Rocas Atoll ( Atol das Rocas) is an atoll in the Atlantic Ocean at location 03°52′S 33°49′W. It is part of Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. Fanning Atoll (Tabuaeran) is a typical, small to moderate-sized atoll located in the central Pacific Ocean. ... Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the edge of the South American continent. ...

The atoll has an oval shape. It is a is 3.7 km long and 2.5 km wide. The lagoon is up to 6 m deep and has an area of 7.5 km². The land area (two islets on the West side, Cemitério Island and Farol Cay) is 0.36 km². The highest point is a sand dune in the South of larger Farol Cay, with a height of 6 meters. Both islets are overgrown with grasses, bushes and a few palm trees. There are crabs, spiders, sand fleas, beetles, large roaches, and many species of birds. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ...

There is a lighthouse of the Brazilian coast guard that has been in operation and maintained since the 1960s, at the Northern end of Farol Cay. In its vicinity is a derelict lighthouse from 1933. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The atoll is a wildlife sanctuary, and since 2001 a World Heritage property of UNESCO. Numerous turtles, sharks, dolphins and birds live in the area. The atoll consists mainly of coral and red algae. The coral ring is almost closed, with a 200 m wide channel on the North side and a much narrower channel on the West side. Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... Families See text Turtles are reptiles of the order Chelonia, most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilagenous shell developed from their ribs. ... Orders Hexanchiformes Squaliformes Pristiophoriformes Squatiniformes Heterodontiformes Orectolobiformes Carcharhiniformes Lamniformes Sharks are a group (superorder Selachimorpha) of fish, with a full cartilaginous skeleton, a streamlined body plan, with normally 5, but up to 7 (depending on species) gill slits along the side of, or beginning slightly behind, the head (in some... Genera See article below. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... // Headline text Headline text Headline text Headline text Bold text Orders Scleractinia Corals are gastrovascular marine cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria; class Anthozoa) existing as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically forming colonies of many individuals. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

External links

• Sigep - Brazilian Commission of Geological and Palaeobiological Sites (English/Portuguese) detailed description, with maps and pictures]
• UNESCO - World Heritage (English)
• Further information (German)