Ilha da Queimada Grande has a variety of vegetation. The island is partly covered in rainforest and partly bare rock and grassy cleared areas, a result of deforestation. The deforestation is the origin of the island's name: the term "Queimada", in Portuguese, means “burnt” because when locals attempted to clear land for a banana plantation on the island, they had to clear rain forest using this technique. A lighthouse was constructed in 1909 to steer ships away from the island. The last human inhabitants left the island when the lighthouse was automated.