Ponta Temerosa

Ponta Temerosa
Ponta Temerosa and its lighthouse
Location	Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde
Offshore water bodies	Praia Harbor Atlantic Ocean
Area
• Total	200 ha
Dimensions
• Length	560 m
• Width	168 m
• Depth	5 m
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Highest elevation	12 m
Surface elevation	12 m (39 ft)

Ponta Temerosa are two promontories and a headland located in the south of Praia on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde located nearly 2 km from the city center and 2.8 km by road from Albuquerque Square (the city's center) to the lighthouse. The western point is the southermnost point of the island. Once after Ilhéu de Santa Maria (and is naturally), it is now after Ponta do Porto (once called Porto de Visconde) forming the Port of Praia expanded in 2014 and forms an artificial headland. Ponta Temerosa is inside the neighborhood of Prainha-Temerosa.

1884 Map of Porto Praya (now Praia) featuring Ponta Temerosa with its old feature of Lazaretto and the lighthouse as a signal station

The headland is 560 meters long straightly down southeast (600 meters indirectly) and 168 meters wide, it is almost entirely surrounded by rocky cliffs. The deepest area surrounding the headland is 3 meters, 2 kilometers (1.25 nmi) south has a depth of 100 meters and over 5 kilometers (2.7 nmi) south has a depth of 1,000 meters.

Notable landmarks on the headland include the Farol de D. Maria Pia or Ponta Temerosa lighthouse, the Seminary of São José (Saint Joseph). At the end of the headland is the tiny beach of Prainha, sometimes included. The Praiamar hotel (or the Hotel Oasis Atlântico) is in the western end. In that area, the highest point is 11 to 12 meters. Residential streets includes Avenida Rotary International and Rua de Mar (or Rua de Ponta Temerosa). Adjacent to the headland is Ipanema restaurant located on Avenida Jorge Barbosa, the restaurant is named after the beach in Brazil.

History

Before the urban sprawl reached the southernmost point of the island in the 1980s, the geography of the headland before the 16th century is unknown. The Battle of Porto Praya took place between Great Britain and France off the point on 16 April 1780, as Portugal was neutral, Great Britain clashed with France southeast of the harbour in the waters, the naval battle ended in French victory.

The first main feature was the D. Maria Pia lighthouse, first built in 1881, a seminary later appeared, its first road first constructed.

Agriculture dominated the area up to the 1980s when the urban sprawl of Praia spread to the area, it was not fully urbanized until the 1990s. In the 1990s, the Praiamar resort opened.

Panoramics

Panoramics includes most of the city of Praia, also Monte Vermelho and Pico da Antónia can be seen, it is the starting point where the neighboring island of Fogo, the eastern part can be seen in southern Santiago.