A remote Brazilian island welcomed its first baby in 12 years after a local woman broke the rule against giving birth there.

The baby girl born on the Atlantic outpost of Fernando de Noronha on Saturday came as a surprise to everyone - including the parents.

"The mother, who does not want to be identified, went into labor at home," the island's administration said in a statement carried by O Globo newspaper. "The family says it wasn't aware of the pregnancy."

Tiny Fernando de Noronha - an archipelago famous for its wildlife preserve and with a population of just over 3,000 - doesn't authorize births because there's no maternity ward, O Globo reported.

Expectant mothers are told to travel to the mainland, where the nearest big city is Natal, 227 miles (365 km) across the ocean.