Santa Luzia, Cape Verde

Santa Luzia (English: " St. Lucy " ) is one of the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic. The island is currently uninhabited.

Geography

Santa Luzia is part of the northern Ilhas de Barlavento (German: " Leeward Islands " ) and lies between the islands of São Vicente and São Nicolau. It is located 8 kilometers from northwestern São Vicente and 29 kilometers from southeastern São Nicolau. At its widest point in the north of the island measures 4.3 km in longitudinal direction 12 kilometers. The area is 34 km ². The highest elevation is the Topona 397 m. The island is very dry and has only one water point. The trade winds exposed north-east coast is quite rough and rugged, the downwind southwest coast forms a long bay ( with sandy beach and dunes), anchor preferably in the Atlantic sailors and fishermen. The island can be reached by fishing boats Calhau from (São Vicente). The trip takes two hours.

In the 20th century a weather station on the island was built.

Administratively, Santa Luzia is one of São Vicente.

Geology

Santa Luzia is entirely of volcanic origin. The substructure of the island is located on approximately 122 million years old oceanic crust of the Lower Cretaceous ( Aptian ). The shield stage of the island is likely to have used analogously to the neighboring island of São Vicente in front of about 7 million years ago in the Messinian. The shield -building lava flows generally show a dip to the southwest. The layer packet is crossed by several transition crowds that are primarily oriented NW-SE. The Einebnungsstadium the shield was then carried from the Pliocene about 5 million years ago. Since the Late Pleistocene to Santa Luzia is in its post -discharge ellen phase. Aeolian deposits, which cover in particular the great depression in the southeast part of the island, and alluvial fans are from the Holocene.

History

The island was uninhabited until the 17th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was repeatedly used by shepherds from São Nicolau as pasture. Until the 1960s, even a small community consisted of Santa Luzia. However, this was abandoned due to lack of water. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the island is again unsettled because of increasing desertification. However, it is occasionally visited by fishermen from São Vicente, the stay here in primitive shelters.

Nature reserve

Santa Luzia has been declared along with the southeast subsequent Ilhéu Branco and Raso Ilhéu in 2003 from faunistic considerations ( reptiles, birds) nature reserve ( so the island had formerly still an endemic lizard ).

Uninhabited Island
Island (Cape Verde)
Island (Africa)
Island (Atlantic Ocean )
Island of the Cape Verde Islands

Barlavento Islands Fauna Endemic (epidemiology) List of islands of Cape Verde Boa Vista, Cape Verde Sotavento Islands Brava, Cape Verde Fogo, Cape Verde Maio, Cape Verde

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