Caldeirão

Caldeirão is a Portuguese term that translates to cauldron in English. In everyday language it refers to a large cooking pot, but in geographical and toponymic use it describes a cauldron-like landscape feature, such as circular depressions, volcanic craters, or deep gorges. The word derives from Latin caldarium, through older Portuguese forms, and is cognate with similar terms in other Romance languages. In place names, caldeirão often evokes a basin-shaped or bowl-like physical form.

One well-known use of the name is Caldeirão Verde, a gorge and waterfall on the island of Madeira, Portugal. The site is part of the Levada do Caldeirão Verde network and is a popular destination for hiking, offering lush vegetation and cascades in a circular valley setting. The term Caldeirão also appears in Brazilian popular culture as Caldeirão do Huck, a long-running television program broadcast by Rede Globo and hosted by Luciano Huck since the early 2000s, known for entertainment and charitable segments.

Beyond these examples, Caldeirão serves as a common toponym across Portuguese-speaking countries, applied to geographic features perceived as bowl-shaped or basin-like. The term is related to, but distinct from, caldeira, a more technical term used in geology to denote a volcanic crater basin.