| Sao Vicente (Cape Verde) | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Cape Verde |
|---|---|
| Surface | 227 km² |
| Inhabitants | 74.136 (2005) |
São Vicente is one of the islands that make up the archipelago of Cape Verde.
To know
The island has a population of about 70,000 inhabitants concentrated in the main town of Mindelo, long a British supply port. It is the second most populous island in Cape Verde. The island is for the most part arid, its main industries are fishing and tourism, together with its military base. It is known for the Music Festival Baía das Gatas and for his cricket team. Since the census carried out in 2000, the island holds the record of unemployment in the whole archipelago (25%) while the national one is 21%. Recently, the National Employment Center of Mindelo began to support local artisans in the production and marketing of ceramic artifacts, items made of coconut husks, shell necklaces and stones.
Geographical notes
São Vicente (from the Portuguese "San Vincenzo"), also called Sanvicente, Sanvcênt or Soncent in Creole, is one of the Windward Islands. It is separated from Santo Antão from the São Vicente Canal. The island measures 24 km from east to west and no more than 16 km from north to south. The flatter area of the island is in the north-central part and towards Calhau e Baía das Gatas. Although of volcanic origin, the island has rare seismic phenomena. Its highest point is Monte Verde located in the north-east-central part and with an altitude of 774 meters. Other reliefs of note are Monte Cara (480m), Tope de Caixa (535m) and Topona (699m).
When to go
The climate is mainly tropical and dry with an average temperature of around 24 ° C all year round. The surrounding ocean temperature ranges from 12 ° C to 25 ° C.
Background
Discovered on the day of San Vincenzo (January 22) of 1462, due to the lack of water, the island became a simple pasture field for the cattle of the owners of the neighboring island of Santo Antão. The island remained practically uninhabited until the middle of the 19th century. It was not until 1838, thanks to the construction of a coal depot in Porto Grande to supply British ships on the Atlantic routes, that the population began to grow rapidly. Due to the lack of rain and consequent lack of natural resources, the economy of São Vicente is mainly based on trade, services and sports tourism.
Spoken languages
The official language is the Portuguese, but normally the population speaks Creole (a mixture of Portuguese and African words, with some minor influence also of English, French, Spanish and German). Ilha do Sal and of Boa Vista the Italian language is now very widespread. In Sao Vicente it is more common to meet people who speak French or English.
Territories and tourist destinations
São Vicente: full screen map.Urban centers
- Baía das Gatas
- Lazareto
- Madeiral
- Mindelo - Main center of São Vicente.
- Mâto Inglés
- Ribeira de Calhau
- Seixal
- Topim
Other destinations
- Salamansa - less than 10 km from Mindelo, in the north-eastern part of the island. The town deserves a short visit but not a long stay as it is degraded and devoid of any accommodation facility. North of the town a long white sandy beach often beaten by strong winds. Moving east you will enter a stony path that will lead you to Baia des Gatas in about an hour of walking.
- São Pedro - a small rundown fishing village in the southern part of the island, a couple of kilometers from the airport. The whole area is the windiest of all São Vincente and the wind, channeling itself into the valley that leads to Mindelo, acquires a lot of strength and in fact all the shrubs are oriented towards the south. On some days the wind is such that it becomes practically impossible to get close to the beach. However, when its strength drops, it is possible to swim in one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. The central area is located on the arrival line of the aircraft towards the airport and it will therefore be possible to lie down in the sun seeing the aircraft passing a few meters above your head during the landing phase. In the part facing west (the one after the village of Foya Branca) there are also small coves and ravines where you can feel less observed.
How to get
By plane
The São Pedro airport is in the southwest of the island in the locality of the same name. In 2005, works began for the extension of the airport surface and for the transformation of the airport from national to international. The future airport will have a reception capacity of 500 passengers / hour and will have a fully illuminated landing strip capable of receiving night flights. The works for the construction of the new airport are nearing completion and it is expected to open by 2007. However, the actual operation of the new airport is not yet known. Test flights were carried out in August 2009, but the international airport is still not operational.
The indicative prices of the return flights (tax included) to / from São Vicente are as follows:
- Sal- São Vicente € 120.00
- Boa Vista - São Vicente € 180.00
- Santiago - São Vicente € 120.00
The airlines that connect the islands are TACV or Halcyon air.
By ship, departing from Boa Vista, making a mandatory stop in Sal or Praia costs about € 60.00Praia - Sao Vicente costs about € 40
How to get around
By public transport
The connections between the different locations of the island are ensured by a public transport system ensured by five private companies: Transcor.SA, Morabeza Transport, Transport Joy, Friendship, Sotral and Automindelo.
By taxi
For more distant locations in the city of Mindelo, that means Baía das Gatas, Calhau is São Pedro it is necessary to rely on minibuses.
What see
The island lends itself to being comfortably visited both on foot, by bicycle or by minibus. Being a mountainous island it has a very varied landscape. You can quickly pass from the sandy plain to green valleys. The southern part of the island is difficult to reach due to the absence of paths and road links
Events and parties
In August, usually the first or second week, don't miss the Baía das Gatas festival, which celebrated its 25th birthday in 2009. Three days of partying, music and shows on the wonderful beach of Baia. In September for ten days, Mindelact, the international theater festival of Mindelo, takes place. The shows take place around the city or in the evening in the wonderful auditorium of the cultural center of Mindelo. The festival always has great artists from all over the world. In February Mindelo is famous for its carnival, which has nothing to envy to Brazilian parties and parades.
What to do
The island has a great tradition in the field of sports: from here in fact many sports then spread to the other islands. Windsurfing, for example, finds here the best practice conditions of the entire archipelago. The beaches of São Pedro and Baía das Gatas are considered among the best places in the world to practice this sport, as many world champions of the discipline have attested. Cycling, trekking and horse riding are the best ways to visit the island. The British style of the island is still recognizable today in golf: São Vicente has an 18-hole golf course. For these reasons, tourism presents excellent prospects for growth on the island.
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
Although the crime rate is very low, it must be considered that the drug market is experiencing very fertile ground throughout the archipelago. This is mainly due to the tourist flow that, under the umbrella or on the terrace of the hotel, loves to indulge in aromatic smokes of marijuana or sniffs of cocaine. Port and airport controls are mild and drugs enter very easily. The uninhabited island of Santa Luzia has become a first-class stopover for crack and cocaine landings. While there are flourishing plantations of marjunana in the most remote valleys of Sant'Antao. It may happen, more often than you think, to see places in an evident confusion given by the use of crack that will ask you for money to eat but which in reality will be used for something else. Crack is currently the most common drug in the entire archipelago.
Another sore point is that of prostitution. More and more often it happens to see European tourists (alas, many Italians) accompanied by young people who are often not yet of age. The phenomenon becomes visible to everyone in the islands of Sao Vincente and Santiago and, at nightfall, it is a flourishing of young women tenderly embraced by newly retired or young boys curious to experience the African flavor at a low price.
It is always advisable not to give any money to children or anyone who asks you for it. Children who insist on having little change in Sal or on the other islands usually prefer not to attend school and adults who ask you for a few Euros will do so to get, contrary to what they will tell you, a dose of cocaine or crack. Offer him a sandwich or a drink, assuming it will suit him, just that. If you really want to offer money, rely on those who know how to use it in the best way without going to feed the delinquent world.
Finally, as in other islands, in Sao Vincente there is a very large community of stray dogs and cats who will approach you just to see if you have something to offer them. In order to avoid excessive proliferation, the government is severely fining those caught feeding these animals. Be careful if you own a car or a bicycle as dogs and cats often cross the road regardless of traffic. If you find damaged animals on the street and you want to help them, in the Alto Solarino district (a fairly central district of Mindelo) there is the headquarters of an environmental NGO, Si ma bo, which is in charge of helping accident and sick strays, treating them sterilize them and find them suitable accommodation, through adoption campaigns.
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Sao Vicente (Cape Verde)
Commons contains images or other files on Sao Vicente (Cape Verde)
