One of the southernmost islands in Cape Verde, Fogo is located between the islands of Santiago and Brava. Practically the whole island is a stratovolcano that has been periodically active: it last erupted in november of 2014. The largest volcanic feature is a nine-kilometre-wide caldera, which has walls one kilometre high. The caldera has a breach in its eastern rim and in the centre a resurgent dome with an ash cone that forms the highest point of the island: its summit is about one hundred metres higher than the surrounding caldera wall. Lava from the volcano has reached the eastern coast of the island within historical times.

Two small villages, Portela and Bangaeira, exist in the floor of the caldera (Chã das Caldeiras); the residents were evacuated during eruptions.

The island’s main city is São Filipe, near which is an airport. Fogo is largely an agricultural island. It has fertile land in the south-west with a slope of about ten to fifteen degrees. The north and the east are steeper. The island rises abruptly from the ocean, which can be as deep as 5,300 metres at a distance of five kilometres from the shoreline. The exception is to the west, where the island is connected to another seamount; further west in Brava.

The steep slopes in the north-eastern part are green and grassy all year round. The rest of the mountain is dry and barren, its dry creeks and streams are dry washes.

São Filipe’s buildings use classic Portuguese colonial architecture. Mosteiros, in the north-east, is the island’s second most important town.

Being one stratovolcano and extremely mountainous, this island has quite a diverse climate and many various microclimates. Along the coast, Fogo has a moderate dry tropical climate; higher on the slopes it has a semiarid mild tropical climate with very balanced temperatures year round; above 1,000 metres it has a cool highland subtropical steep climate. The average annual temperature on the coast is about 23-25 °C, decreasing to approximately 12-14 °C on the highest ground.

There can be remarkably cool weather in the interior, with the warmer wet season starting in July and ending in November, with the colder dry season starting in December and ending in May. Drought, the major climate risk of Cape Verdean islands, is much less pronounced on Fogo, due to the mountain’s ability to gain moisture from the clouds.

The official language of Fogo is Portuguese; yet mostly Fogo Creole is spoken. According to the 2013 national demographic census, Fogo was the fourth most populous island in the Cape Verde archipelago.

The economy of the island is based on agriculture and fishing, with coffee and wine among the main products. Due to its volcanic soil Fogo’s coffee also has a good reputation.

Tourism is steadily becoming popular. The volcano (allowed only accompanied by a local guide) is the island’s major attraction. The historic city of São Filipe and Chã das Caldeiras in the volcanic crater receive the bulk of visitors. No great tourism facilities exist, but there are small hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and local guides offer hiking tours.

There are various endemic plants on Fogo:

• Cravo-brabo (Erysimum caboverdiana)
• Língua-de-vaca (Echium vulcanorum)
• Losna (Artemisia gorgonum), a medicinal plant with a bitter taste.
• Tortolho (Euphorbia tuckeyana)

Fogo is the most prominent island of the Sotavento group of Cape Verde: it rises to nearly 3,000 metres above sea level at its summit, Pico do Fogo.