Fogo, Cape Verde Islands
Today was spent at the island of Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands. The islands lie 250 nautical miles off the coast of Cap Vert in Senegal. They were for centuries a Portuguese colony and a major transshipment site for slaves in the years of the Atlantic slave trade. Now independent, they are a proud nation trying hard to succeed in the modern world. Their sons and daughters are far flung, with a large group of immigrants in Cape Cod and the old whaling ports of New Bedford and Providence. The whaling fleets picked up crew in both the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands after leaving New England and many of these whalers became early immigrants, attracting others over the years. We went ashore on the volcanic island of Fogo (Fire), the active volcano in the island group. Fogo has erupted a number of times in the historic past, most recently in 1995. Prior to 1995, it erupted in 1951, 1909, 1857, 1852, 1847, 1824, 1816, 1799, 1785, 1761, and probably many times in earlier years. We drove up the steep slopes of this stratovolcano and over the rim of the caldera. The 1951 lava had breached the rim and it formed a pathway into the caldera itself. The caldera is 9 km. in diameter. In the Center is Pico Novo (pictured), the highest point on the island at 2829 m. On the right of the primary peak is Pico Pequeno, a smaller cider cone which was the site of the 1995 eruption. The immensity of the caldera was most impressive, as was the huge lava bed produced during the latest activity. We drove across the lava bed to the small village of Cha das Caldeiras where people have lived since the 19th century right in the bottom of the crater. After sampling the local music, wine and goat cheese, and getting to know the delightful children of the village we returned to Endeavour to begin our next sea passage to Ascension Island.
Today was spent at the island of Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands. The islands lie 250 nautical miles off the coast of Cap Vert in Senegal. They were for centuries a Portuguese colony and a major transshipment site for slaves in the years of the Atlantic slave trade. Now independent, they are a proud nation trying hard to succeed in the modern world. Their sons and daughters are far flung, with a large group of immigrants in Cape Cod and the old whaling ports of New Bedford and Providence. The whaling fleets picked up crew in both the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands after leaving New England and many of these whalers became early immigrants, attracting others over the years. We went ashore on the volcanic island of Fogo (Fire), the active volcano in the island group. Fogo has erupted a number of times in the historic past, most recently in 1995. Prior to 1995, it erupted in 1951, 1909, 1857, 1852, 1847, 1824, 1816, 1799, 1785, 1761, and probably many times in earlier years. We drove up the steep slopes of this stratovolcano and over the rim of the caldera. The 1951 lava had breached the rim and it formed a pathway into the caldera itself. The caldera is 9 km. in diameter. In the Center is Pico Novo (pictured), the highest point on the island at 2829 m. On the right of the primary peak is Pico Pequeno, a smaller cider cone which was the site of the 1995 eruption. The immensity of the caldera was most impressive, as was the huge lava bed produced during the latest activity. We drove across the lava bed to the small village of Cha das Caldeiras where people have lived since the 19th century right in the bottom of the crater. After sampling the local music, wine and goat cheese, and getting to know the delightful children of the village we returned to Endeavour to begin our next sea passage to Ascension Island.
