Geography and Environment of Cape Verde

A little over 500 years ago, early Portuguese explorers discovered an archipelago of ten islands just off the coast of West Africa (620 km./385 miles due west of Senegal) and about half-way between Portugal and Brazil. Because there was inadequate water, the islands had no permanent settlements at the time. The Portuguese Crown found the location strategically important, despite the water shortage, and established a colony called "Cabo Verde." The new colony acquired a population-Portuguese, other Europeans, and Africans (initially as slaves)-who soon intermarried and founded a Creole culture, with subsequent additions from the Netherlands, Morocco and New England when Cape Verde became the refueling and crewing center for whaling vessels, as well as an entrepôt for other parts of Africa. These three elements-location (between Europe and the New World; off Africa but not part of the mainland), the lack of water, and the mix of peoples-have continued to play a major role in shaping the history, prospects, and the sense of identity of Cape Verde. The 10 islands, totaling about 4,033 sq. km., are volcanic and have limited arable land. Nine of them are inhabited. Santo Antão, São Vicente, Boa Vista, São Nicolau, and Sal, (plus the uninhabited Santa Luzia) make up the six Windward Islands, while Maio, Santiago (which contains the capital, Praia), Fogo (with a semi-active volcano), and Brava comprise the four Leeward islands. The total population, according to the 2000 census, is 434,812. Santiago Island (with the city of Praia) alone contains over half of the total population and Mindelo (the second largest city) on São Vicente accounts for an additional 15%.

Detailed geography