There are not many conflicts on the planet like the one Spain has been solving for over five centuries. And there is no easy way to explain it. If we were to summarize the events in one sentence, it would go something like this: Spain wants an island but doesn’t know if it belongs to it, while another nation has acted more quickly and now it seems to belong to it. but neither one nor the other. Yes, a real absurdity that no one can clearly understand. Let’s look at its story.

Wild Isles. First, let’s get to the facts. We are facing an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 165 kilometers from the Canary Islands (the closest island is Tenerife) and 280 kilometers from the Portuguese native Madeira Island. In turn, the islands of Salvaje Pequena, Ilhéu de Fora and Salvaje Grande are part of the Salvaje Islands archipelago.

Also very important, rather than islands, they could perfectly be islets due to their small size. In any case, its history is interesting and marked by territorial disputes between Spain and Portugal and by its ecological importance.

The Great Savage. As its name suggests, it is the largest of the archipelago, with an area of ​​approximately 2.5 km². Its terrain is rugged and arid, with no freshwater sources and little vegetation. However, it has become an object of interest due to its strategic location in the Atlantic.

Wild little one. We are facing the second largest island of the archipelago, with an area of ​​about 0.25 km². It is even more inhospitable than Salvaje Grande, with less vegetation and natural resources. Its main value is ecological, acting as a refuge for seabirds. In 1971 it was also included in the Wild Islands nature reserve.

Wild Little

Ilheu de Fora. The smallest is a small rocky islet located near Salvaje Pequena. Its surface is dwarfed and is essentially a rock formation with no vegetation or water sources. Therefore? Due to its size, it has no significant history of habitation or use beyond being part of the protected Savage Islands ecosystem. Like the other islets of the archipelago, it is protected as part of a nature reserve.

So, if you’ve made it this far, you might be wondering why there’s so much fighting between two countries over a tiny piece of land with almost no vegetation. It all started in the 15th century, and its significance lies in sovereignty, fishing rights, and control of the surrounding waters.

These lands are mine. Portugal has always maintained that the archipelago was discovered by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century (in 1460 by the navigator Diogo Gomes). Since then, the country has not hesitated to claim sovereignty, considering them part of the territory of Madeira by uninterrupted ownership and right of exploration.

On the other hand, from the same period in the 15th century onwards, Spain had a great interest in the Atlantic, especially through its control of the Canary Islands. The Spanish vision says that the archipelago was seen by Jean de Bérhencourt during the conquest of the Canary Islands, decades before Gomes. It is also claimed that they appear on a map of 1367 by the brothers Francesco and Domenico Pizzigani.

Regardless, although Spain never actually occupied the Wild Isles, its proximity to the Canary Islands meant that it was involved in the territorial issue and has laid claim to them ever since due to their “geographical proximity” to the southern islands (they are closer to Tenerife than Madeira).

Division and a certain peace. The New World was divided between Spain and Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed under the mediation of the Pope in 1494. Although the Savage Islands were not explicitly mentioned in this treaty, it set a precedent for territorial disputes in the Atlantic.

Thus, in the following centuries the dispute over the Wild Isles was intermittent and remained at a relatively low level, without escalating to military conflict, as the archipelago was not considered very strategic. However, the 20th century saw a revival of the conflict.

Tensions are rising. In 1932, Portugal “raised the flag” and began to legislate the area as its own, based on the principle of acquired rights. It states that it belongs to the district of Funchal and that it has been used as a private hunting ground by a Madeiran banker named Luis da Rocha since at least 1903. Six years later, in ’38, the Permanent Commission for the Law of the Sea grants ownership to Portugal, but the objection that Spain must make is still pending.

Spain did not do this, tired of the Civil War on its territory, and eventually Portugal took the territory from Rocha in ’71. Portugal declared the Wild Islands a nature reserve for $1.5 million, which was seen by Spain as a clear move to solidify its sovereignty over the archipelago.

Fishing conflict. Tensions were growing with Spain, which had an ambiguous stance on sovereignty, particularly regarding fishing rights and the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Furthermore, in 1972, Portugal extended its EEZ to the Wild Islands, a red line for Spain, because it affected the rights of Canarian fishermen. Spain ultimately did not recognize the extension of the Portuguese EEZ in this area.

Today’s conflict. The decades following 1980 were marked by many diplomatic incidents, particularly over fishing. Spain and Portugal exchanged diplomatic notes and protested, but open conflict never resulted. The dispute continued into the new millennium, with both countries defending their positions. Portugal continued to maintain and strengthen its presence on the islands, while Spain insisted that the Wild Isles should not form an EEZ, arguing that the territory was a “rock” and not an “island” under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Today, Portugal maintains control of the Savage Islands, and while the dispute has not been formally resolved, the situation appears to have stabilized. Portugal continues to manage the nature reserve and has secured de facto international recognition of its sovereignty. Let’s say there is more of a tacit understanding that it will not affect bilateral relations. Spain and Portugal have not known who owns them for 500 years, but they have at least been clear that they do not want to escalate the dispute any further.

Image | Vzb83, NASA Earth Observatory

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