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27-611: The Dollabarat Reef is a shoal situated 5 km (3 nautical miles) south-southeast of the Formigas Islets on the Formigas Bank in the Azores archipelago. The reef is named after Pierre Dollabarats, Basque captain of the ship Maria de Sebourre , who accidentally discovered the reef when his small boat wrecked on it on 7 March 1788. Since 16 June 2008, Dollabarat Reef and the neighboring Formigas Islets have been recognized as

54-607: A Ramsar Convention wetland under the name Ilhéus das Formigas e Recife Dollabarat (reference number 1804). The Dollabarat Reef is part of the Formigas Islets Nature Reserve which covers 35.42 square kilometres (13.68 sq mi). Around the Formigas Reserve, including the Dollabarat, sea cliffs fall rapidly between 50–70 metres (160–230 ft), although gently to the north and south. The gradient around

81-580: A wharf . Despite various interruptions to the work due to rough seas and inclement weather, in 36 days the workers managed to build a small beacon. In 1962, the Portuguese Navy 's lightship NRP Almirante Schultz anchored at the Formigas and was used as a work base for renovating and modernizing the lighthouse. In the succeeding years the lighthouse was further modernized; the beacon now runs on solar power and its old acetylene lamp has been replaced with

108-420: A maximum altitude of 11 metres (36 ft) above sea level. Generally the islets are useful for navigation and visible up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) away on clear days, but during inclement weather a ship can run aground on the rocks without even seeing the lighthouse. The Formigas Bank is essentially a submarine volcano inhabited by deep-dwelling marine species such as coral and sponges. The volcanic cone

135-446: A newer model. The islets are composed of basalt flows that occurred approximately 4 million years ago, although calcareous fossiliferous sediments dating to 4-6 million years ago have been discovered. The bank extends for 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from northwest to southeast and is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) wide. Due to strong currents and frequent large swells, the linear rock outcroppings lack any terrestrial flora or fauna. Along

162-463: Is a 19-metre (62 ft) stone tower painted white. As the base of the tower is at an elevation of about 3 metres (9.8 ft) above sea level, the beacon is at 22 metres (72 ft) above sea level. The lighthouse's signal is visible from 12 nautical miles (22 km) away on clear days, although there have been reports of seeing it from the southeastern part of São Miguel and the northeastern part of Santa Maria. In rough seas, waves completely immerse

189-618: Is delimited approximately by the Formigas islets of the northwest and Dollabarat Reef to the southeast. In the ancient crater there is a rich community of species common to the Azores. Among the species typical of the area are wrasse ( Mediterranean rainbow wrasse and ornate wrasse ), damselfish , sergeant fish (yellow and black), grouper , Mediterranean parrotfish , and the emblematic Atlantic goliath grouper , serranidae and barred hogfish . Alongside these are African threadfish and longbill spearfish , pelagic predators that also reside in

216-576: The regional assembly /legislature of the Azores , an autonomous region of Portugal . The regional legislative assembly, since it was first instituted, has maintained its seat in the city of Horta. Initially, it was installed in the building of the masonic temple of the Sociedade Amor da Pátria , from 1976 until 1979, when it was moved to the Casa do Relógio in the old German quarters' Colónia Alemã . Neither of these buildings were sufficiently adequate for

243-471: The Azores; the fields of kelp are situated between 45 metres (148 ft) and 60 metres (200 ft) below the crater at the Formigas, while at Dollabarat the brown algae is located along the reef's flanks. Legislative Assembly of the Azores PSD/CDS/PPM Opposition (31): The Legislative Assembly of the Azores ( Portuguese : Assembleia Legislativa dos Açores ) is

270-465: The Dollabarat are covered with large rocks and irregular plains covered with a carpet of seaweeds. Given the relatively shallow waters, the reef is a peril to navigation, similar to sandy shorelines. The strong currents, deep waters, and presence of sharks make diving difficult for those not familiar with open-ocean diving. The sub-tidal zone is a shelter for many fish species, and the abundance of black coral located about 15 metres (49 ft) deep in

297-412: The Dollabarat is less accentuated. The highest point is 3 metres (9.8 ft) below sea level. Dollabarat Reef is one of the higher parts of the Formigas Bank, a seamount with similar volcanic origins as the Azores islands. The reef was formed from rocks emerging from volcanic activity in submarine volcanoes and deeper spaces composed of drained lava holes with an irregular morphology. The deeper parts of

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324-569: The Formigas Bank has the status of Nature Reserve and is protected by a decree of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores (Regional Legislative Decree Nº11/88/A). It is also considered a European Site of Community Importance (Rede Natura 2000). The habitats protected by the Azorean decree include the area from the emerged islets to depths of more than 1,700 metres (5,600 ft), yet this has not stopped incidents of commercial fishing. Consequently,

351-531: The Formigas' rich marine life. The Formigas served as both an aid and hindrance to navigation from their discovery well into the 20th century. On 8 April 1832, the British ship Zyllah wrecked on a subsurface rock at the Formigas and its crew had to be rescued the next day by the British merchantman Morley . Nearly ninety years later on 16 June 1921, the Greek cargo ship Olympia ran aground and wrecked at Formigas;

378-573: The archipelago's perimeter, the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 50–70 metres (160–230 ft) on either side, and gently at the northern and southern tips. The area of the bank referred to as the Dollabarat Reef is an area of shallower gradient, situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) along the southwest of the Formigas Islets. Formigas is Portuguese for ants, as the small and dispersed rocks resemble scattered ants. The largest islet Formigão has

405-477: The area is regularly patrolled by a Portuguese naval vessel based in Ponta Delgada . Since 16 June 2008, the Formigas Islets and neighboring Dollabarat Reef have been recognized as a Ramsar Convention wetland under the name Ilhéus das Formigas e Recife Dollabarat . The Formigas Lighthouse ( Portuguese : Farol das Formigas ) is located on Formigão, the largest islet of the Formigas. The current beacon

432-522: The bank, and migratory species like manta ray and whale shark . The base and surface of the volcano is covered in various types of black coral , soft corals , sponges , and other invertebrates, as well as various algae , forming a mosaic of micro-habitats. The geological differences of the Formigas Islets and Dollabarat Reef relative to the rest of the Azores are accentuated by the types of flora present there. The Formigas and Dollabarat both have an elevated biomass of brown algae considered unique to

459-471: The crew survived. The islets have long garnered scientific and commercial interest. In 1886, the Italian ship Corsaro visited the Formigas Islets, dredging the area for the first time for scientific research purposes. Prince Albert I of Monaco's Princess Alice expedition also visited the islets in 1895 to investigate the marine life, for both scientific and commercial fishery purposes. Since 4 April 1988,

486-458: The eastern part of the reef has resulted in a small reef habitat. There is a large abundance of sea animals in the vicinity. In addition to species of sharks, other aquatic animals such as sea chub , trigger fish , mantas , turtles and dolphins have been observed in the waters around Dollabarat, including the Atlantic goliath grouper (usually found in depths between 10–40 m). The floor of

513-581: The jury awarded the first prize to the team coordinated by Manuel Correia Fernandes, who were assisted by the firm Teixeira Duarte - Engenharia e Construções, SA (winner of the construction tender). The project was begun on 21 March 1988, and ran for two years: it was inaugurated on 15 July 1990. The solemn ceremony commemorating the inauguration was presided by the Chief of State, Dr. Mário Soares , and included various figures from Portuguese society. The benediction, by bishop of Angra, Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, which

540-845: The new building. In 1982, a public tender "for ideas", was initiated, resulting in 63 registered entrants, and 56 acceptable candidates (23 January 1983). This number was weeded down to 27 proposals, which were analyzed by a board of 10 members. The jurists included: representatives from the Regional Assembly; Regional Directorate for Habitation, Urbanism and Environment; Municipal Council of Horta; Regional Directorate for Culture; National Association of Portuguese Architects; and Order of Engineers. In second round of study resulted in five candidates, that included architects Adalberto da Rocha Gonçalves Dias, Eduardo Mário Vale Mendes Carqueijeiro; José Gomes Fernandes; Luís Alexandre Ferreira Chaves and Manuel Correia Fernandes. Between 23 and 26 January 1984,

567-407: The reef and surrounding islets. Formigas Islets The Formigas were discovered by Portuguese explorers Diogo de Silves and Gonçalo Velho Cabral in 1431 during their journey to Madeira . The islets were neglected due to the contemporaneous discovery of the neighboring inhabitable islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel. In the 16th century, Portuguese chronicler Gaspar Frutuoso reported on

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594-409: The running of the bureaucracy of the regional government, requiring the construction of a new edifice for the Azorean parliament. A commission was established to investigate the requirements and location for a new building (a terrain overlooking an area with view of the islands of the central group of islands). Consequently, the commission resolved, on 4 June 1981, to initiate the process to construct

621-562: The seamount is generally covered by a dense layer of seaweed , dominated by the Cystoseira species, a seaweed found in deeper areas. In shallower depths less than 50 metres (160 ft) from the surface there are populations of Laminaria (large colonies of chestnut seaweeds). The Department of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of the Azores ( Ponta Delgada ) monitors and studies these species annually through scientific missions to

648-473: The technical difficulties of building a lighthouse in that era in a place so inhospitable as the Formigas, construction of a lighthouse on the islets themselves was further delayed. Finally, in the summer of 1948 the Portuguese government began a complex operation to build a lighthouse on Formigão. In order to land personnel and equipment on the islet, the workers first had to break away subsurface rocks and build

675-586: The tower. As early as 1883 the Portuguese government formally recognized the dangers posed by the Formigas to navigation and proposed building a lighthouse on the islets, but nothing was constructed at the time. On 2 March 1895, at the General Meeting of the Autonomous District of Ponta Delgada , the District initiated construction of lighthouses on São Miguel and Santa Maria. Because of this, and also due to

702-461: The zone around the assembly was classified as an " area for the defense and urban control of the classified property ", under regulating decree 17/92/A. The legislature is a contemporary structure, constructed specifically for the functioning of the regional assembly, by project architect Manuel Correia Fernandes, and inaugurated in June 1990. Its minimalist design includes a space for plenary sessions of

729-647: Was held in the plenary hall included the participation of the regional deputies, the principal civil, military and eclessiatical authorities, and other invited guests. There were speeches by Paul Valadão (PCP), Rui Meireles (CDS), Martins Goulart (PS) and Madruga da Costa (PSD), who followed the formal introductions by the President of the Assembly Reis Leite, President of the National Assembly, Vítor Crespo, and finally, President Mário Soares. On 13 August 1992,

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