Chã das Caldeiras facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chã das Caldeiras
Settlement
Village of Chã das Caldeiras before the 2014–15 eruption
Chã das Caldeiras Location in Cape Verde
Country	Cape Verde
Island	Fogo
Municipality	Santa Catarina do Fogo
Civil parish	Santa Catarina do Fogo
Population  (2010)
• Total	697
ID	83102

The Chã das Calderas ("Plain of the calderas"), sometimes abbreviated Chã ("Plain"), is a caldera on the island of Fogo, Cape Verde. With a diameter of 9 km (6 mi) and open to the east, it is surrounded on the west by the bordeira, a mountainous wall which rises to 2,700 m (8,858 ft). It was made by the eruption of Monte Armarelo, which was replaced by the smaller Pico do Fogo.

Geography

View of the town of Bangaeira.

The Chã das Caldeiras is in southwestern Cape Verde and occupies the north-east of the island of Fogo. It is shared between the municipalities of Mosteiros to the north and Santa Catarina do Fogo to the south.

A little more of a thousand people live permanently inside the caldera, in the small towns of Bangaeira and Portela; these towns are at about 1,700 m (5,577 ft), where sometimes the temperature gets to 0 °C (32 °F). Part of the National Park of Fogo, it is one of the main tourist destinations of Cape Verde. It is accessed by a single central road 35 km (22 mi) long from São Filipe.

The vegetation is sparse but several endemic plants nevertheless grow there, especially Echium vulcanorum (lingua-de-vaca) and Erysimum caboverdeanum (crabo bravo) that can not be found anywhere else. Others are Sarcostemma daltonii (gestiba), Verbascum cystolithicum (mato-branco), Lavandula rotundifolia (aipo) ou Euphorbia tuckeyana (tortolho).

Economy

Where land is not covered by lava, farmers grow fruit trees, grains and vineyards. A cooperative produces a local wine, the manecon, which is not send to other countries.

Infrastructure

A school had 158 students in 2010. The village of Portela has two churches, one Catholic and one Adventist.

In 2012 there was no electricity in the villages of Bangaeira and Portela but the connection is expected in 2016.

Images for kids

• 

  Village of Bangaeira before the November 2014 – February 2015 eruption

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  Bangaeira in the aftermath of the 2014–15 eruption, remains of some buildings still exists, some houses were covered with lava, several suffered damages

• 

  Two years after the 2014–15 eruption, these were some buildings that survived the lava flows

• 

  Main Street of Bangaeira before the 2014-15 eruption, much of it were covered with lava and is now earthened

• 

  Catholic Church of Portela.

• 

  Coffee plant near Mosteiros.

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  Cooperative (Associação dos Agricultores de Chã) in Portela

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  “Espírito da Caldeira” label grape and quince spirits

See also

In Spanish: Chã das Caldeiras (Cabo Verde) para niños