Picos

Picos

Picos, also called Achada Igreja, is a town in Cape Verde, in the central part of the island of Santiago. The city is the seat of the municipality of São Salvador do Mundo. Surrounded by mountains, Picos is located about 4 km north of Pico de António, the highest peak on the island of Santiago, which is 1,392 meters high. The mountain is part of the Parque Natural da Serra do Pico de António protected area. The Serra do Pico da António is an Important Bird Area, designated by BirdLife International because of its extremely rich birdlife. The site is home to the Peregrine Falcon, Red Kite, Long-Legged Buzzards, Alexander's Swifts, Cape Verde Warblers and Lago Sparrow. North of the summit is the Ribeira de Pico da Antónia, one of the headwaters of the Ribeira Seca. The formation of Pico da Antonia is of volcanic origin and was formed between 3.3 and 2.3 million years ago, during the Piacenzian and Gelasian eras.