Câmara de Lobos

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  Norsk
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  Português

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Madeira (red) on the map of Portugal. © University Museum of Bergen

Câmara de Lobos • literally Chamber of Sea Lions (monk seals). Described in a late 16^th century text as follows: "From here they passed downhill until they found a thin rock, the lowest point, which enters the sea a lot, and between this rock and another, there is an arm of the sea like a backwater, where nature has made a great limpet, as a chamber of stone and living rock; here they put the boats, where they found so many sealions, it was amazing, and it was no small refreshment or a pastime for us, because they killed many of them and had a lot of pleasure and celebration in the killing, which gave the name to this backwater Câmara de Lobos, where this captain João Gonçalves took the nickname, for being the last part he discovered of this tour and path, which he did; and from this place he took his weapons, which the King gave him, returning to the kingdom, as I will tell later."

Country

Portugal

County/ Region

Madeira

First use

Early modern

Associated with

Monk seal