marambaia is also a word used in the portuguese language to describe a sailor who prefers to live on land rather than on a ship.  some jokingly  say that perhaps, over the years, the incredible beauty of this stretch of coast, seduced many sailors into becoming 'marambaians' - hence, the name of the sandbank.

while the sandbank looks like a very long, very thin peninsula, it is in fact separated from the mainland by the canal do bacalhau, making it an actual island. this is the reason why the official name is ilha da marambaia (marambaia island).