Mogote facts for kids
A mogote is a special type of hill found mostly in warm, wet places called the tropics. These hills are usually made of rocks like limestone, marble, or dolomite. They stand tall and steep, often looking like towers with rounded tops, and are surrounded by flat, low-lying land.
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What are Mogotes?
Mogotes are unique hills that can stand alone or be connected in groups. They have very steep, almost straight-up sides, and they rise out of flat plains. These hills are formed in areas known as karst regions, where the ground is made of rocks that can dissolve over a very long time, like limestone.
Where Can You Find Mogotes?
You can find mogotes in many tropical and subtropical parts of the world. They are very common in:
- Southern China
- Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam
- The Caribbean, especially in Cuba and Puerto Rico
- Los Haitises National Park in the Dominican Republic
The Name "Mogote"
The word mogote comes from the Basque word mokoti, which means "sharp-pointed." The word moko means "mountain peak." In Puerto Rico, people sometimes call a group of mogotes along a ridge pepinos.
How Mogotes Form
Mogotes are formed over millions of years through a process called karst erosion. This happens when rainwater, which is slightly acidic, slowly dissolves the soft rocks like limestone.
The Process of Erosion
1. Rain falls on the land and seeps into cracks in the limestone. 2. Over time, the water dissolves the rock, creating underground caves and channels. 3. As more rock dissolves, the land above can collapse, forming sinkholes. 4. The areas of rock that are harder or more resistant to dissolving are left standing tall, while the surrounding land is worn away. These remaining hills are the mogotes. 5. The flat land around the mogotes is often made of alluvial plains, which are flat areas formed by sediment carried by rivers.
Famous Mogote Locations
Mogotes create some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes on Earth. Here are a few famous places where you can see them:
- Viñales Valley in Cuba: This valley is famous for its many rounded mogotes, which are a major tourist attraction.
- Chocolate Hills in the Philippines: These hills are a famous example of mogotes that turn brown in the dry season, looking like chocolate kisses.
- Ha Long Bay in Vietnam: This bay is filled with thousands of limestone islands and islets, many of which are mogotes rising out of the sea.
- South China Karst in China: This vast region has incredible landscapes with towering mogotes and deep valleys.
Images for kids
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Mogotes in Puerto Rico rising out of pineapple fields in a plain of blanket sand near Coto Sur. The quarry in the left background is 1 kilometer east of Manati.
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Two mogotes showing their typical rounded shape in Viñales Valley in Pinar del Río Province, western Cuba
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Mogotes, Northern Matanzas Province, near the city of Cárdenas, Cuba
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Mogotes in Northern Cuba, between Matanzas and Havana Provinces
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View of mogotes along the Northern karst zone of Puerto Rico.
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Mogotes in Sector Hess in Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
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Aerial view of the Chocolate Hills, Bohol, Philippines, exhibiting both mogotes and cockpit karst characteristics.
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Mogotes, Krabi Province, southern Thailand.
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Islets of mogotes in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.
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See Also
In Spanish: Mogote para niños
Places with Mogotes
- Chocolate Hills, Philippines
- Hin Namno, Laos
- Kinta Valley, Malaysia
- Krabi Province, Thailand
- Los Haitises, Dominican Republic
- Northern Karst Region, Puerto Rico
- Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Vietnam
- South China Karst, China
- Viñales Valley, Cuba
