Cabo Girão

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Cabo Girão is a steep sea cliff located in the southern part of the Atlantic Portuguese Madeira Islands. Situated less than 2 km from the town of Câmara de Lobos, it rises from 560 to 589 meters above sea level. Many brochures tell that it is the second steepest cliff in Europe, but at least two European cliffs (Preikestolen with 604m and Sleave League with 601m) are higher.

The terraced fields lying beneath the cliff used to be only accessible by boat. In August 2003, a cable car was installed on the slope of the cliff so farmers can reach these low-lying fields.

Cabo Girão is a popular lookout point as well as a starting point for hikers. Above the cliffs stand a communications tower and the parish of Quinta Grande. The road linking Calheta and Funchal runs 1 km north.

The length of the cliff reaches from approximately 1 km south of Campanário to the west of the urban sprawl of Câmara de Lobos.

[edit] Geography

• Location:
  • Latitude: 32.64 (32°38'17") N
  • Longitude: 17 (17°0') W
  • Altitude: 580m

[edit] External links

• Map and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest, MapPoint or Google
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver
• Coordinates: 32°38′17″N, 17°0′0″W