Medanos
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| Medanos National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
| Location: | Venezuela |
| Area: | 912.80 km² |
| Established: | 1974 |
Médanos is the name given to the sand dunes in the only desert in Venezuela.
The Médanos are located in the state of Falcón, near the city of Coro on the road that leads to Paraguaná, in the National Park created in 1974 specifically to preserve them: Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro.
The Médanos park lies on the Isthmus of Médanos and covers 912.80 km² 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.
