Gorgona (Colombia)
| Gorgona | ||
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 2 ° 58 '17 " N , 78 ° 11' 4" W | |
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| length | 9.1 km | |
| width | 2.5 km | |
| surface | 24 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Cerro La Trinidad 338 m |
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| Residents | uninhabited | |
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Gorgona is an uninhabited island around 28 km from mainland Colombia near Punta Reyes in the Pacific Ocean . Administratively it belongs to the Colombian Department del Cauca and within it to the municipality ( municipio ) Guapi .
geography
Gorgona has a length of about 9 km, a width of up to 2.5 km and an area of about 24 km². The island reaches a height of 338 m above sea level in Cerro La Trinidad . The average temperature is 29 degrees Celsius. The months with the highest rainfall are September and October.
In the southwest, the much smaller secondary island Gorgonilla is upstream, separated by the approximately 400 meter wide Paso de Tasca sea strait .
The frog Atelopus gracilis occurs only on Gorgona.
history
They got their name from Francisco Pizarro , who came across them in 1527 on the way to Peru , but who was already considered a link between Central America and Peru in pre-Columbian times . Many snakes live on the island and are still a research target today. There are many freshwater streams. The name Gorgona refers to the Gorgons who wore snakes as hair in Greek mythology . Later it became a base for pirates . Simón Bolívar donated the island to the German soldier Friedrich D'Croz (Federico D'Croz) as a thank you for his services to Colombia's independence, in 1959 it was bought back by the state of Colombia to turn it into a prison island with up to 2,500 prisoners, which became in 1984 declared it a national park. The humpback whales migrate past the island in August and September . The islands are now a popular destination for ecotourism, which is managed by the Colombian National Park Authority UAESPNN ( Unidad Administrativa Especial del Sistema de Parques Nacionales Naturales ).
literature
- Hella Braune, Frank Semper: Close to it: Colombia , travel compass. 5th edition, Sebra, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-939602-04-0 .
- Henry von Prahl , F. Guhl and M. Grogl: Gorgona , Comité de Publicaciones Universidad de los Andes, 1979, ISBN 84-89200-03-3 .
Web links
credentials
- ↑ Friedrich D'Croz ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
