Ilhéu de Cima


Ilhéu de Cima is an uninhabited island of Cape Verde. It is part of the Ilhéus do Rombo islet group, located east of Ilhéu Grande, the other main islet of the group, and northeast of the island Brava. They are administratively a part of the Brava municipality. Surrounding islets include Ilhéu Luiz Carneiro, Ilhéu Sapado and Ilhéu do Rei. The island is part of the integral nature reserve Ilhéus do Rombo, famous for its seabirds colonies.
The southern part of the islet is the highest, culminating at. This is where the Ilhéu de Cima Lighthouse is situated, the only building on the island. The islet was mentioned as "Ghuay" in the 1747 map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin.
Notable endemic fauna found on the island include the Iago sparrow. In the mid-1950s, W. R. P. Bourne observed females remaining in flocks while males began to take up locations on rocky slopes from which they could sing. A species of sponge Esperiopsis cimensis was found in the deep waters surrounding the islet.