Medanos
Encyclopedia
Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro is located in the state of Falcón, Venezuela
, near the city of Coro
on the road that leads to Paraguaná. The National Park was created in 1974.
The Médanos park lies on the Isthmus of Médanos and covers 91.280 hm² of desert and coastal habitat, including salt marshes. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of approximately 5 by 30 kilometers. They can reach 40 meters in height and are constantly transformed by the unrelenting wind. Rainfall is rare, thus flora consists of little more than thorny shrubs. Fauna is likewise scarce; the park is home mainly to lizards, rabbits, anteaters, foxes, pigeons and kestrels. Visitors can wander amongst the dunes by camel (imported many years ago), and the park is easily reached by bus or taxi from Coro.
During the severe floods that struck Venezuela in December 1999 ("Vargas tragedy", being especially devastating in Vargas State), the heavy rain formed four lagoons in the dunes; a circumstance that the park guards had never witnessed before.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, near the city of Coro
Santa Ana de Coro
Coro is the capital of Falcón State and the oldest city in the west of Venezuela.-History:The city was founded on July 26, 1527 by Spanish colonists. The name "Coro" is believed to be an indigenous word meaning "wind".The city had a turbulent history in colonial times and suffered a number of...
on the road that leads to Paraguaná. The National Park was created in 1974.
The Médanos park lies on the Isthmus of Médanos and covers 91.280 hm² of desert and coastal habitat, including salt marshes. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of approximately 5 by 30 kilometers. They can reach 40 meters in height and are constantly transformed by the unrelenting wind. Rainfall is rare, thus flora consists of little more than thorny shrubs. Fauna is likewise scarce; the park is home mainly to lizards, rabbits, anteaters, foxes, pigeons and kestrels. Visitors can wander amongst the dunes by camel (imported many years ago), and the park is easily reached by bus or taxi from Coro.
During the severe floods that struck Venezuela in December 1999 ("Vargas tragedy", being especially devastating in Vargas State), the heavy rain formed four lagoons in the dunes; a circumstance that the park guards had never witnessed before.
External links
- http://www.venezuelatuya.com/occidente/medanos.htm
- http://www.losmedanos.com/
- The Bibliography of Aeolian Research