim a German U-boat hid in the waters around the islet during World War II, conducting its attacks from the area.

[1] Azorean writer Vitorino Nemésio, a native of Terceira, referred to the islets as "a estátua da nossa solidão" ("the statue of our solitude") in his 1956 book Corsário das Ilhas (English: Corsair of the Islands).

In 2011 the Ilhéus das Cabras ZPE (Portuguese: Zona de Proteção Especial, or Special Protection Zone in English) was formally integrated into the Nature Park of Terceira.

[5] The islets are located on the southeast coast of Terceira, east of Angra do Heroísmo, and politically part of the civil parish of Porto Judeu.

[1] Difficult human access and rocky cliffs makes this area an ideal location for a significant population of Cory's shearwater (Calonectris borealis) and common tern (Sterna hirundo), which annually migrate through the Azores to nest, in addition to grey heron (Ardea cinerea), sanderling (Calidris alba), Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), and other marine birds such as seagulls (family Laridae).

[1] The biodiversity and geographical conditions make the area around the Cabras ideal for sub-aquatic activities, including recreational diving and scientific investigations.

The profile of the cone that formed the islets, comprising the Ilhéu Grande ( Large Islet ), on the left, and the Ilhéu Pequeno ( Small Islet ), to the right.
A view of the Cabras Islets from the Fort of São Sebastião
The eastern face of the Cabras Islets, as seen from the Ponta de Contendas, on the island of Terceira
A view of the Cabras Islet, as seen from the southeast corner, with the island of Terceira in the background