Ilhéu Raso

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The small, uninhabited island Ilhéu Raso is part of the Cape Verde Islands.

Etymology

The island's name is derived from the Portuguese raso with the meaning flat, flat - in terms of their leveled topography.

Geography

The small island is one of the " Leeward Islands ", Portuguese Ilhas de Barlavento, north of the Cape Verde Islands. It lies between Ilhéu Branco in the northwest and São Nicolau in the east. Ilhéu Branco is located 8.5 kilometers away, to São Nicolau is 15 kilometers.

The uninhabited island is more than 3 kilometers long and 2.4 kilometers wide. Its area is just seven square miles, so it is still larger than the adjacent Ilhéu Branco. The landscape of the Ilhéu Raso is mainly flat, smaller surveys with a maximum of 164 meters can be found just to the north of the island. The South West is characterized by a rocky, strewn with boulders plane, which is criss-crossed by dry watercourses. The coastline is framed by cliffs.

Geology

Like the rest of the islands Kapverdes is also the Ilhéu Raso volcanic origin. Your base is located 123 million years BP on old oceanic crust from the Lower Cretaceous ( Aptian ). The former, mainly composed of lava flows and pyroclastic deposits sign has now been greatly leveled.

Flora and Fauna

On the Ilhéu Raso there is little vegetation, except a grass landscape in the north.

The cliffs and rocky coastlines offer especially seabirds protected nesting sites. All year found on the island is the Raso Lark (Alauda razae ), whose population comprises about 45 pairs. Other seabirds are found only to breed on the island, including the Cory's shearwater ( Calonectris diomedea edwardsii ), the little shearwater ( Puffinus assimilis boydi ), the Madeira Petrel ( Oceanodroma castro ) and the Bulwersturmvogel ( Bulweria bulwerii ). White-bellied Booby (Sula leucogaster ) and red-billed Tropicbird ( Phaeton aethereus ) also form smaller colonies. Further breeding Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta ) and birds of prey osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Cape Verde Barn Owl (Tyto detorta ) and Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus neglectus ). Also the Kapverdensperling (Passer iagoensis ) is present.

In addition to birds, reptiles inhabit the island. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Ilhéu Raso was with the Ilhéu Branco the only Vorkommensort of Cape Verde Riesenskinks Chiononia coctei. Since the beginning of the 20th century, however, no more specimens were examined and the lizard is considered extinct. Still, however, the island is home to some gecko species, including Tarentola gigas and Hemidactylus bouvieri.

Nature reserve

Because of its faunal features, the Ilhéu Raso along with Santa Luzia and Ilhéu Branco ( Deserted Islands ) was in 1990 declared a nature reserve.

Climate

The Cape Verde Islands are characterized by a very dry and evenly warm climate. This also applies to the Ilhéu Raso. The few rain falls in the months of August to October, November to July the dry season. Between summer and winter prevail only small temperature differences, the average temperature in all months above 20 degrees Celsius.