Lagoa do Fogo

Lagoa do Fogo (Lagoa do Fogo)
Lake/Lagoon of Fire
Body of Water
A view of Lagoa do Fogo from the scenic overlook of Lagoa do Fogo III
Nickname: Fogo
Country	Portugal
Autonomous Region	Azores
Group	Central
Island	São Miguel
Municipalities	Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo
Civil Parishes	Conceição, Matriz, Água de Alto
Source	Água de Pau Massif
Length	3 km (2 mi)
Width	2.5 km (2 mi)
Depth	30 m (98 ft)
Basin	21.82 km2 (8 sq mi)
Protection	Decreto Legislativo Regional 46/2008/A
Date	7 November 2008
Management	Secretário Regional do Ambiente e do Mar
- location	Rua Cônsul Dabney - Colónia Alemã, 140, Horta, Faial
- elevation	28 m (92 ft)
- coordinates	38°32′2″N 28°37′45″W / 38.53389°N 28.62917°W / 38.53389; -28.62917
Owner	Regional Government of the Azores

Lagoa do Fogo (Lake/Lagoon of Fire) is a crater lake within the Água de Pau Massif stratovolcano in the center of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The highest lake located on the island of São Miguel, the region is protected by governmental regulation that does not permit the construction around the lake.

Since 1974, the Lagoa do Fogo had been under the administration of national legislation as a protected area, forming the Reserva da Lagoa do Fogo (Natural Reserve of Lagoa do Fogo) an area that includes approximately 2,182 hectares (21,820,000 m²), founded by Decree-law 152/74 (15 April 1974). It was also covered under a supplementary Decree-Law 9/79.

The Reserva Natural da Lagoa do Fogo was created in 1982, under terms of Regional Decree 10/82/A on 18 June 1982. Part of the area was included in the Natura 2000 network, and classified as the Site of Communitarian Importance of Lagoa do Fogo.

The nature reserve was integrated into the Nature Park of São Miguel, under Decree-Law 19/2008A (8 July 2008), which included the entire watershed of the Laoga.

Lagoa do Fogo is one of the largest of the waterbodies in the Azores, and occupies the central caldera of the Água de Pau Massif, in the central area of the island of São Miguel. The caldera is the youngest volcano on the island of São Miguel, formed approximately 15 million years ago, resulting from the collapse at the top of the volcano, some 5 million years. The last eruption occurred in 1563. It falls within the borders of the civil parishes of Conceição, Matriz and Água de Alto, in the municipalities of Ribeira Grande and Vila Franca do Campo, respectively.

It is part of the hydrological watershed of the same name. The margins of the lake are located 575 metres (1,886 ft) above sea level, although the crater rim, which extends to Pico da Barrosa is located at approximately 949 metres (3,114 ft) altitude. The internal flanks of the crater (characterized by abrupt 48º cliffs) are occupied by the elliptical lake, 3 by 2.5 kilometres (1.9 mi × 1.6 mi) and 30 metres (98 ft) deep.