Lagoa das Sete Cidades

Lagoa das Sete Cidades ( Portuguese for, Lake of the Seven Cities ') is a lake in the crater of Sete Cidades in a circle on Ponta Delgada in the Azores island of São Miguel. The lake consists of two lakes, namely the larger northern part Lagoa Azul (Portuguese for ' blue lake ') and the smaller southern part of Lagoa Verde (Portuguese for ' green lake '), which are connected by a narrow passage, which is crossed by a road bridge. The view from the rim of the lake is considered one of the greatest attractions of the archipelago.

Description

With an area of 4.37 km ² Lagoa das Sete Cidades the largest lake in the Azores. It also contains almost half of the freshwater resources of the islands. In the length of the lake measures a little more than four kilometers at its widest point two kilometers and 33 meters at its deepest point. This makes it the deepest lake in São Miguel. The water surface is at an altitude of 259 meters above sea level. The crater walls go steep, almost vertical, upward and its rim rises about 300 feet above the lake. The Hauptausichtspunkt Vista do Rei is located south of Lagoa Verde also on this level. To the east of Pico da Cruz, which overlooks the crater floor by nearly 600 meters with 845 meters height is. Often you can not see the lake from the top because of fog or clouds hanging on the mountain stay while the view can be freely below the crater floor thoroughly. The lake is available as part of the Protected Landscape Area of ​​Sete Cidades under protection. On the west bank of the Lagoa Azul the village of Sete Cidades is.

Formation

Previously rose in what is now the crater of Sete Cidades is an approximately 1200 m high volcano whose slopes were still in operation by the first settlers to São Miguel. However, around the middle of the 15th century broke the volcano with a violent eruption. The volcano was destroyed in the process and created the present crater; many other eruptions followed. The ash that fell to the ground during these eruptions in the crater, caulked the bottom of the lake basin, so that over time the current lake could form.

Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde

Lagoa Verde owes its name to a phenomenon that occurs when incident sunlight into the caldera. It then stands on the edge of the crater, the water Lagoa Verde acts greenish light reflections on the water surface, which arise from the dense coniferous forest that grows on the towering steep upward crater wall, while the water of the larger Seeteils has a blue color, which is expressed by the term Lagoa Azul. After heavy rain however, both lakes are turbid and greenish.

After an etiological legend, the lakes are made from the tears of two in love. A princess had to be by her lover, a poor shepherd, who had stopped unsuccessfully for her hand away to a man her father had chosen for her to marry. They met and kissed each other one last time where today touch both lakes. The blue from the tears of the blue eyes of the princess and the green from the green eyes of the shepherd: From their farewell tears the two lakes formed. The legend contains a typical legendary material of mainland Europe from the love of a shepherd lad, to a virgin, which is subject to the country.

Water Resources and Quality

How many crater lakes of the Lagoa das Sete Cidades has no natural drainage. For this reason, the lake formerly often stepped into the rain of the winter season on the banks and flooded the village. Today you can still see a few stilt houses in Sete Cidades. The floods ceased when one 1936 a long, about 2 m high tunnel from the north western rim down grub after Mosteiros, the excess water masses leads to the sea. The tunnel was used up to the nineteen year of the twentieth century during dry periods by the population to get from one place to another. Meanwhile, he serves alongside his real task mainly tourists and holiday attraction.

Through the intensive cattle grazing the surrounding areas get a lot of nutrients in the water. The water quality varies, since it began in the 1990s, the lake regularly scientifically observed, between mesotrophic to eutrophic. Although since 2000 have improved these values ​​, the lake water is not clean. 2002 is measured in Lagoa Azul, a harmful concentration of cyanobacteria. Since labels are affixed to the lake, which advise against it for health reasons, to come into contact with the seawater. However, the lake continues to be used for swimming and surfing.

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