Fogo - The Fire Island
 |
 |
Mit freundlicher Genehmigung des AB Kartenverlages |
On one hand Fogo is a volcanic island characterized by dark lava beaches, grottos and a wild moonscape of basalt and magma currents falling over steep cliffs into the ocean. On the other hand the island is dense with cloud forests overflowing with banana plants, coffee plantations and tropical vegetation. Grasslands dominate the north eastern side of the island.
The large and sparsely populated crater floor of the island's volcano sits about 1,500 meters above sea level and features several new volcanic cones. Pico de Fogo, the largest cone, is 2,829 meters high. The centrepiece of a national park, Parque Natural, the peak seems a part of the surrounding clouds. The last eruption inside the crater happened in 1995 when Pico Pequeno, a smaller cone on the side of the main cone, covered 50 hectares of land with lava.
Inhabitants of the crater, an area known as Cha das Caldeiras, were evacuated but most of the 700 residents returned several months later.
Most of Fogo's 35,000 inhabitants live in the picturesque city of Sao Filipe. Most of them make their living by fishing or agriculture. Sao Filipe is considered by many to be the most beautiful town in Cape Verde. Old colonial buildings and sobrados overlook the long black sand beach of Fonte Bila giving the city a special flair not found elsewhere.
There are also many small towns and the city of Mosteiros on the opposite side of the island. A 50 kilometer road connects the two cities across the 476 square kilometre island, thought to be the hottest island in the archipelago. For most visitors the hike to the top of Pico de Fogo but the island has much more to offer.
