Fogo (; Portuguese for "

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

") is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the Sotavento group of

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

in the central Atlantic Ocean. Its population is 35,837 (2015),Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015
Instituto Nacional de Estatística with an area of 476 km². It reaches the highest altitude of all the islands in Cape Verde, rising to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

at the summit of its active volcano, Pico do Fogo.

History

The eastern side of Fogo collapsed into the ocean 73,000 years ago, creating a tsunami 170 meters high which struck the nearby island of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. Fogo was discovered in 1460 by Genovese captain

António de Noli Antonio de Noli (born 1415 or possibly 1419) was a 15th-century Genoese nobleman and navigator, and the first governor of the earliest European overseas colony in Subsaharan Africa. He discovered some of the Cape Verde islands on behalf of Henry ...

on behalf of

Henry the Navigator Princy Henry of Portugal, Duke of Viseu ( Portuguese: ''Infante Dom Henrique''; 4 March 1394 – 13 November 1460), better known as Prince Henry the Navigator (), was a Portuguese prince and a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese ...

and the Portuguese Crown. It appeared in a 1598 map as ''I. de Fogo''. Fogo was the second island of Cape Verde that was settled by the Portuguese, between 1470 and 1490, making São Filipe the second oldest town of Cape Verde after

Cidade Velha Cidade Velha (, Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a cityCentre historique de São Filipe
UNESCO The Fogo volcano erupted frequently, both from the summit and from flank fissures, notably in 1680, 1725, 1857, 1951, 1995, and 2014–15. The eruption of 1680 covered much of the island in ash, which forced many inhabitants to flee to the nearby island of Brava. Fogo has been very susceptible to drought and famine. In years with insufficient summer rains, many inhabitants experienced starvation. This occurred several times in the 18th and 19th century, and also between 1941 and 1943, when 31% of the island population perished. Until January 1992 the island was one single municipality, subdivided into four parishes. The southwestern three parishes joined the new municipality of São Filipe and the northeastern parish Nossa Senhora da Ajuda became the municipality of Mosteiros. The parish of Santa Catarina do Fogo was separated from São Filipe in 2005, and became the Municipality of Santa Catarina do Fogo.

Geography

One of the southernmost islands in Cape Verde, Fogo is located between the islands of

to the east and Brava to the west. It is 26.3 km long and 23.9 km wide; its area is 476 km². Practically the whole island is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

that has been periodically active: it last erupted in 2014. The largest volcanic feature is Bordeira, a

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

, which has walls high, and has a breach in its eastern rim. Two small villages, Portela and Bangaeira, exist in the floor of the caldera ( Chã das Caldeiras); the residents were evacuated during eruptions. The island's main city is São Filipe, near which are an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

and a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. Fogo is largely an

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

, fertile island. The north-eastern part receives the most precipitation.

Flora and fauna

Key bird species of Fogo are Fea's petrel, Boyd's shearwater and Cape Verde swift. The endemic plants '' Echium vulcanorum'' (

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

) and '' Erysimum caboverdeanum'' (

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

) are only found on the outer crater rim of the volcano of Fogo.

Climate

Being very mountainous, Fogo has quite a number of climates. Along the coast Fogo has a moderate dry tropical climate according to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system; higher on the slopes (~ A.S.L.) it has a semiarid mild tropical climate (Köppen–Geiger ''BSh'' with very balanced temperatures year round; above it has a cool highland subtropical steppe climate (Köppen–Geiger ''BSkL''). The average annual temperature on the coast is about , decreasing to some on the highest ground. There can be remarkably cool weather in the interior, with the warmer wet season starting in July and ending in November, with the colder dry season starting in December and ending in May. Drought, the major climate risk of Cape Verdean islands, is much less pronounced on Fogo, due to the mountain's ability to gain moisture from clouds. During the mid-nineteenth century, Fogo suffered from severe

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

s. Death from

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...

was common in the 1830s.

Population

In the 1830s, Fogo had an estimated human population of 10,000. In 2015, Fogo had 35,837 inhabitants, making it the fourth most populous island in the Cape Verde archipelago after Santiago, São Vicente and Santo Antão. Since 2015, there are three cities ( São Filipe, Mosteiros and Cova Figueira) and two towns ( Ponta Verde and Patim) in the island. The official language of Fogo is Portuguese; yet mostly Fogo Creole is spoken.

Economy

The economy of the island is based on agriculture and fishing, with

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

among the main products. In the 1830s, Fogo's wine was described as being "very superior." Due to its volcanic soil Fogo's coffee also has a good reputation. The island has experienced a substantial

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

. Many households live off remittances from emigrants in the U.S. and in European countries (Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Italy). Fogo fosters strong connections to Rhode Island and to Massachusetts (U.S.), where many people with Cape Verdean origin live. Tourism is steadily becoming popular. The volcano (allowed only accompanied by a local guide) is the island's major attraction but many visitors also come to see relatives. The historic city of São Filipe and Chã das Caldeiras in the volcanic crater receive the bulk of visitors. No great tourism facilities exist, but there are small hotels and bed-and-breakfasts and local guides offer hiking tours.

Administrative divisions

The island is divided in three municipalities, which are subdivided into civil parishes: * Mosteiros ** Nossa Senhora da Ajuda * Santa Catarina do Fogo ** Santa Catarina do Fogo * São Filipe ** Nossa Senhora da Conceição ** São Lourenço

Transportation

The island has a domestic airport,

São Filipe Airport São Filipe Airport (, also: ''Aeródromo do Fogo'') is Cape Verde's fifth most-used airport, located in the island of Fogo. It is located 2 km southeast of the town of São Filipe, near the Atlantic Ocean. It is used for domestic flights ...

, located in the southwest of the island. There is a port at Vale de Cavaleiros near São Filipe, with ferry connections to the islands of Brava (Furna) and

(Praia). There are two first class national roads on Fogo: the Fogo Circular Road (EN1-FG01) and the road linking São Filipe and the island's port (EN1-FG02).Ilha do Fogo, Rede rodoviária
, Instituto de Estradas

Sports

The main football teams are

Académica do Fogo Associação Académica do Fogo is a football (soccer), football club that plays in the Campeonato Nacional de Cabo Verde and in the Fogo Island League in Cape Verde. It is based in the island of Fogo, Cape Verde, Fogo and plays in the stadium with ...

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

, Cutelinho, Spartak d'Aguadinha and Vulcânicos.

Notable people

* Pedro Cardoso, poet * Zé Luís, footballer * Pedro Pires, first Prime Minister and 3rd President of Cape Verde * Henrique Teixeira de Sousa, writer * Carlos de Vasconcelos, politician and journalist

Gallery

File:Mount fogo.jpg, Main ash cone of Pico do Fogo File:Fogo-island-perspective.jpg, 3-D image of the island of Fogo from NNE File:Fogo, 2009.jpg, Chã das Caldeiras and main ash cone, Fogo.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

satellite image, 2009 File:Ilha do Fogo aerial shot 1.jpg, Aerial shot File:Ilha do Fogo aerial shot 2.jpg, Aerial shot File:FogoLosma.jpg, Losma, an endemic medicinal plant

References

External links

Informations and impressions from Fogo
– information and images from Fogo
Fogo people picture
{{Authority control Islands of Cape Verde