Brava, Cape Verde
 | |
 | |
  Brava  Brava | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 14°52′N24°42′W/ 14.867°N 24.700°W |
| Area | 62.51 km2(24.14 sq mi) |
| Length | 10.5 km (6.52 mi) |
| Width | 9.3 km (5.78 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 976 m (3202 ft) |
| Highest point | Monte Fontainhas |
| Administration | |
| Municipality | Brava |
| Largest settlement | Nova Sintra |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 5,698 (2015) |
| Pop. density | 91.2/km2(236.2/sq mi) |
Brava(Portuguesefor "wild" or "brave" ) is anislandinCape Verde,and is part of theSotaventogroup, in the central Atlantic Ocean. At 62.5 km2(24.1 sq mi),[1]it is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago, but at the same time the greenest. First settled in the early 16th century, its population grew afterMount Fogoon neighbouringFogoerupted in 1680. For more than a century, its main industry waswhaling,but the island economy is now primarilyagricultural.
History[edit]
Brava was discovered in 1462 by thePortugueseexplorerDiogo Afonso.[2]: 73 There is no evidence of human presence on the Cape Verde islands before the arrival of the Portuguese. Around 1620 the population of Brava started with the arrival of settlers fromMadeiraand theAzores.[3]Settlement of Brava took a rise in 1680 when it received many refugees from the nearby larger island ofFogoafterits volcanoerupted and covered the island with ash.[2]: 83–84 Frequent pirate attacks forced the population towards the interior of the island, where the townNova Sintrawas founded around 1700.[3]
Around 1720, the fungusRoccella tinctoriawas discovered, which was traded as a textile dye.[3]From the end of the 18th century,whalingships fromNorth Americastarted hunting whales around the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands. They used the harbours of Brava (Fajã de ÁguaandFurna) to stock up on supplies and drinking water. They hired men from Brava as sailors, and several of these men from Brava settled around the Massachusetts whaling port ofNew Bedford.[2]: 439–440
Geography[edit]
The island of Brava is 10.5 km long (north to south) and its width is 9.3 km.[4]: 21 Its area is 62.51 km2(24.14 sq mi).[1]Practically the whole island is astratovolcano.It lies in the lee of the enormous Fogo volcano. Volcanic activity on the island has been mainly located along three lines, which all intersect at the crest of ground that forms the highest part of the island.[5]Brava has no documented historical eruptions, but its youthful volcanic morphology and the fact that earthquake swarms still occur indicate the potential for future eruptions; its last eruption was during the Holocene era. 13% of the island area is forested.[4]: 25
North of Brava are several uninhabited islets; the largest ones areIlhéu de CimaandIlhéu Grande.Monte Fontainhasis the highest point on the island, reaching 976 metres elevation.[6]: 25
Climate[edit]
Being highly mountainous this island has a quite diverse climate. Brava island has moderatearid climate(BWhaccording to Köppen–Geiger climate classification system) along the coast and semi-arid mild tropical climateBShwith very balanced temperatures year round in the interior. The average annual temperature on the coast is about 23–25 °C (73–77 °F), decreasing to some 17–20 °C (63–68 °F) in the mountains. There can be remarkably cool weather with warmer wet season starting in June and ending in November with colder dry season starting in December and ending in May.
| Climate data for Cachaço, south of Nova Sintra, 800 metres ASL | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.7 (65.7) |
18.6 (65.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.8 (67.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
16.1 (61.0) |
16.6 (61.9) |
16.9 (62.4) |
17.6 (63.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.1 (57.4) |
14.9 (58.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.9 (64.2) |
18.4 (65.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
16.5 (61.7) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.9 (62.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 11 (0.4) |
5 (0.2) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
17 (0.7) |
83 (3.3) |
123 (4.8) |
53 (2.1) |
33 (1.3) |
20 (0.8) |
346 (13.6) |
| Source: climate-data.org[7] | |||||||||||||
Municipality[edit]
Administratively, the island of Brava is covered by one municipality,Concelhoda Brava.This municipality consists of twofreguesias(civil parishes):São João BaptistaandNossa Senhora do Monte.The municipal seat is the cityNova Sintra.
Politics[edit]
Since 2012, theMovement for Democracy(MpD) is the ruling party of the municipality, and its president is Orlando da Luz Vieira Balla. The results of the latest elections,in 2016:[8]
| Party | Municipal Council | Municipal Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes% | Seats | Votes% | Seats | |
| MpD | 58.99 | 5 | 57.55 | 8 |
| PAICV | 39.17 | 0 | 40.48 | 5 |
Population[edit]
The island's main town isNova Sintra.The island's two parishes São João Baptista and Nossa Senhora do Monte are subdivided into 16 population zones for statistical purposes:[9]
Demographics[edit]
In the 1830s, the population was estimated at 8,000.[10]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1940[11] | 8,528
|
| 1950[11] | 7,937
|
| 1960[11] | 8,625
|
| 1970[11] | 7,756
|
| 1980[11] | 6,985
|
| 1990[11] | 6,975
|
| 2000[11] | 6,820
|
| 2010[1] | 5,995
|
| 2015[6]: 36 | 5,698
|
Economy[edit]
The economy of the island is mainly based on (irrigated) agriculture and fishing. Main agricultural goods include coffee, potatoes including sweet potatoes, corn (maize), banana and sugar cane.[5]
Attractions[edit]
- Nova Sintra,a town with a museum, traditional Portuguese architecture, several churches and shops.
- Fajã de Agua,a small harbour on the West coast with a natural swimming pool.
- Nossa Senhora do Monte,a village in the mountains with a pilgrimage church.
- Cova Rodela,a village in the mountains with adragon treein its main street.
Sports[edit]
There are several football clubs on Boa Vista, organised in theBrava Regional Football Association.
Infrastructure[edit]
TheEsperadinha Airport,inaugurated in 1992, was closed in 2004 because of persisting strong winds. The village ofFurnahas a commercial port, the other port isFajã de Águawhich is only used for fishing. Ferries to the islands of Fogo and Santiago depart from Furna. On Brava the villages may be reached by "Aluguer" bus. There is no fixed schedule, as the aluguers travel only when there are sufficient passengers. A few taxis are available as well.
Notable residents[edit]
- Eugénio Tavares,musician; he used the traditionalmornaand wrote inCape Verdean Creole.A statue dedicated to Eugénio Tavares is in the main square of Vila Nova Sintra, surrounded by a garden with trees, sunflowers, flowers, grass and other types of plants.
- Vinny deMacedo– Massachusetts State Representative & State Senator was born in Brava.
- David Soares– District Attorney, Albany County, New York, USA
References[edit]
- ^abc2010 Census Summary
- ^abcValor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia,Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008, p. 97
- ^abcCentre historique de Nova Sintra,UNESCO(in French)
- ^abEstatísticas do Ambiente – 2016,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^ab"Brava – sua situação geográfica"[Brava, its Geographic Location].A Semana(in Portuguese). 31 March 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 21 February 2017.Retrieved10 February2017.
- ^abcdCabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ^"Climate Cachaço".Climate-Data.org.Retrieved28 December2013.
- ^Official results local elections 2016Archived2019-08-19 at theWayback Machine,Boletim Oficial I Série, Número 53,23 September 2016
- ^"2010 Census results Brava".Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde(in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
- ^Roberts, Edmund (1837).Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat.New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 14.
- ^abcdefgSource:Statoids
Further reading[edit]
- Armand d'Avezac; et al. (1848). "Brava".Îles de l'Afrique.Paris:Firmin DidotFrères. pp. 208–210.
External links[edit]
- Câmara Municipal da Brava(not official)
- Brava News– News directly from Brava
- Brava island– caboverde.com
- Brava, Cape Verde Islands– University of Massachusetts
- (in Portuguese)1930 Cartographic Map[permanent dead link]at TV Ciência(in Portuguese)
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while brave is the smallest island in Cape Verde it is full of light and sunshine, its people come from all types of skin tones from the darkest melanin to the lightest shade. people of Cape Verde are not only smart at humble they are also beautiful and come in all sizes and features.