Cíes Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cíes Islands (42° 13′ 24″ N 8° 54′ 14″ O) are an archipelago in the coast of Pontevedra in Galicia (Spain), in the mouth of the Ría de Vigo. They belong to the parish of San Francisco de Afora, in the municipality of Vigo. They were declared Nature Reserve in 1980 and are included in the National Land-Marine Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia (Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre das Illas Atlánticas de Galicia) created in 2002.
Contents |
[edit] The archipelago
The Cíes consist of three islands, Monteagudo (or North Island), Do Faro (or Isla do Medio, Middle Island) and San Martiño (or South Island).
Monteagudo is separated from the Morrazo peninsula by the North Canal while San Martiño is separated from the coast of Santoulo cape (mount Ferro) by the Freu da Porta Strait. The Do Faro island is linked to the North island by an accumulation of sand 1,200 m long known as Rodas beach, in the Eastern side of the island. During high tide the sea flows between the islands in the Western side and, blocked by the beach it fills the lagoon between the sandy area and the rocks. The highest peak is the Alto das Cíes (197 m) in Monteagudo.
The islands formed by the end of the Tertiary, when some parts of the coast sank creating the rías. All three islands are the peaks of the coastal mountains now partially under the sea and are formed mainly of granitic rock.
The land is mountainous with rough, nearly vertical cliffs of more than 100 m on the Western side, and numerous caves (furnas) formed by erosion from the sea and the wind. The Eastern side is less steep, covered by woods and bushes and protected from the Atlantic winds, allowing the formation of beaches and dunes.
The Atlantic squalls pass over the islands, unloading as they collide with the coast. Therefore the Cíes receive more or less half of the rain the rest of the Rías Baixas coast receive.
[edit] The nature park
Due to the high natural value of this area and to the deterioration it was suffering by human activity, it was declared Nature Park in 1980. The level of legal protection varied until November 21, 2000, when the Galician Parliament unanimously agreed to apply for the status of National Park to the central Government. The Spanish Congress of Deputies signed a definite agreement in June 2002, creating the National Land-Marine Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, formed by a number of archipielagos, islands and cays, namely the Cíes, Ons, Sálvora, Nor, Vionta, Cortegada and the Malveiras.
The marine part of the Park is measured as a 100-meter wide strip from the shore in low tide. Since 1992 underwater fishing is forbidden in the Islands. Since 1988 the Islands have a status of ZEPA (Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves, Spanish for Area of Special Protection for Birds), and they are included in the Natura 2000 network, which develps European Union Directives in relation to habitats and birds.
National Parks are nature areas nearly untransformed by human activity that, based on their landscape, geological or ecosystems possess aesthetic, ecologic, educative or scientific values worth of special protection. Therefore, the activities that alter or endanger the stability of the ecosystem are forbidden. Some traditional activities (like traditional fishing) are allowed as long as they are compatible with the environment and the preservation of natural resources.
The ZEPAs are protected mainly to avoid pollution and general deterioration of the places used by birds permanently or during their migrations.
[edit] Flora
The scrubland is formed mainly of autochthonous species, like tojo (toxo), retama (xesta), esparraguera, torvisco or jara.
The woodland has suffered bigger alterations, since most autochthonous species (like the fig tree or the rebollo) are now reduced to symbolic representation. The reforestation of nearly one fourth of the surface with pine trees and eucalyptus. On the other hand, the strong winds with a high content in salt act as barrier in the development of the trees. Some endemic Galician-Portuguese coast species do grow in the dunes, beaches and cliffs under very extreme clicmatic conditions. Among them, the armeria (Armeria pungens) known in Galicia as herba de namorar (love plant), in danger of extinction and an important number of camariñas (Corema album), unique to the South of Galicia.
Typically marshland flora (like rushes) grow in the area of the lagoon.
[edit] External links
