04 August 2009

I wonder where this photo was taken


I found it at Pixdaus, where it is credited to MaciekPorto - but no identification is provided.

It depicts an interesting topography, with a mountainous coastline plunging to the sea, at the base of which is old sedimentary outwash or old solidified volcanic lavaflow now divided into what probably are farms with one would guess rock dividing walls. There's even a sizeable freshwater or brackish lagoon at this location and the one further down.

Intriguing. I'd love to walk that coast and climb those mountains. Any suggestions where it might be??

Addendum: Detective of the Day award to "Mary" who identified this as "the northeastern shore of the island of Sao Jorge in the Azores."

"São Jorge is a long and slim island, and has a length of 56 km, a width of 8 km and a total area of 246 square km. All along the island is a mountain ridge with the highest peak Pico da Esperanca at 1053 m. The coast is steep and wild but here and there are "fajãs", which are gentle sloping rather flat coastal areas.... The population of the island is about 9 500, with the main part along the southern coast and in the main municipalities at Velas and Calheta... There are many "fajãs" along the coasts but the best for birds are Fajã dos Cubres, and to some extent Fajã dos Tijolos. Both are flat lowlands with small freshwater lagoon-like lakes below steep almost vertical cliffs. Here are refuges for ducks, herons and waders, and the rarity list is long including species like Little Blue and Great Blue Heron. Both "fajãs" are on the north coast just opposite Calheta. You can easily reach Fajã dos Cubres by car but you have to walk from Cubres to Tijolos (3km one way) on a poor track."

The image above appears to be the same location as the top photo; it offers a closer view of the lagoon and landscape. More pix here and here. Thanks, Mary.

One more thing - this Flickr Photostream has a couple dozen pix of a walk along the shoreline to visit the two fajas in the top photo. Nice set.

7 comments:

  1. I can't say for certain, but the geography does look like some pictures I've seen of small sea-side towns in the Faeroe Islands.

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  2. It is the northeastern shore of the island of Sao Jorge in the Azores (according to google translated comments made by the photographer comments on plfoto.com)

    Mary

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  3. west coast of south america can have similar topography

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  4. It also looks similar to the Na Pali Coast Line on Kauai, Hawaii

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  5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24845884@N00/182025419/

    it looks really magnificent, doesn't it? some of the other islands in açores have unesco world heritage sites, so you might want to visit all 9 of them :)

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  6. Yes, it's from the island of São Jorge, one of the nine beautiful islands of the Azores, Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic.

    What you're seeing is a fajã, a spit of land created by long ago landslides (notice those steep cliffs)? Many towns on the islands are built on this sort of coastline. I'm just back from a vacation on the Azorean island of São Miguel, and we rented a farm house not far from the town of Mosteiros, built on a fajã, which had a lovely black sand beach, and another beach made of volcanic stone, where tidal pools would warm up like saunas.

    Visit the Azores! A mere 4 1/2 hour plane ride from Boston . .

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  7. The first photo, i guess is on Hawaii...

    Oahu Island...i guess

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