Fernando de Noronha is an
archipelago of 21
islands and
islets in the
Atlantic Ocean, offshore from the Brazilian coast. The archipelago got its name from the Portuguese merchant
Fernão de Loronha, to whom it was given by the Portuguese crown for services rendered regarding wood imported from Brazil. The main island has an area of and had a population estimated at 2,718 in 2012. The area is a special
municipality (
distrito estadual) of the
Brazilian state of
Pernambuco (despite being closer to the state of
Rio Grande do Norte), with about 70 stablished in 1988 as a national maritime park.