Santiago, Cape Verde

Santiago (Portuguese for “Saint James”), or Santiagu in Cape Verdean Creole, is the largest island of the Cape Verde archipelago. It is the most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. Praia, the capital of the country is in this island.

Santiago

Map of Santiago, Cape Verse
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	15°04′N 23°38′W
Archipelago	Cape Verde
Area	1,003.71 km2 (387.53 sq mi)
Length	75 km (46.6 mi)
Width	35 km (21.7 mi)
Highest elevation	1,394 m (4573 ft)
Highest point	Pico da Antónia
Administration
Cape Verde
Concelhos	9 (See list)
Largest settlement	Praia (pop. 131,602)
Demographics
Population	273,919 (2010)
Pop. density	272.9/km2 (706.8/sq mi)

The Santiago island is part of the Macaronesia, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean with similar ecosystems.

History

The island was discovered in around 1460 by António de Noli (or António da Noli), a 15th-century nobleman and navigator from Genoa that worked for Henry the Navigator of Portugal. De Noli founded in 1462 the old capital of the islands, Ribeira Grande, now known as Cidade Velha.

Population

As of 2010 (last national census), there were 273,919 people living in the island, giving it a population density of 272.9 inhabitants/km².

The largest city of the island is Praia, its capital, with a population, in 2010, of 131,602.

Geography

Santiago is in the southern Sotavento group of islands, at about 40 km (25 mi) to the west of the island of Maio and at about 50 km (31 mi) to the east of the island of Fogo.

The Santiago island has an area of 1,003.71 km² (387.53 sq mi); it is 75 km (47 mi) long, north to south, and about 35 km (22 mi) wide, east to west.

The island is mountainous, although slightly flatter in the southeast. There are two volcanic mountain ranges:

• Serra da Malagueta, in the northern part of the island.
• Serra do Pico de Antónia, in the southern part of the island, from the southeast to the northwest. Here is the highest point of the island, Pico de Antónia, 1,394 m (4,573 ft) high.

There are two natural parks in the island to protect the plants and animals in the two mountain ranges:

• Parque Natural de Rui Vaz e Serra de Pico de Antónia
• Parque Natural de Serra da Malagueta

Climate

Praia, in the southeast coast, has a Tropical and Subtropical Desert climate (Köppen climate classification : Bwh).

The average temperature for the year in Praia is 24.4 °C (75.9 °F). The warmest month, on average, is August with an average temperature of 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 22.2 °C (72.0 °F).

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Praia is 210.8 millimetres (8.30 in) 8.3". The month with the most precipitation on average is August with 99.1 millimetres (3.90 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is March without any precipitation. There are an average of 49.0 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in September with 7.0 days and the least precipitation occurring in December with 2.0 days.

Administration

The Santiago island is divided in 9 municipalities (conselhos) and 10 parishes (freguesias).

Santiago island

CGN-CV code	Conselho	ISO 3166-2 code	Capital	Area (km²)	Population (2002)	Density
71	Tarrafal	CV-TA	Tarrafal	120.82	18,565	153.7
72	Santa Catarina	CV-CA	Assomada	242.57	40,852	168.4
73	Santa Cruz	CV-CR	Pedra Badejo	112.21	26,609	237.1
74	Praia	CV-PR	Praia	102.55	131,602	1,283.3
75	São Domingos	CV-SD	São Domingos	147.54	13,808	93.6
76	São Miguel	CV-SM	Calheta de São Miguel	77.35	15,648	202.3
77	São Salvador do Mundo	CV-SS	Picos	26.48	8,677	327.7
78	São Lourenço dos Órgãos	CV-LO	João Teves	36.94	7,388	200.0
79	Ribeira Grande de Santiago	CV-RS	Cidade Velha	137.25	8,325	60.7

Gallery

• 
  View over Praia
• 
  Praia town hall
• 
  The Serra Malagueta mountain range
• 
  Ruins of the cathedral, Cidade Velha
• 
  The Tarrafal beach