Médanos de Coro National Park

For other uses, see Médanos (disambiguation).

Médanos de Coro National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Médanos de Coro
Map showing the location of Médanos de Coro National Park Location of Medanos National Park
Location	Venezuela
Nearest city	Santa Ana de Coro
Coordinates
Area	91 km2 (35 sq mi)
Established	6 February 1974
Governing body	Instituto Nacional de Parques (INPARQUES)

Médanos de Coro National Park (Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro) is a Venezuelan national park located in the state of Falcón, near the city of Coro on the road that leads to Paraguaná. The National Park was created in 1974. The park is easily reached by bus or taxi from Coro.

The Médanos park lies on the Isthmus of Médanos and covers 91 km² (35 sq mi) of desert and coastal habitat, including salt marshes. It is made up of three zones: an alluvial plain, formed by the delta of the Mitare River and some smaller streams; an aeolian plain, constituted of three types of dunes; and a littoral plain with a belt of mangrove swamps. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of approximately 5 by 30 km (3.1 by 18.6 mi). They can reach 40 m (130 ft) in height and are constantly transformed by the unrelenting wind.

Rainfall is rare. However, during the severe floods that struck Venezuela in December 1999 ("Vargas tragedy", being especially devastating in Vargas State), the heavy rain formed four lagoons in the dunes; a circumstance that the park guards had never witnessed before.

Flora and fauna

Flora consists of little more than thorny shrubs. The park is an Important Bird Area with some 31 species including Yellow-shouldered amazon. Other fauna is scarce; the park is home mainly to lizards, rabbits, anteaters and foxes. Visitors can wander amongst the dunes by camel (imported many years ago).

References

• Goddard, D. and Picard, Y.X. 1973. Los médanos de Coro: composición, granulometría y migración de las arenas. Caracas: Ministerio de Energía y Minas, Venezuela, División de Geología Marina, 13 pp.
• Hernández Baño, A. and Trujillo, M.T. 1986. Secretos de los Médanos de Coro. Serie Historia regional no. 1, Coro: Instituto de Cultura del Estado Falcón, Instituto Nacional de Parques, Caracas, 92 pp.
• Morales, P.R. 1979. Estudio de los médanos de Venezuela: evidencias de un clima desértico. Acta Biológica de Venezuela 10:19-49.
• Roa-Morales, P. 1973. Génesis de los médanos de los Llanos de Venezuela. Universidad de Zulia, Maracaibo, 4 pp.

External links

• http://www.venezuelatuya.com/occidente/medanos.htm
• http://www.losmedanos.com/
• The Bibliography of Aeolian Research