Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
Boa Vista is the easternmost island of Cape Verde
. It is located in the Barlavento group of the archipelago
. The island is known for marine turtle
s and traditional music
, as well as its ultramarathon
and its sand dunes and beach
es. The island also constitutes the municipality of Boa Vista, which has two parishes, Santa Isabel and São João Baptista
. It is 455 km west of the coast of Africa
. Much of the island is flat. The highest point on the island is Monte Estância
, elevation 387 meters; other mountains include Santo António (Saint Anthony) and Monte Negro (Black Mountain). Other features include Campo da Serra. Its main town is Sal Rei
, its ferry port and home to Boa Vista's airport
(Rabil Airport
)on the northwest side of the island.
Surrounding islets include Ilhéu de Sal Rei featuring a lighthouse in the west, and Ilhéu do Baluate featuring the easternmost point in Cape Verde. Points include Ponta Antónia to the north.
, but desertification
led to salt collection
becoming more important. Its main industries today are date
farming and, increasingly, tourism
, with already several touristic establishments being built in recent times. A large 750-room RIU Hotels
hotel (Riu Karamboa) was build 5 km South of Sal Rei, having more rooms than all other tourist accommodation on Boa Vista combined by then (January 2009). A further Riu (Touareg) with 2000 rooms has been opened on the South of the island (May 2011).
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. It is located in the Barlavento group of the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
. The island is known for marine turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
s and traditional music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, as well as its ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
and its sand dunes and beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es. The island also constitutes the municipality of Boa Vista, which has two parishes, Santa Isabel and São João Baptista
Geography
With an area of 620 km², it is the third largest island, after Santo Antão and SantiagoSantiago, Cape Verde
Santiago , or Santiagu in Cape Verdean Creole, is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. At the time of Darwin's voyage it was called St. Jago....
. It is 455 km west of the coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Much of the island is flat. The highest point on the island is Monte Estância
Monte Estancia
Monte Estância is Boa Vista's tallest mountain located in the southeastern part of the island in Cape Verde not far from another tall mountain. The island's summit is located southeast of Sal Rei. The area surrounding the mountain are almost entirely flat, rocky, desert-like and has traces of...
, elevation 387 meters; other mountains include Santo António (Saint Anthony) and Monte Negro (Black Mountain). Other features include Campo da Serra. Its main town is Sal Rei
Sal Rei
Sal Rei is a city on the northwestern coast of the island of Boa Vista in eastern Cape Verde. Sal Rei is the island's main urban settlement, and the 18th largest community in Cape Verde after Cidade Velha. It is also the seat of the Boa Vista Municipality...
, its ferry port and home to Boa Vista's airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
(Rabil Airport
Rabil Airport
The Aristides Pereira Airport is an airport in Cape Verde located in the island of Boa Vista, about 5 km southeast of the island capital Sal Rei. Its IATA code means Boa Vista, Cape Verde, and the last two letters of the ICAO code is Boa Vista...
)on the northwest side of the island.
Surrounding islets include Ilhéu de Sal Rei featuring a lighthouse in the west, and Ilhéu do Baluate featuring the easternmost point in Cape Verde. Points include Ponta Antónia to the north.
Settlements
- BaforeiraBafureiraBaforeira is a village in the northern part of the island of Boa Vista in the Cape Verde archipelago. The village is around 20 km east-northeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and about 15 km northwest of Norte and is linked with the road with to João Galego and the road linking Sal Rei and...
- Cabeço dos TarrafesCabeço dos TarrafesCabeço dos Tarrafes is a village in the northern part of the island of Boa Vista. The town is located approximately 30 to 35 km E of the island capital of Sal Rei and around 3 km south of the village of Norte. It is one of the easternmost communities in Cape Verde...
- Curral VelhoCurral Velho, Cape VerdeCurral Velho is a settlement in the southern part of the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde...
- Estância de BaixoEstância de BaixoEstância de Baixo is a settlement in the southeastern part of the island of Boa Vista...
- Fundo das Figueiras
- GataGata, Cape VerdeGatas is a village in the east-northeastern part of the island of Boa Vista. The village is around 30 km southeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and northeast of Norte and are linked with an earthened road linking...
- João BarreiroJoão BarreiroJoão Barreiro is a village in the northeast-central part of the island of Boa Vista...
- João GalegoJoão GalegoJoão Galego is a village in the east-northeastern part of the island of Boa Vista...
- NorteNorte, Cape VerdeNorte is a village in the east-northeastern part of the island of Boa Vista. The village is around 35 km southeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and it is linked with the island's major road with Sal Rei and a remote road to Estância de Baixo and Morro Negro a few kilometres to the...
- Povoação VelhaPovoação VelhaFor the town in the Azores, see PovoaçãoPovoação Velha is a village in the southwestern part of the island of Boa Vista...
- Rabil
- Sal ReiSal ReiSal Rei is a city on the northwestern coast of the island of Boa Vista in eastern Cape Verde. Sal Rei is the island's main urban settlement, and the 18th largest community in Cape Verde after Cidade Velha. It is also the seat of the Boa Vista Municipality...
- Santo TirsoSanto Tirso, Cape VerdeSanto Tirso is a village in the southern part of the island of Boa Vista. The village is around 30 km southeast of the island capital of Sal Rei and around 20 km southeast of Rabil and it is linked with two remote roads, one linking Povoação Velha and Estância de Baixo and another...
Population
While most of the population live in Sal Rei, there are many small settlements with 10 to 100 people; others are abandoned. It has the smallest population of all of inhabited Cape Verde’s islands, and it is the least-dense populated in the archipelago.| Population of Boa Vista, Cape Verde (1940—2010) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
| 2779 | 2985 | 3263 | 3569 | 3372 | 3452 | 4209 | 6233 |
Economy
Its economy was originally based on agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, but desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
led to salt collection
Salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
becoming more important. Its main industries today are date
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
farming and, increasingly, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, with already several touristic establishments being built in recent times. A large 750-room RIU Hotels
RIU Hotels
RIU Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain founded by the Riu family as a small holiday firm in 1953 . The RIU Hotels & Resorts chain is still owned by the Riu family's third generation . RIU Hotels & Resorts offer all-inclusive board basis. RIU Hotels & Resorts has more than 100 hotels in 19 countries ...
hotel (Riu Karamboa) was build 5 km South of Sal Rei, having more rooms than all other tourist accommodation on Boa Vista combined by then (January 2009). A further Riu (Touareg) with 2000 rooms has been opened on the South of the island (May 2011).
Sporting teams
- Academica (Sal-Rei) - Sal-Rei
- Académica OperáriaAcadémica OperáriaAssociação Académica e Operária is a sports club that its football team had played in the Premier division and plays in the Boa Vista Island South Zone Division in Cape Verde. It is based in the island capital of Sal Rei in the island of Boa Vista...
- África ShowÁfrica ShowÁfrica Show is a sports club that its football team had played in the Premier division and plays in the Boa Vista Island South Zone League in Cape Verde. It is based in the city of Rabil in the island of Boa Vista....
- Desportivo Estância BaixoDesportivo Estância BaixoDesportivo Estância Baixo is a sports club that its football team that plays in the Boa Vista Island League in Cape Verde. The team is based in the settlement of Estância de Baixo in the island of Boa Vista...
- Juventude do NorteJuventude do NorteJuventude do Norte is asports club that its football team plays in the Boa Vista Island League in Cape Verde. The team is based in the island of Boa Vista...
- Sanjoanense (Boa Vista)
Persons
- Aristides PereiraAristides PereiraAristides Maria Pereira was the first President of Cape Verde, serving from 1975 to 1991.-Biography:Pereira was born on the island of Boa Vista. His first major government job was chief of telecommunications in Guinea-Bissau...
, Cape Verde's first president - Germano AlmeidaGermano AlmeidaGermano Almeida is a Cape Verde author and lawyer. Born on the Cape island Boa Vista, Almeida studied law in Lisbon and currently practices in Mindelo. His novels have been translated into several languages...
, a Capeverdean writer