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Fogo Island Tourist Information

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Location Map of Fogo Island

Fogo Island

Fogo (Portuguese for "fire") is a volcanic island in the Sotavento group ofCape Verde. It is the most prominent of the group, rising to nearly 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level at Mount Fogo. The volcano has been historically active, last erupting in 1995, forming a new crater called Pico Pequeno. Its largest feature is a 9 km wide caldera, which has walls 1 km high. The caldera has a breach in its eastern rim, and a large peak rises in the centre. The central cone Pico forms the highest point of the island and its summit is about 100 m higher than the surrounding wall of the caldera. Lava from the volcano has reached the eastern coast of the island within historical times. Mount Fogo is the highest peak of Cape Verde, rising to 2829 metres above sea level. It is a volcano lying on the island of Fogo. The main cone last erupted in 1675, causing mass emigration from the island, while a subsidiary vent erupted in 1995. The mountain's slopes are used to grow coffee, while its lava is used as building material. Near its peak is a caldera, in which sits the Pico do Fogo ash cone. A small village, called Chã das Caldeiras, exists at the base of the volcano, and the residents are periodically evacuated during eruptions. The island's main town is São Filipe, near which is the airport. First settled in the 1480's, it is largely an agricultural island. The islands also houses schools, a gymnasium, banks, a post office, some hotels and squares praças. Its geography is includes fertile land to the southwest with the slope of about 10 to 15 angle. The north and the east are slopey. The entire island is a seamount and is called the Cadamosto Seamount and the depths range as deep as 5,300 m with a distance of 5 km from the shoreline. The exception is to the west but is connected with another seamount but further west in Brava. The slopes in the northeastern part are green and grassy all-year round. The rest of the mountain are dry and barren. As the southernmost island, Fogo receives the most precipitation in Cape Verde. The creeks and streams are dry all-year round. The town has Classic Portuguese colonial architecture in buildings. Mosteiros is the second most important centre in the northeast. A violent eruption took place in 1680. The mountain of the island was visible over hundreds of kilometres and lasted for a few years. It was during this eruption that the island earned its name.

The economy of the island is based on agriculture and fishing, with coffee and wine among the main products. Many private households live off remittances from emigrants in the US and other countries as the island has a substantial diaspora. Many emigrants send some money to their relatives in the island even if senders and receivers no longer know each other. Tourism is steadily becoming popular. The volcano is the island's major attraction but many visitors also come to see relatives.The historic town of São Filipe and Chã das Caldeiras in the volcanic crater receive the bulk of visitors.

Towns

Achada, also Achada Furnas, Achada Grande, Atalaia, Bangaeira, Chã das Caldeiras, Cova Figueira, Coxo, Curral Grande, Estancía Roque, Fajãzinha, Figueira Pavão, Fonsaco, Fonte Aleixo, Furna, Galinheiros, Lomba, Monte Grande, Mosteiros, Patim, Ponta Verde, Ribeira Ilhéu, Salto, Santo António, São Filipe, São Jorge, São Lourenço and Vicente Dias

History

Fogo was discovered in 1460 by an Italian captain António Noli and was first called São Filipe meaning Saint Philip in Portuguese. The noble persons from Portugal was settled in 1500. Emigration occurred which started from 1850 which many people left for North America. The island used to have slavery. The civil revolution occurred in Portugal in 1910 and took aristocrack to large owners and left civilians behind. A small museum facilitates the understanding of the connections in descriptive ways.

Cape Verde Photo Galleries

Sal Island Photo Gallery            Santiago Island Photo Gallery            Fogo Island Photo Gallery

Boa Vista Island Photo Gallery            Sao Vicente Island Photo Gallery            Maio Island Photo Gallery

Santo Antao Island Photo Gallery            Sao Nicalau Island Photo Gallery            Brava Photo Gallery