Médanos de Coro National Park, Desert national park near Coro, Venezuela
Médanos de Coro National Park is a desert and dune area near Coro in Venezuela, covering three different ecological zones including mangrove swamps and sandy expanses. The tallest dunes rise about 40 meters and form a landscape that recalls North Africa while remaining part of the Caribbean coast.
The Venezuelan government created this protected area in February 1974 to preserve the natural dune formations and coastal habitats. Since then, legal measures have prevented sand extraction and other activities that could disturb the ecological balance.
The dunes are called médanos, from the Spanish word for dune, and are known as arenas nómadas because the trade winds shift them from east to west. Among the sand lie pre-Columbian causeways, cemeteries and settlements, and the Capilla de Ánimas de Guasare, where passers-by stop to pray for those who died of thirst during the 1912 famine on the Paraguaná peninsula.
The park lies on the isthmus on the road from Coro to Paraguaná and is reached by bus or taxi from the city. The trade winds blow from east to west and keep the dunes moving, so the sand shifts shape between visits. Camels, imported years ago, can be used to move among the dunes.
Four temporary lagoons formed among the sand dunes during the heavy floods of December 1999. These bodies of water created an unusual desert oasis that remained visible for several months after the rains.
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