Cape Verde Tours & Properties

The surface area of Santo Antão is 779 Km2 and it is the second largest island of the whole Archipelago. Its maximum length is of 43 Km, and the widest point is of 24 Km. The impressive high mountains constitute an attraction to those who visit the island, in the heart of which lays a mountain range from the northeast to the southeast culminating in a volcanic pick known as "Topo de Coroa", 1.979 metre high, one of the highest points of the island.

Santo Antão was discovered in 1462, but the Portuguese Crown would start its settlement around the year of 1548. A major development of the island as well as a network of new roads to improve the connection between the different communities in the island have not been possible due to the height of the mountains; they’re however considered to be important steps that should be taken towards the development of the island.

The landscape is desert to the South, but with the vegetation becoming very exuberant as one approaches the North of the Island, which is at the same time one of the most agricultural of the whole Archipelago. In fact, sugar cane, manioc, banana, breadfruit, mango, papaya, as well as many other plantations can be found in the island. Grog, a national strong alcoholic drink made from the sugar cane, is produced in a traditional way, in the "trapiches" (rudimentary machine moved by cows that grinds the sugar cane), which can still be found in some of the islands. The people’s hospitality is usually shown in the warm way that foreigners are welcomed everywhere in the island.

Santa Luzia is the only uninhabited island in Cape Verde with a surface area of 35 Km2. the highest point measures 395 metres. It is 5 km large and 13 km long.

Vegetation is very scarce, and the climate of the island is particularly dry and arid. It has, however, interesting landscape contrasts, the south offering beautiful scenery of beaches and dunes, and the north with scarped mountains.

Lack of water has been one of the main constraints of the island, the major cause for not being inhabited. Nevertheless, the island played a role in the economy of the Archipelago in the past, with the activity of cattle breeding and the extraction of great quantities of earth orchid. For many years, plots of land were rented and contracts to run these activities in the island were signed.

Although different initiatives were taken so as to implement projects that would allow for the promotion of fishing and cattle breeding activities in the island, the intention to settle the island with people was definitely put aside due to the long droughts and the permanent lack of water.

In the 19th century, 20 people lived in Santa Luzia and dedicated themselves to the trade of meat, dairy products and leather known by their good quality. This small population was forced to leave due to the frequent droughts. However, in the 20th century, up to the 1960’s, a couple of shepherds, husband and wife, lived in the island of Santa Luzia. In 1990, the State of Cape Verde declared this uninhabited island a public patrimony, and nowadays it is considered to be a natural reserve.

Frequently known as the Porto Grande Island, São Vicente has a 227 Km2 surface, and it is the second island in terms of number of inhabitants. The furthest distance is around 24km from the east to the west and 16km from the north to the South.

This island remained uninhabited until the beginning of the 19th Century. In 1838, when the coal deposit was established in Porto Grande by the British to supply the ships on the Atlantic routes, some development was brought into the region.

Despite of its volcanic origin, the island is quite flat, and the highest point is Monte Verde with 774 metres.

Due to the scarce rainfall and lack of natural resources, economic development of the island is based on commerce and services. Nevertheless, Mindelo, the Capital city, as the stopping point for many ships during the Second World War, became an important cultural centre where sailors of different parts of the world met together in the local bars, enjoyed the music and encouraged the development of literature and sports.

Mindelo was elected as the Capital of culture of the Portuguese Speaking Countries, for the year 2003, by all of the municipalities’ members of the Association of the Portuguese Speaking Capital Cities of the World.

   

   

Located to the North of the Archipelago, the island of São Nicolau covers an area of 343 Km2. Its widest point in the North/South direction is 25 km, and approximately 50 Km of length to the East/West. Volcanic activities in the past were very frequent and it is visible in the physical aspect of the island, which, similarly to island of Santo Antão, has majestic mountains. Monte Gordo is the highest peak of the island with an altitude of 1304 metres from where two separate clusters of peaks part. The valleys are narrow and deep, except the Vale de Fajã that is wide and fertile enough for the agricultural activity.

Settlement of this island started in the 17th century, after the islands of Santiago and Fogo, especially because, like Santo Antão, it was the island where one could find water and, therefore, with good conditions for activities such as agriculture and cattle breeding.

Undoubtedly, São Nicolau was for many years the intellectual centre of Cape Verde, and the birthplace of the literary movement "Claridade" (Clarity), a major turning point for the literature of Cape Verde, founded in 1936 by famous writers and poets such as Baltasar Lopes, Manuel Lopes, João Lopes and Jorge Barbosa.

The island of Sal, being the flattest of the whole Archipelago, has Monte Grande as the highest point, with a height of 406 metros. The island has a surface of 216 Km2, and from North to South the maximum length is 30 Km and 12 Km in width, in the direction of East to West. It is so called due to the salt that was produced in the lagoon in a crater of a volcano, which became the major cause of development of the island, and its main export for many decades.

The construction of the International Airport, in the middle of the 20th century led to the growth of the economy of the island of Sal, and, therefore, to an increase in population as well as to a significant growth of tourism. The number of inhabitants has doubled in the last decade and the island of Sal is today the second of the country with the highest urban incidence (approximately 89%).

It is a very arid island, affected by constant erosion and very arid climate conditions, with an aspect of a desert like region, which should not be taken seriously into consideration for the charm of this island is great. In fact, by taking the direction to the South one will reach Santa Maria, a magnificent and long white sandy beach and sea with excellent conditions for practising water sports. Santa Maria is the delight of those who arrive in the island, but there are many other places and tourist attractions by excellence that are worth visiting.

The island of Boavista has a surface of 620 Km2 and it is the third largest island of the Archipelago. Similarly to the island of Sal, it is flat. The Peak of Estância is the highest point of the island measuring about 390 metres. It is covered with white sand dunes. Oases of date palms are found here and there, and are the typical vegetation of the island. Boavista has 55 Km of white sand beaches and crystal clear water.

This island considered to be the birth place of «Morna», one of the main musical genres of the country, went through some economic improvement only in the beginning of the 17th century when great amount of salt were found in it. At that time, salt was already sold in the island of Maio. Before the discovery of this product, the island’s economy was based on cattle breeding, just like the other arid islands of the Archipelago, which had little or no water available. The first settlement was called Povoação Velha, and the Englishmen mainly carried on the extraction in the island.

.Maio is as flat as the islands of Sal and Boavista. There are very small vestiges of volcanic activity in the island, being Monte Penoso its highest point measuring 436 metres. It has a surface of 269 Km2, the longest point in the North/South direction of 24 Km, and the widest in the East/West direction of 16 Km.

Maio was discovered in 1460, and it was basically used for cattle breeding, namely goats. The settlement of the island started at the end of the 16th century, with the extraction of salt that was exported to different parts of the Portuguese Crown, including Brazil. This activity was carried on until the 19th century.

The climate of the island is arid and dry and there are very few irrigated lands. A project of reforestation has been carried out in the island mainly with the acacia trees. The island of Maio counts at the moment with the largest reforested perimeter of the whole Archipelago measuring about 3.500 acres.

There many beautiful white sand beaches with crystal clear waters. The people of Maio are known for their honesty and cheerful hospitality.

Santiago is the biggest island of the Archipelago of Cape Verde with a surface area of 991 Km2. The longest point in the direction of north/south is 55 Km, and the widest is 29 Km from east to west. The volcanic origin of this island is clearly shown in the different mountainous peaks of the island, being Pico d’Antónia the highest point with 1392 metres.

The first Portuguese colony of the Archipelago was established in Ribeira Grande, known today as Cidade Velha. Santiago was the first island to be populated. It went through an economic growth as a commercial trading post with the African Continent during slavery, but as this activity stopped, the island suffered a decline. Besides, pirate attacks were frequent, thus leading to a greater economic decline of the village. In fact, the major attacks to the island were carried out by famous pirates such as Francis Drake that organized an attack to the village of Ribeira Grande with about 600 men, and the French pirate J. Cassard, who ordered the devastation of the town in 1712.

Agriculture and cattle breeding have become the means of economic subsistence since that time, and, today, even though the island is affected by constant droughts, these activities play a very important role in its economy.

Fogo (Fire) was first called the island of São Filipe, and it was discovered in 1460. Its settlement started right after that of Santiago. The island is round and it looks like a volcano in shape. There is in fact a volcano that is still active, and the last eruption happened in April of 1995. The surface area of the island is 476 Km2, and it is the highest point of the Archipelago with the top of the volcano measuring 2.829 metres of height.

Right after its occupation, Fogo played a very important role in the economy of the country. The agricultural activity of Santiago was expanded to Fogo, and the cotton cultivated there served as money to buy slaves in the African Coast, thus obeying the rules of the Portuguese Crown dictating that slaves could only be bought with goods produced in the Archipelago. Clothes made of the cotton produced in Fogo were very popular. The frequent droughts also affected the island of Fogo, so that the people had to search for better life conditions. In fact, many inhabitants joined the American whaleboats that frequently anchored in Fogo in search of food and other provisions. At the end of the 18th century, the whalers recruited workers from the island of Brava, and during the 19th century many inhabitants of these two islands emigrated to the United States of America.

The island of Brava is the smallest of the whole of the Archipelago, with a surface area of 64 Km2 and the maximum length of 9 Km East-Westward. It is very mountainous, with deep and abrupt valleys, and its highest point is Pico Fontainhas, measuring 976 metres. The coastline is very rugged and many bays form there. The island of Brava is definitely the most humid island of the Archipelago, very well known for its rich vegetation and diverse flower species, and thus referred to as the «Island of Flowers».

The island was populated in 1620 mainly with the inhabitants of the island of Fogo, which is located only 20 km away, and who fled from the sporadic eruptions of the volcano of the island of Fogo, specially the great eruption of 1680.

The constant droughts were the main cause for the emigration of the local people to the United States of America, in the whaleboats, at the end of the 18th century. Most of the emigrating people were local men recruited to work in the whaleboats because they were considered to be good sailors. Many of those men from the islands of Brava and Fogo settled in the USA and together they constitute the largest Capeverdean community of the Diaspora.

In the past the main economic activities were the extraction of earth orchid, and agriculture and fishing which are until today the basis of the economy of the island, together with the remittances of moneys from the emigrating community in the United States of America to their family members.