Médanos de Coro National Park

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Medanos National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)

Location	Venezuela
Nearest city	Coro
Coordinates	11°30′″N 69°42′″W / <span class="geo-dec geo" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for Expression error: Unexpected / operator Expression error: Unexpected / operator">Expression error: Unexpected / operator, Expression error: Unexpected / operator
Area	91.280 hm²
Established	February 6, 1974
Governing body	Instituto Nacional de Parques (INPARQUES)

For other uses, see Médanos.

Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro is 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 Médanos park lies on the Isthmus of Médanos and covers 91.280 hm² of desert and coastal habitat, including salt marshes. The massive sand dunes, known as Médanos, spread over an area of approximately 5 by 30 kilometers. They can reach 40 meters in height and are constantly transformed by the unrelenting wind. Rainfall is rare, thus flora consists of little more than thorny shrubs. Fauna is likewise scarce; the park is home mainly to lizards, rabbits, anteaters, foxes, pigeons and kestrels. Visitors can wander amongst the dunes by camel (imported many years ago), and the park is easily reached by bus or taxi from Coro.

During the severe floods that struck Venezuela in December 1999, and were especially devastating in Vargas State, the heavy rain formed four lagoons in the dunes; a circumstance that the park guards had never witnessed before.

[edit] 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.