Boa Vista(Portuguesefor "good view" ), sometimes incorrectly spelledBoavista,is a desert-like island that belongs to theCape VerdeIslands. At 631.1 km2(243.7 sq mi),[1]it is the third largest island of the Cape Verde archipelago.
Nickname:Ilha das dunas(island of the dunes) | |
|---|---|
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  Boa Vista  Boa Vista | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°6′N22°48′W/ 16.100°N 22.800°W |
| Archipelago | Cape Verde |
| Area | 631.1 km2(243.7 sq mi) |
| Length | 30.8 km (19.14 mi) |
| Width | 28.9 km (17.96 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 387 m (1270 ft) |
| Highest point | Monte Estância |
| Administration | |
| Municipality | Boa Vista |
| Largest settlement | Sal Rei |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 14,451 (2015) |
| Pop. density | 22.9/km2(59.3/sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | www |
The island of Boa Vista is closer to theAfrican continentthan all the other islands in Cape Verde, being the easternmost island of all. The distance between Boa Vista and Senegal is only 450 km. The capital of Boa Vista,Sal Rei,is located in the north-western part of the island. Boa Vista is mainly known for its beaches, turtles and traditional music.
Geography
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Boa Vista is the third largest island after Santo Antão and Santiago, with an area of 631.1 square kilometres.[1]It is situated south of Sal and north of Maio. The island is generally flat, but it has numerous hills likeMonte Estância(the highest point of the island at 387 m),[2]Monte Santo António,Rocha Estância,Morro de Areia,Morro Negro,Monte Caçador,Pico ForcadoandMonte Vigia.
Boa Vista is famous for its large beaches likeAtalanta,Cabral,Chaves,Ervatão,Gatas,Santa MónicaandVarandinha.Its northernmost point isPonta do Sol;its westernmost pointPonta Varandinha.Its main river is theRibeira do Rabil,which has the largest basin area of all Cape Verde at 199 km2(77 sq mi).[3]: 22 Boa Vista is also notable for its desertDeserto de Vianaand its dune fields. Boa Vista is surrounded by a number of uninhabited islets, the largest of which isIlhéu de Sal Rei.
History
editThe uninhabited island Boa Vista was discovered byAntónio de NoliandDiogo Gomesin 1460.[4]: 72–73 Until the end of the 16th century the only human activity on the island was breeding wild cattle.[4]: 83 The island's first settlement, now known asPovoação Velha,was established in 1620 for its salt deposits, which were mainly exploited by the English.[5]In 1820, after many pirate attacks, the population moved to Porto Inglês, later renamedSal Rei,which had been founded at the end of the 18th century.[6]As did much of the Cape Verdean economy, the exploitation of salt on Boa Vista also relied largely on slavery. A Portuguese-British commission to end slavery was established in Boa Vista in 1842, but slavery was not completely abolished until 1876.[7]Until 1935 themunicipality of Boa Vistaalso covered the island ofSal.[8]In 1975, Cape Verde declared its independence.
Municipality
editAdministratively, the island of Boa Vista is covered by one municipality,Concelhoda Boa Vista.This municipality consists of twofreguesias(civil parishes):Santa IsabelandSão João Baptista.The municipal seat is the citySal Rei.The island's two parishes are subdivided into 9 population zones for statistical purposes:[9]
| Municipality | Concelho da Boa Vista | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Freguesias | Santa Isabel | São João Baptista | |
| Zones |
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|
|
Politics
editSince 2016, the local party BASTA is the ruling party of the municipality. The results of the latest elections,in 2016:[11]
| Party | Municipal Council | Municipal Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes% | Seats | Votes% | Seats | |
| BASTA | 57.56 | 5 | 53.08 | 7 |
| MpD | 30.60 | 0 | 30.23 | 4 |
| PAICV | 10.32 | 0 | 14.96 | 2 |
Population
editIn the 1830s, the population of Boa Vista was estimated at 4,000.[12]In 2015 Boa Vista's population was 14,451.[10]: 36 Most of the population live in Sal Rei, but there are also several smaller settlements with 10 to 100 people. With 23.3 inhabitants per km2,it is the least-dense populated island in the archipelago.[10]: 31
The population of Boa Vista consist of a mixture of different nationalities. The Creoles, of mixed mainland African and European descent are the biggest group of inhabitants, with no less than 70%, as a lot of Portuguese enter into a relation with the slaves of the African continent, during the colonization of Portugal, and settled in Boa Vista afterwards.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1940[13] | |
| 1950[13] | |
| 1960[13] | |
| 1970[13] | |
| 1980[13] | |
| 1990[13] | |
| 2000[13] | |
| 2010[1] | |
| 2015[10]: 36 |
Economy
editBefore, the inhabitants of Boa Vista survived off salt collection anddatefarming. Nowadays they still earn money from date farming but also from tourism. A lot of people do work in this touristic sector as a taxi driver, an employee in one of the hotel chains or as a salesman of souvenirs in Sal Rei. The income from tourism has risen rapidly since the coming of the international airport in 2007. There are several hotels and beach resorts on the island.
Transport
editThe airport of Boa Vista isAristides Pereira International Airport,about 5 km southeast of Sal Rei. There are ferry services from the port of Sal Rei.
The island has 64 km ofnational roads,[14]the single first class national road connectsSal ReiandRabil.[15]
Nature
editBoa Vista is not as abundant in flora and fauna as the other larger or more humid islands such as Santiago and Santo Antão; only 3% of its area is forested.[3]: 25 However, 37% of its area is a protected area, which is the highest proportion of all inhabited Cape Verde islands.[3]: 24 There are 14 protected areas on Boa Vista, including beaches that are important nesting areas forloggerhead sea turtlesand birds.[2]There are several endemic species, e.g.Boa Vista wall gecko(Tarentola boavistensis),Conus boavistensis,Conus salreiensis) andPlesiocystiscus bubistae.
Gallery
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Boa Vista landscape. -
Praia de Cabral, Boa Vista, Cape Verde -
The capital,Sal Rei -
Ruins of the abandoned villageCurral Velho. -
Sal Reibeach
Sports
editThere are several football clubs on Boa Vista, organised in theBoa Vista Regional Football Association.
Notable residents
edit- Aristides Pereira,Cape Verde's first president
- Germano Almeida,a Cape Verdean writer[16]
References
edit- ^abc2010 Census Summary
- ^abProtected areas in the island of Boa VistaArchived2020-09-19 at theWayback Machine- Municipality of Boa Vista, March 2013(in Portuguese)
- ^abcEstatísticas do Ambiente - 2016,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^abValor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia,Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008, p. 97
- ^Boa Vista,Municipality of Boa Vista
- ^Sal-Rei (Porto Inglês),Heritage of Portuguese Influence
- ^Lumumba H. Shabaka (2015)."Ending Slavery in Cabo Verde: Between Manumission and Emancipation, 1856-1876".Journal of Cape Verdean Studies.2(1): 109–132.
- ^Direito da Terra, Compêndio de Legislação,p. 272
- ^"2010 Census results Boa Vista".Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde(in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
- ^abcdeCabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^Official results local elections 2016Archived2019-08-19 at theWayback Machine,Boletim Oficial I Série, Número 53,23 September 2016
- ^Roberts, Edmund (1837).Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat.New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 14.
- ^abcdefgSource:Statoids
- ^"Instituto de Estradas de Cabo Verde, State of the National Roads in Cape Verde, 2017"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2017-12-07.Retrieved2017-12-07.
- ^Classification of National Roads(Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista), Instituto de Estradas(in Portuguese)
- ^ Educom.sce.fct.unl.ptArchivedJuly 3, 2004, at theWayback Machine
External links
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