Pico da Cruz

Infobox Mountain
Name=Pico da Cruz
"Piku da Kruz"
"Pik' da Kruz"
Elevation=around 80 m
Location=island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde
Coordinates = 17° 7' N25° 2' W
Pronunciation=pi•co da cruz
Type=Stratovolcano

Pico da Cruz (Portuguese meaning the peak of the cross, Capeverdean Crioulo, ALUPEC or ALUPEC: "Piku da Kruz", Santo Antão Crioulo: "Pik' da Kruz") is a volcanic mountain in the eastern part of the island of Santo Antão. The mountain is accessed with a road linking with the island capital of Porto Novo.

Nearest places

*Paúl, north
*Porto Novo, south

Geography and Information

The mountain is of volcanic origin and features a caldeira of around 800 m in diameter and approximately 100 in elevation. The mountain are made up of rocks with soil colours being tan and light brown. The mountain contains rugged and treacherous slopes and ledges in its valleys, a few areas are not as treacherous. The mountain features grasslands and bushes along with unvegetated parts especially at the peak and forests and bushes in sporadic parts of the peak. Unpaved and earthened roads encircles the mountain and are not frequently used. Rugged and treacherous valleys covers the area around the mountain.

The island's easternmost lighthouse is to the east by the cliffy coastline and is accessed with a road in poor condition encircling the eastern half of the island and linking with Paul and Porto Novo.

It is accessed with a road linking to the LBRA 2? (Porto Novo-Ribeira Grande Road) and famously, the caldeira has farmlands which features banana plantations and other crops including cattle, fruits and vegetables including tomatoes and others. It is the few caldeiras ever to contain farmlands, the second is being Chã das Caldeiras which is smaller but the caldeira is larger.

Panorama

The mountain offers a panoramic view of most of the island except for a part of the central part which is blocked by a few mountains and the western parts, it also offer views of much of the island of São Vicente except for the southeastern and the southern portions and on clearer days it can also see Santa Luzia as well as the islets of Branco and Raso, it also offers a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

External links

*Map and aerial photos:
**Street map information from: [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=17.25066&longitude=-25.228&zoom=6 Mapquest] , [http://local.live.com/map.aspx?&lats1=17.20566&lons1=-25.228&alts1=35 LiveLocal] or [http://maps.google.com/maps?||=17.26066,-25.228 Google] or [http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?lat=17.25066&lon=-25.228&mag=2 Yahoo! Maps]
**Satellite
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=17.25066,-25.228&spn=0.11,0.18&t=k Google] or [http://virtualearth.msn.com/default.aspx?cp=17.25066|-25.228&style=h&lvl=15&v=1 Microsoft Virtual Earth] - image now available

ee also

*List of mountains in Cape Verde