São Nicolau
- ISS004-705-61
- 05 January 2002
- 15:39 UTC
An island of the Ilhas do Barlavento group (Windward Islands), São Nicolau lies 18 km east from the small island of Ilhéu Raso; the main islands of São Vicente and and Sal lie 50 km and 110 km to the northwest and east, respectively. With an area of 388 km², São Nicolau measures 44 km in length (orientated east to west) with north to south widths ranging from 20 km in the west to 7 km in the east.
The island consists of two distinct units: a mountainous western region (of approximately 20 km by 17 km) and a lower eastern region that extends as a narrow peninsula to the east for 27 km. The entire island is dominated by a highly eroded volcanic landscape of steep slopes and ridges that are interspersed with deep valleys and small plains. The mountains, reaching a height of 1,312 m at Monte Gordo in the central regions of the western half of island, consist of two main ridges — one running from east to west and a shorter one from north to south that forms the southern peninsula of the island.
Coastlines on São Nicolau consist mainly of rocky slopes and cliffs with the few sandy stretches of shore generally being confined to the south. The central sections of the northern coastline are backed by a tall escarpment (marked by a prominent shadow in the above image) that runs parallel to the coast, dropping sheer for over 100 m before sloping steeply to the rocky northern coast.
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