UNESCO World Heritage Site in Goias, Brazil
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
(
Portuguese
:
Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros
) is a
national park of Brazil
located in the state of
Goias
, on the top of an ancient
plateau
with an estimated age of 1.8 billion years.
[1]
The park was created on January 11, 1961, by President
Juscelino Kubitschek
, and listed as a
World Heritage Site
by
Unesco
in 2001.
[2]
It occupies an area of 2,405 square kilometres (929 sq mi) in the municipalities of
Alto Paraiso de Goias
,
Cavalcante
and
Colinas do Sul
. The park is maintained by
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
.
[3]
History
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]
The Chapada dos Veadeiros region was first developed around the gold rush in the 18th century.
Cavalcante
was one of the first villages founded in the region, and at one point became one of Brazil's major gold extractors. Some reports say that
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
visited Cavalcante, making it capital of the Empire for a day. The necessity of slave labor to work the mines in the Chapada dos Veadeiros was so great that the region is now home to some of the biggest
Quilombo
communities in Brazil.
[4]
Kalungas
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The Quilombos are communities of
Afro-Brazilians
who managed to escape from slavery, both from agricultural plantations and mines. The Quilombo communities of Chapada dos Veadeiros include a subgroup known as the
Kalungas
. The word Kalunga meant "something of smaller value" in the past. The term is now a term of pride for the Kalunga group. Their image in Brazil has grown. With the end of the golden period of mining, the Chapada dos Veadeiros had only an isolated collection of villages; they were rediscovered and engage in tourism to support Kalunga communities.
[4]
Geography
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Climate
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The average yearly temperature is 24?26 degrees Celsius, ranging from a minimum of 4?8 degrees Celsius and reaching a maximum of 40?42 degrees Celsius.
Altitude
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With altitudes between 600 and 1650 meters, it is the highest plain in Central Brazil. The highest point of the park and of the state of Goias is
Serra da Santana
, at 1691 meters above sea level.
[5]
Rock formations
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Its rock formations are one of the oldest on the planet. There are quartz with outcrops of crystals. These rocks are exported and appreciated in Japan and England, where for some decades they were used for industrial work. Nowadays therapists and nature lovers seek energies and the power to cure from the crystals and from places like
Alto Paraiso
.
Rock crystals are present in the soil of the rich
cerrado
, or open pasture. Forest growth is also still found in the region, where more than 25 species of orchids can be found, besides other Brazilian species such as
pau d'arco roxo
, copaiba (copa tree),
aroeira
(California pepper tree), tamanqueira (
cork tree
), teriva (a variety of palm tree), buritis (wine-palm) and Babacu (
Babassu
).
The main river in the park is the
Rio Preto
, a tributary of the
Tocantins River
.
[2]
There are many waterfalls along its course such as the Rio Preto Falls (120 meters high, 80 meters at the base) and the Cariocas Falls. The park is noted for its scenic canyons, with walls of up to 40 metres (130 ft) high and valleys of up to 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft) deep.
List of waterfalls
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Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is noted for its waterfalls. Those which range from 80 to 120 meters include the Corredeiras, Cannyon I, Cannyon II, the Carioquinhas Waterfall and the Jardim de Maitreya. In properties with controlled access: Aguas Quentes, Morada do Sol, Banho das Criancas and Vale das Andorinhas, Salto do Raizama and Cannyon do Rio Sao Miguel, Vale da lua, Cachoeiras Almecegas I and Almecegas II, Cachoeira de Sao Bento, Cataratas do Rio dos Couros, Cachoeira do Rio Cristal, Cachoeira dos Anjos e dos Arcanjos, Agua Fria, Cachoeira do Rio das Almas, Poco Encantado, Sertao Zen, Cachoeira do Rio Macaco, Territorio Kalunga, Lago Serra da Mesa, Bocaina do Faria, Cachoeira das Neves, Mirante do Pouso Alto, Alpes Goianos, Cachoeira do Santana, Cachoeira da Ave Maria, Morada do Sol, Pedra Escrita, Cachoeira das Pedras Bonitas, Cachoeira Santa Barbara, Cachoeira Capivara, Cachoeira Candaru, Cachoeiras Barroco, Cachoeiras do Pratinha, Cachoeira Rei do Prata, Cachoeiras do Curriola, Cachoeira do Sao Bartolomeu, Cachoeiras Veredas, and Ponte de Pedra.
The local fauna
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The rich fauna of the region includes species, some of which are threatened by extinction, such as the
pampas deer
(locally known as
veado campeiro
),
marsh deer
(
cervo do pantanal
),
maned wolf
(
lobo guara
),
jaguar
, and others like the
rhea
(
ema
),
seriema
,
tapeti
,
giant armadillo
(
tatu canastra
),
anteater
(
tamandua
),
capybara
(
capivara
),
tapir
(
anta
), green-beaked
toucan
(
tucano de bico verde
),
black vulture
(
urubu preto
), and the
king vulture
(
urubu rei
).
References
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External links
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]
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North Region
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Northeast Region
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Central-West Region
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Southeast Region
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South Region
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Amazon
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Atlantic Forest
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Caatinga
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Cerrado
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Coastal Marine
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Pantanal
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