Fogo Natural Park | |
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Coordinates | 14°57′N 24°22′W / 14.95°N 24.36°W |
Area | 84.69 km2 (32.70 sq mi) |
Fogo Natural Park ( Portuguese: Parque Natural do Fogo), on the island of Fogo, is one of ten "natural parks" in the country of Cape Verde. [1] The protected area is 84.69 km2 (32.70 sq mi), [2] [1] which is 17.8% of the total area of the island. [3] 50% of the park lies within the municipality Santa Catarina do Fogo, 28% in municipality of Mosteiros and 22% in São Filipe. [1] The natural park is situated in the interior of the island, and covers the volcano Pico do Fogo, its crater and crater rim ( Bordeira) and the forest of Monte Velha. The volcano is active; the most recent eruption was in 2014-15. [4]
The volcano area of Fogo is an Important Bird Area. Key bird species are Fea's petrel, Boyd's shearwater and Cape Verde swift. [5] The ocean around the island of Fogo is another Important Bird Area covering 2,473 km2 (955 sq mi). [6]
The endemic plants Echium vulcanorum ( endangered) [7] and Erysimum caboverdeanum ( critically endangered) [8] are only found on the outer crater rim of the volcano of Fogo. [5]