Cha das Caldeiras -- Crater Village

A small agricultural community of approximately 700 inhabitants living inside the caldera of the active Pico do Fogo volcano, at an elevation of around 1,700 metres -- the highest permanently inhabited locality in Cape Verde. The community is divided into two neighbourhoods: Bangaeira, founded in 1917, and Portela, founded in 1920. Both were largely destroyed by lava flows during the November 2014 eruption, yet the population returned and rebuilt on the same fertile volcanic land. Cha das Caldeiras is the only area in Cape Verde producing significant quantities of wine-quality grapes, with the resulting wines exported internationally.