Columbretes islands
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Columbretes Els Columbrets |
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|---|---|
| Islands | |
 Columbretes Islands map |
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 Columbretes
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| Coordinates: 39°53′53″N 0°41′07″E / 39.89806°N 0.68528°E | |
| Country |
 Spain
|
| Autonomous community |
 Valencian Community
|
| Province | Castelló |
| Comarca | Plana Alta |
| Judicial district | Castelló de la Plana |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.19 km2 (0.07 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | no permanent population |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 12100 |
The Columbretes Islands (Valencian: Els Columbrets, IPA: [eɫs kolumˈbɾets]) are a group of small uninhabited islets of volcanic origin, in the Mediterranean Sea, 49 kilometres (30 miles) off Oropesa del Mar. Administratively they belong to Castelló de la Plana municipality, Valencian Community, Spain.
The main islets are Illa Grossa (Spanish: Columbrete Grande), La Ferrera, La Foradada and El Carallot. The total emerged area of all four is around 0.19 km2 (0.07 sq mi) and the highest point is 67 metres (220 feet) above sea level. Illa Grossa, by far the largest, is the northernmost island of the group. It stands in the place of an ancient crater and shows a distinctive semi-circular pattern. There are no buildings on it, except for a 19th-century lighthouse, a jetty and the staff quarters used by the biologists working in the wildlife reserve.
The cone forming the Columbrete Grande was constructed during four volcanic episodes from 1.0 to 0.3 million years ago. It consists of alkaline magmatism associated with the opening (rifting) of the Valencia Trough. Volcanism in other areas of the Valencia Trough coast dates between 10 million years and the present and they show a transition from calc-alkaline to alkaline signature.
These islands were known by Greeks and Romans from ancient times. Writers such as Strabo or Pliny the Elder cited the astonishing number of snakes inhabiting them. The names Ophiusa and Colubraria by which they were named (meaning serpent in Greek and Latin, respectively) refer to that fact. The islands owe their present name to "Colubraria", the Latin word for "snake".
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