Portal:Islands of Cape Verde
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
The archipelago of Cape Verde consists of 10 islands and several islets, divided into two groups:
- Barlavento (windward) islands
- Sotavento (leeward) islands
The islands in the Barlavento group are Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista. The islands in the Sotavento group are Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. All but Santa Luzia are inhabited.
Below is a sortable list of the islands of Cape Verde. Population figures are of 2000.
Selected general articles
Ilhéu Raso is an uninhabited 5.76 square kilometres (2.22 square miles) volcanic island in the Barlavento archipelago of Cape Verde. It is flanked by the smaller Branco islet to the west and by São Nicolau island on its eastern side, distance is 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from the island of São Nicolau. Together with Santa Luzia and Ilhéu Branco, Ilhéu Raso is on the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. Since 1990, the islet is part of the protected area Reserva Natural Integral de Santa Luzia.
The island is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles) long by 2.8 kilometres (1.7 miles) wide, Its highest point is Monte da Ribeira Ladrão, elevation 164 metres (538 feet) above sea level. The south-western part is a dry, boulder-strewn plain. There is little vegetation apart from an area of grassland in the south-west. The entire coastline consists of rocky cliffs. Read more...
The Sotavento Islands (literally, the Leeward) is the southern island group of the Cape Verde archipelago. There are four main islands. The western three islands, Brava, Fogo and Santiago, are rocky and volcanic agricultural islands, with the longest histories of human habitation. The fourth and easternmost island Maio is a flat desert island whose economy was primarily based on salt, giving it more in common with the Barlavento islands Sal and Boa Vista. The Ilhéus do Rombo are barren islets north of Brava. The total area of the Sotavento Islands is 1,803 km2 (696 sq mi). Read more...
Ilhéu Grande is an uninhabited island of Cape Verde. It is the largest of the Ilhéus do Rombo islet group, located 4 km (2 mi) west of Ilhéu de Cima, the other main islet of the group, and 7 km (4 mi) north of the island Brava. Its length is 2.3 km (1.4 mi) from southwest to northeast and the width is approximately 1.1 km (0.7 mi) from southeast to northwest. It is 96 m high. The islet forms a part of the integral nature reserve Ilhéus do Rombo.
The islet is a volcanic seamount and has a rocky coastline. It is mostly barren but has some scattered vegetation. Large bird colonies must have existed formerly as the island has thick layers of guano. It has been used by goat farmers and whalers in the past. The islet was mentioned as "Juan Carnira" in the 1747 map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. Read more...
Ilhéu de Santa Maria (once known as Quail Island) is a small uninhabited islet of the Sotavento archipelago in Cape Verde located off the shore of the island Santiago. Like all Cape Verdean islands, the islet is of volcanic origin. The islet has an area of roughly 0.05 square kilometres (12 acres) and is 420 metres (460 yards) long and 130 metres (140 yards) wide. It is situated at the entrance of Praia Harbour, in front of Praia da Gamboa, near the city centre of Praia.
In the 1850s, a customs house and warehouses were built on the islet. The buildings have been used for quarantine as well, but this was moved to the new Lazareto on Ponta Temerosa in the 1870s. Read more...
Santo Antão (Portuguese for "Saint Anthony") is the westernmost island of Cape Verde. At 779 km2 (301 sq mi), it is the largest of the Barlavento Islands group, and the second largest island of Cape Verde. The nearest island is São Vicente to the southeast, separated by the sea channel Canal de São Vicente. Its population was 40,547 in 2015, making it the third most populous island of Cape Verde after Santiago and São Vicente. Its largest city is Porto Novo on the south coast (population 9.310 in 2010). Read more...
Ilhéu de Cima is an uninhabited island of Cape Verde. It is part of the Ilhéus do Rombo islet group, located 4 km east of Ilhéu Grande, the other main islet of the group, and 8 km northeast of the island Brava. They are administratively a part of the Brava municipality. Surrounding islets include Ilhéu Luiz Carneiro, Ilhéu Sapado and Ilhéu do Rei. The island is part of the integral nature reserve Ilhéus do Rombo, famous for its seabirds colonies.
The southern part of the islet is the highest, culminating at 77 m. This is where the Ilhéu de Cima Lighthouse is situated, the only building on the island. The islet was mentioned as "Ghuay" in the 1747 map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. Read more...
Ilhéu Branco (Portuguese for "white islet") is an uninhabited 278 ha islet in the Barlavento group of the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of north-west Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. Ilhéu Branco is flanked by the islands of Santa Luzia to the north-west and Ilhéu Raso to the south-east. Since 1990, the islet is part of the protected area Reserva Natural Integral de Santa Luzia. Together with Santa Luzia and Ilhéu Raso, Ilhéu Branco is on the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage sites.
Branco is a large rectangular rock, less than 4 km long by more than 1 km wide, rising steeply to a ridge running the length of the island. Its highest point, Topa da Berta, is 327 metres (1,073 feet) above sea level. Its summit is lower than that of Santa Luzia but higher than Raso. The coast is rocky, except for an area of dunes on the west side and a small area of level ground on the east side. Seas around the island are rough throughout the year, making access difficult. Read more...
The Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area lies in the southeastern part of the island of Boa Vista in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of north-west Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a 986 ha site consisting of the Ilhéu de Curral Velho, as well as the area opposite it on Boa Vista centred on the deserted village of Curral Velho. It was designated as a Ramsar wetland of international importance on July 18, 2005.
The 0.77 ha (1.9-acre) Ilhéu de Curral Velho is an unvegetated, heavily eroded, calcareous rock, 15 metres (49 ft) in height, lying some 500 m (1,600 ft) off the southernmost point of Boavista. The island and a 41 ha marine area around it are a protected nature reserve (Reserva Natural Integral Ilhéu de Curral Velho). Read more...
The Barlavento Islands (literally, the Windward) is the northern island group of the Cape Verde archipelago. It can be divided into two sub-groups:- the western islands Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Santa Luzia and the islets Branco and Raso are rocky, volcanic, agricultural islands.
- the eastern islands Sal and Boa Vista are flat, desert islands with economies once based on salt and now turning to tourism, having more in common with the Sotavento island Maio.
Minor islets include Ilhéu de Sal-Rei and Ilhéu do Baluarte off Boa Vista, Ilhéu dos Pássaros off São Vicente and Ilhéu Rabo de Junco off Sal. The total area of the Barlavento Islands is 2,239 km2 (864 sq mi). Read more...
Fogo (Portuguese for "fire") is an island in the Sotavento group of Cape Verde. Its population is 35,837 (2015), with an area of 476 km². It reaches the highest altitude of all the islands in Cape Verde, rising to 2,829 metres (9,281 feet) above sea level at the summit of its active volcano, Pico do Fogo. Read more...
Boa Vista (Portuguese meaning “good view”), also written as Boavista, is a desert-like island that belongs to the Cape Verde Islands. At 631.1 km2 (243.7 sq mi), it is the third largest island of the Cape Verde archipelago.
The island of Boa Vista is the Cape Verde island located closest to the African continent, being the easternmost island of all. The distance between Boa Vista and Senegal is only 450 km. The capital of Boa Vista, Sal Rei, is located in the north-western part of the island. Boa Vista is mainly known for its beaches, turtles and traditional music. Read more...
São Nicolau (Portuguese meaning Saint Nicholas) is one of the Barlavento (Windward) islands of Cape Verde. It is located between the islands of Santa Luzia and Sal. Its population is 12,424 (2015), with an area of 343 km². The main towns are Ribeira Brava and Tarrafal de São Nicolau. Read more...
The Ilhéus do Rombo, also known as the Ilhéus Secos (Portuguese for "Dry Islets", because of their aridity and paucity of vegetation), are a group of small, uninhabited islands in the Cape Verde archipelago, lying 600 km off the coast of north-west Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. The islets form an integral nature reserve. They are sited on a volcanic seamount 7 km north of Brava and 15 km west of Fogo. The two major islets of the chain are Ilhéu Grande (300 ha) and Ilhéu de Cima (150 ha). Administratively they are part of the municipality of Brava. They can be seen from Brava and, sometimes, from Fogo. Read more...
Maio is the easternmost of the Sotavento islands of Cape Verde. Maio is located south of the island of Boa Vista and east of Santiago. Administratively, the island forms one concelho (municipality): Maio. Read more...
Sal (Portuguese for "salt") is an island in Cape Verde. It belongs to the northern group of islands, called Barlavento ("windwards"), and comprises a single administrative division, the Sal municipality. Read more...
Santa Luzia is an island of the Barlavento archipelago in Cape Verde located between São Nicolau and São Vicente, the channel of Santa Luzia separates the island of São Vicente and is 8 km wide. The area is 34.2 km². Like all Cape Verdean islands, it is of volcanic origin. The highest point is Topona (elevation 395 m (1,296 ft)). Santa Luzia is 12.4 km long and 5.3 km wide.
Administratively, it is not part of any municipality, but in the public domain of the state of Cape Verde. Together with the islets of Ilhéu Branco and Ilhéu Raso, Santa Luzia is on the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. Santa Luzia, Ilhéu Branco and Ilhéu Raso were declared a protected area as Santa Luzia Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural Integral de Santa Luzia) in 1990. In addition to the islands proper (43 km2 (17 sq mi)), the nature reserve covers 469 km2 (181 sq mi) of ocean. Read more...
Santiago (Portuguese for “Saint James”) is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. Part of the Sotavento Islands, it lies between the islands of Maio (26 km (16 mi) to the east) and Fogo (55 kilometres (34 miles) to the west). It was the first of the islands to be settled: the town of Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) was founded in 1462. Santiago is home to the nation's capital city of Praia. Read more...
Ilhéu de Sal Rei is an uninhabited islet near the coast of Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde. It is located 1 km (0.6 miles) southwest of the island capital Sal Rei. Its area is 89 ha (0.34 sq mi) and its highest point is 27 m (88.6 ft).
The islet has exposed basaltic and limestone rock, and there are sandy beaches in sheltered areas. The entire islet is a natural monument. The headland Ponta de Escuma is the islet's westernmost point. A narrow strait to its northeast separates it from Boa Vista island by 500 to 600 meters. On the southern tip of the island, the ruined Portuguese fort Duque de Bragança is situated. Read more...
Brava (Portuguese for “wild” or "brave") is an island in Cape Verde, in the Sotavento group. At 62.5 km2 (24.1 sq mi), it is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago, but at the same time the greenest. First settled in the early 16th century, its population grew after Mount Fogo on neighbouring Fogo erupted in 1680. For more than a century, its main industry was whaling, but the island economy is now primarily agricultural. Read more...
São Vicente (Portuguese for "Saint Vincent") is one of the Barlavento Islands, the northern group within the Cape Verde archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the west African coast. It is located between the islands of Santo Antão and Santa Luzia, with the Canal de São Vicente separating it from Santo Antão. Read more...
Ilhéu dos Pássaros is an uninhabited rocky islet in the bay of Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde. It lies about 1.3 km (0.8 mi) west of the headland Ponta João Ribeiro, and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) northwest of Mindelo city centre. It lies between the Porto Grande Bay and the Canal de São Vicente, the channel of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão. There is a lighthouse on the islet.
Ilhéu dos Pássaros was depicted on a Cape Verdean $500 escudo bill issued between 1992 and 2000. The Cape Verdean author Orlanda Amarílis published Ilhéu dos Pássaros, a collection of short stories, in 1983. Read more...
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