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Mount Pico
Montanha do Pico
View of Pico from the harbour of Horta (Faial)
View of Pico from the harbour of Horta (Faial)
Highest point
Elevation 2,351 m (7,713 ft)
Parent peak None
Geography
Location  Azores,  Portugal
State/Province PT
Parent range Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Geology
Age of rock < 230,000 Years
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption 1718

Mount Pico (which means Pico Mountain in Portuguese) is a huge volcano. It's the highest point on Pico Island in the Azores, which are islands belonging to Portugal.

Standing at 2,351 m (7,713 ft) above sea level, Mount Pico is more than twice as tall as any other mountain in the Azores. It is also the tallest mountain in all of Portugal!

What is Mount Pico Like?

Mount Pico is located on the eastern side of Pico Island. At the very top of the mountain, there's a large, round crater. This crater is about 500 m (1,600 ft) wide and 300 m (980 ft) deep.

Inside this main crater, there's a smaller peak called Pico Pequeno or Piquinho. This smaller peak was formed by a recent volcanic eruption, which means it's quite new in terms of Earth's history. Pico Pequeno is about 70 metres (230 ft) tall. You can often see volcanic smoke coming out from the base of Pico Pequeno, and it smells strongly of sulfur.

During the winter, the top of Mount Pico is covered in snow. It also rains a lot throughout the year on the mountain.

Protecting Mount Pico and Hiking Trails

Mount Pico became a Natural Reserve in 1982. This was done to protect the mountain and its unique environment. The reserve, called Reserva Natural da Montanha do Pico, covers an area of about 1,500 hectares (which is 15 square kilometers). It includes the mountain from about 1,200 m (3,937 ft) high all the way to the very top.

There are special trails for hiking on Mount Pico. If you are fit and the weather is good, you can reach the top of the mountain in about two to four hours. The hike starts from the beginning of the trail.

At the lower parts of Mount Pico's slopes, there's an area called Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico. This means Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture. This special area is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This means it's a place of great importance to the world because of its unique way of growing grapes for wine.

Images for kids

  • Montanha do Pico ao Pôr-do-sol, ilha do Pico, Açores

    A view of Mount Pico at sunset

  • Montanha do Pico, aspectos 5 ilha do Pico, Açores, Portugal

    Mount Pico

  • Weather station in crater of Pico Mountain - panoramio

    The observatory station in 2007

  • Furna vegetada na área protegida da Montanha do Pico em Açores

    Vegetated cavern on Mount Pico

  • Montanha do Pico Crater

    The pit crater rim of Pico Alto on the summit of Pico volcano

  • Montanha do Pico Piquinho

    The pinnacle of the mountain: Piquinho or Pico Pequeno

  • Mount Pico from Graciosa

    Mount Pico as it can be seen from Graciosa island (the air distance is about 70 km)

  • Vista da montanha do pico ao nascer do sol

    View of Madalena and Faial Island.

  • Pico-HortaFaial (crop)

    Snow on the mountain peak in early 2006.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Montaña del Pico para niños

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