| Page Views: 3,706 Last Visit to Cape Verde: December, 1996 | Como vai? by seagoingJLW - last update: Mar 22, 2003 |
The Cape Verde Island group is a desert surrounded by water. They are actually the peaks of an underwater volcanic mountain range. Praia, the capital, is a natural harbor in the crater of an ancient volcano.
There are many volcanos in the region caused by hot spots in the oceanic crust. the region also has the highest proportion of fissure-vent volcanos.
The major volcanos are:
Fogo- Stratovolcano, 2,829 meters high, Historical
Brava- Stratovolcano, 900 meters high, Holocene
Santo Antao- Stratovolcano, 1,979 meter high, Holocene
San Vicente- Stratovolcano, 697 meter high, Holocene
<font color=red>Miscellaneous Information</font>
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island archpelago that is 600 km west of Dakar, Senegal. It is roughly 63,000 sq km in area with 4,000 sq km in land area.
It consists of five islands and ten islets which are divided into the Windward (Barlavento) and Leeward (Solavento) groups.
Praia, on the island of Santiago, is the capital.
The population was estimated at 423,120 in 1994. |
History The Portuguese discovered Cape Verde in 1456 and settled there in 1462. In 1466 the settlers were granted the right to bring in slaves direct from the Guinea coast. By 1555 there were 13,700 slaves in a population of 15,708. They survived an attack by Sir Francis Drake. The population was decimated by drought and famine in the 1770's. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Cape Verde islands lost their importance as a coaling and victualing center. There were four major famines between 1900 and 1947 and over 87,000 died of starvation. On July 5, 1975 the islands were granted their independence and declared a republic. Volcanos and mountains dominate the terrain. Aloe is a major part of the plant life. Tropical species such as monkeys, sea turtles, lizards, butterflies and 105 different kinds of birds live here. There really wasn't much there. We met some Peace Corps workers who were trying to set the natives up for some tourist business. |
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| Pros: | "Green and pretty" | | Cons: | "Undeveloped" | | In A Nutshell: | "Wait a few years" |
seagoingJLW's Cape Verde Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | Transportation
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for seagoingJLW about Cape Verde | | | | |
cachaseiro Sun Mar 14, 2004 05:32 UTC
cape verde is a very interesting place. i really liked it. | globetrott Wed Nov 5, 2003 00:57 UTC
great infos and lovely pics ! Cap Verde is a great place to go ! | nomorewars Sat Feb 1, 2003 19:10 UTC
Your pictures are appealing to the eye. | matcrazy1 Wed May 29, 2002 19:23 UTC
Great infos! |
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