The Selvagens Islands are a group of uninhabitable islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 163 miles south of the island of Madeira. Officially discovered by Portuguese navigators in 1438, this small archipelago is formed by two sets of islands: Selvagem Grande, and the group made up of Selvagem Pequena and Ihéu de Fora. Selvagem Grande is a rocky island whose highest point is Pico da Atalaia (153 m); it is circled by cliffs that drop sharply into the sea. Selvagem Pequena and Ilhéu de Fora are small, flat islands, covered by calcareous sands, rising to maximum heights of 49 and 18 metres, respectively.

Selvagens were classified as Strict Nature Reserve in 1971 but the importance of this reserve was internationaly recognised in 1997, when it received the European Diploma of Protected Areas, becoming the only Portuguese reserve to hold this distinction. In December 2001 they were classified as site of Nature 2000 network and in January 2003 the Ilhas Selvagens were candidated by Portugal to the Natural World Heritage by the UNESCO.

These islands are under the jurisdiction of the Madeira Nature Park, and they are permanently guarded by a corps of nature conservation guards.

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