Isla de Cortegada
This is the largest island of the archipelago of the same name. It covers an area of five hectares and contains a laurel forest, which is unique in the Iberian Peninsula and the largest laurel forest in Europe. There is also an old settlement, which was abandoned when the island was donated to the Spanish Crown and then sold to a private company. Afterwards it became part of the Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park.
Access
- Accesos a pie: Sí
Features
Native terrestrial flora and fauna There is a forest of common oaks (Quercus robur), laurels (Laurus nobilis), common hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna), grey willows (Salix atrocinerea), Pyrenean oaks (Quercus pyrenaica) and sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa), among others. There are also many fungi, with species not previously recorded in Galicia like Bisporella sulfurina, Callistosporium xanthophyllum and Hypoxylon cohaerens var. microsporumt. Birds include laridae and waders like the whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), the common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and other common marine species of the estuary of Arousa. Native aquatic flora and fauna Most of the flora is composed of marsh vegetation on the isles of Briñas and Malveira Pequeña. Fauna includes bivalve molluscs, such as the cockle, clam, scallop and queen scallop. There are also many flatfish, which camouflage themselves on the ocean floor, like the European plaice and the ray. Responsible body Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park- Located in: Estuary of Arousa
- Description of the surroundings: Sea
- Interés Paisajístico: High
Environmental protection status
- Figura de Protección: Parque Natural
Services
- ¿Se necesita licencia?: Sí
- Zona de buceo: Sí
- Pesca deportiva o submarina: Sí
- Permitido el baño: Sí
- Merendero: Sí
- Navegación y fondeo: Sí
- Information point: Sí