located halfway between the
'ilha das cobras' and the
niterói- rio bridge, the 'ilha das
enxadas', a name which could be translated into english as
'scuffle island', is in essence a small rock which was occupied
to receive several brazilian navy installations.
as such it does
have an historical part in the defense of rio de janeiro and the
country in general.
the island owns its name due
to the presence of great numbers of treadfish, known in
portuguese as 'peixe-enxada', around its shores.