Médanos de Coro National Park
Médanos de Coro National Park | |
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Santa Ana de Coro | |
Coordinates | 11°36′23″N 69°44′15″W / 11.60642°N 69.73763°W |
Area | 91 km2 (35 sq mi) |
Established | 6 February 1974 |
Governing body | Instituto Nacional de Parques (INPARQUES) |
Médanos de Coro National Park (Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro) is a
The Médanos park protects part of the Paraguana xeric scrub ecoregion.[1] It lies on the Médanos Isthmus and covers 91 km2 (35 sq mi) of desert and coastal habitat, including salt marshes. It is made up of three zones: an alluvial plain, formed by the delta of the Mitare River and some smaller streams; an aeolian plain, composed of three types of dunes; and a littoral plain with a belt of mangrove swamps. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of approximately 5 by 30 km (3.1 by 18.6 mi). They can reach 40 m (130 ft) in height and are constantly transformed by the unrelenting wind.
Rainfall is rare. However, during the severe floods that struck Venezuela in December 1999 ("
Flora and fauna
Flora consists of little more than thorny shrubs. The park is an Important Bird Area with some 21 species including Yellow-shouldered amazon.[2] Other fauna is scarce; the park is home mainly to lizards, rabbits, anteaters and foxes. Visitors can wander amongst the dunes by camel (imported many years ago).
References
- ^ Alarcón, Clara, Northern South America: Northernwestern Venezuela, WWF: World Wildlife Fund, retrieved 2017-04-26
- ^ BirdLife International (2001). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Parque Nacional Médanos de Coro. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 03/02/2015
External links
Media related to Médanos de Coro National Park at Wikimedia Commons