FERNANDO DE NORONHA (Fernao de N.), an island in the South Atlantic, 125m. from the coast of Brazil to which country it belongs, in S., 32°25' W. It is about 7m. long and 12m. wide, and some other islets lie adjacent to it. Its surface is rugged, and it contains a number of rocky hills from 500 to 7oof t. high, and one peak towering to the height of I ,089f t. It is formed of basalt, trachyte and phonolite, and the soil is very fertile. The climate is healthy. It is defended by forts, and serves as a place of banishment for criminals from Brazil. The next largest island of the group is about a mile in circumference, and the others are small barren rocks. The population is about 2,000, all males, in cluding some 1,400 criminals, and a garrison of 15o. Communica tion is maintained by steamer with Pernambuco. The island takes its name from its Portuguese discoverer (1503), the count of Noronha.