Cabo Girão
Encyclopedia
Cabo Girão is a lofty sea cliff
located along the southern coast of the island of Madeira, in the Portuguese
archipelago of Madeira
. Cabo Girão is a popular lookout point, and starting point for hikers, as well as the location of the Encosta Cabo Girão a complex of 120 apartments (operated by Holiday Property Bond) located on the promontory.
It is situated less than two kilometres west from the centre of Câmara de Lobos
, between the parishes of Quinta Grande
and Câmara de Lobos
. A diamond-shaped sea-cliff escarpment from 560 metres (1,837.3 ft) to 589 metres (1,932.4 ft) above sea level, Cabo Girão lies between two river-valleys that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The escarpment/cliffs extend approximately one kilometre length of the cliff reaches from approximately three kilometres between the urban sprawl of Câmara de Lobos and the river-valley of Quinta Grande.
Although brochures explain that it is the second highest cliff in Europe
, at least five European cliffs (Hornelen
at 860 metres, Cape Enniberg
at 750 metres, Vixía Herbeira
at 613 metres, Preikestolen
at 604 metres and Slieve League
at 601 metres) are higher.
There are terraced fields (Fajãs de Cabo Girão) located below the shear cliffs, and were at one time 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.
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
located along the southern coast of the island of Madeira, in the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
archipelago of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Cabo Girão is a popular lookout point, and starting point for hikers, as well as the location of the Encosta Cabo Girão a complex of 120 apartments (operated by Holiday Property Bond) located on the promontory.
Geography
Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos -History:The location of the modern town is believed to be the original landing point for the Portuguese discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco, who is credited with the discovery of the Madeira Islands...
, between the parishes of Quinta Grande
Quinta Grande
Quinta Grande, created on 24 July 1848, is one of the five civil parishes that constitute the municipality of Câmara de Lobos in the archipelago of Madeira, with a population of 2156 inhabitants , extended across an area of 4.14 km²...
and Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos -History:The location of the modern town is believed to be the original landing point for the Portuguese discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco, who is credited with the discovery of the Madeira Islands...
. A diamond-shaped sea-cliff escarpment from 560 metres (1,837.3 ft) to 589 metres (1,932.4 ft) above sea level, Cabo Girão lies between two river-valleys that flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The escarpment/cliffs extend approximately one kilometre length of the cliff reaches from approximately three kilometres between the urban sprawl of Câmara de Lobos and the river-valley of Quinta Grande.
Although brochures explain that it is the second highest cliff in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, at least five European cliffs (Hornelen
Hornelen
Hornelen is a mountain in the municipality of Bremanger, in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. At , it is the highest sea cliff in Europe, and has for a long time been used as a landmark for naval navigation. The horizontal distance from the summit to the sea shore is approximately...
at 860 metres, Cape Enniberg
Cape Enniberg
Cape Enniberg is the northernmost point of the Faroe Islands, located on the Island of Viðoy. It is 754 m above sea level, altitude that makes it the second highest sea-cliff in Europe ....
at 750 metres, Vixía Herbeira
Vixía Herbeira
Vixia Herbeira, near San Andrés de Teixido in north-west Spain, is the second highest cliff face in continental Europe. It is 621 metres high.-External links:*...
at 613 metres, Preikestolen
Preikestolen
Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå , is a massive cliff 604 metres above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway...
at 604 metres and Slieve League
Slieve League
Slieve League, sometimes Slieve Leag or Slieve Liag , is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. At , it has Ireland's highest sea cliffs...
at 601 metres) are higher.
There are terraced fields (Fajãs de Cabo Girão) located below the shear cliffs, and were at one time 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.
Architecture
Apart of the communications towers that are installed on Cabo Girão, the Cape is noted for:- Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Fátima (Our Lady of FátimaFátima, PortugalFátima is a city in Portugal famous for the Marian apparitions, recognized by the Catholic Church, that took place there in 1917. The town itself has a population of 7,756 and is located in the municipality of Ourém, in the Centro Region and Médio Tejo Subregion...
) which was built in 1974 to replace a much smaller one built in 1931.