Rolas Island

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Rolas Island

Rolas Island

The Rolas Island is located in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. The island is located on the Equator, separated from the southern tip of São Tomé Island by the Canal das Rolas. Its highest elevation is 96 meters above sea level. The island is accessible only by ferry from Ponta Baleia on São Tomé Island. On the island stands a lighthouse, built in 1929. It has a focal height of 106 meters and a range of 22 km. There is also a small resort on the island, the Pestana Equador. This is one of the very few resorts on Earth which crosses the equator and lies in two hemispheres. The site forms the settlement of Ilhéu das Rolas. The resort is home to the Mark of the Equator, located directly on the equator that marks the separation of the northern and southern hemispheres, to the southwest of the resort. The islet is rich in flora and fauna. There are endemic species such as the Greeff's Giant Gecko, species of birds such as the São Tomé Prinia and the São Tomé Weaver, and frogs such as the Phrynobatrachus leafeve and the Schistometopum thomense.