| Gorgona (Colombia) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Colombia |
|---|---|
| Region | Pacific region |
| Surface | 26 km² |
| Institutional website | |
Gorgona is an island of the Colombia, located in the ocean Pacific, off the coast of Cauca.
To know
Gorgona Island is located 35 km off the coast Colombian of the Pacific. Gorgona and Malpelo are the only islands in the Pacific Ocean under administration Colombian. Gorgona is 9 km long and 2.5 km wide, with an area of approximately 26 km².
Administratively Gorgona belongs to the municipality of Guapí, in department of Cauca. The island was discovered by Bartolomé Ruiz in 1526. Its initial name was San Felipe but was changed by Francisco Pizarro to Gorgona due to the large number of snakes on the island which reminded him of the gorgons of Greek mythology which had snakes instead of the hair.
Geographical notes
The relief of Gorgona is mountainous, ending at Cerro La Trinidad, which with a height of 338 m s.l.m. it is the highest peak on the island. The central range includes, in addition to the top of La Trinidad, the hills of Los Micos, La Esperanza and Mirador.
The eastern coast has white sand beaches and coral reefs, missing on the western side, characterized by high cliffs lashed incessantly by impetuous winds and thunderous waves. Pizarro beach is located north-east of Gorgona and is believed to be the place where Francisco Pizarro landed.
To the southwest of the island of Gorgona there is another much smaller island called Gorgonilla, whose maximum altitude is 90 meters above sea level and three islets little more than large rocks, of which the largest is called islote El Viudo. These islets are separated from Gorgona by the paso de Tasca, a marine channel about 400 meters long and about 5-10 meters deep. In the past it was possible to cross the canal on foot at low tide, but today the ford is no longer possible, due to the sinking of the seabed following the 1980 earthquake.
To the north-east is the Rocas del Horno islet, separated from Gorgona by the "Paso del Horno" channel.
When to go
The climate is equatorial, hot and humid. The average annual temperature is 26 ° C. The rains are frequent in September and October but well distributed throughout the year. They thin out in the two months of February and March.
Since the relative humidity is 90%, there is no real dry season and fogs are frequent.
Territories and tourist destinations
Gorgona (Colombia): full screen map.How to get
How to get around
What see
What to do
At the table
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Gorgona (Colombia)
Commons contains images or other files on Gorgona (Colombia)
