Quick Property Search
The Islands of Cape Verde – Maps and Information
The Cape Verde archipelago consists of ten main islands and eight islets. On this page you will find maps and some background information on each of the nine inhabited islands of Cape Verde.
Sal island, Cape Verde
Sal takes its name from the (now abandoned) salt mines that form part of a spectacular lagoon at Pedra Lume. The flattest island in the archipelago, it is also the biggest tourist destination in Cape Verde, not least because of its gorgeous beaches of white sand. With its international airport, it is one of the main gateways to the rest of the world and visitor numbers just keep rising, the southern resort of Santa Maria being the most popular by far. On Sal, you’re simply spoiled for choice when it comes to nightlife, with an abundance of bars, restaurants and clubs catering for all tastes. Freshly caught fish – usually cooked in traditional style – is always available and, of course, a highly recommended choice. There are lots of opportunities to practise all kinds of sports, from tennis and basketball, to fishing, diving, windsurfing and an array of other water sports.
Boavista island, Cape Verde
Boavista is the closest island to the African coast and a sun worshiper’s paradise, with unspoilt beaches of the whitest sand caressed by turquoise ocean waves. The island is rather flat, and its arid interior of rust-coloured volcanic rock contrasts sharply with the sand dunes and is beautiful in its own way. Boavista is the least populated island in Cape Verde and the ideal place to get away from it all. Nevertheless, this island is gearing up to receive its own fair share of the tourism market, with its new international airport opened in August 2006.
Santiago island, Cape Verde
Santiago is the biggest of the Cape Verde islands, as well as the most populated. Praia, also the nation’s capital, is a city as famous for historical sites as for its bustling African market. In fact, Santiago is the island with the greatest African influence and this can be best appreciated through the island’s music and many traditional festivals. Two mountain chains run across Santiago, endowing the island with more than its own fair share of marvellous landscape and scenic hiking trails. Santiago has an international airport, located in Praia.
Sao Vicente island, Cape Verde
Sao Vicente is probably most famous for the charming city of Mindelo, considered to be the artistic and intellectual capital of Cape Verde and home to many of its great musicians, including the world-renowned Cesaria Evora. Mindelo is also famous for its Brazilian-style carnival and its lively night life all year round. Baia das Gatas has a lovely beach with a natural lagoon formed by volcanic activity. Every August, a traditional music festival is held there. This festival lasts for three days and three nights and has claimed its place in the international music calendar. The long and spectacular Sao Pedro beach is a favourite with high-speed windsurfing enthusiasts. A new international airport is being built on Sao Vicente and expected to start operating at the end of 2006.
Santo Antão island, Cape Verde
Santo Antão is the second largest island in the Cape Verde archipelago and is divided in two by a dramatic mountain range with peaks as high as 1500m (4900ft). The effect of the mountain range is that the climate and landscape on Santo Antão are very varied, ranging from the dry and arid south to the humid and lush northeast with its eucalyptus and pine forests. Santo Antão is considered to be a walker’s paradise, with kilometres of footpaths winding through some of the most magnificent scenery on the Cape Verde islands. Close to Janela, there is a most mysterious rock, with strange carvings that possibly date back to a time before the Portuguese discovered the Cape Verde islands and so cast some doubt over this generally recognised fact.
Sao Nicolao island, Cape Verde
Sao Nicolao is a quiet island, where the majority of the inhabitants live a life of rural tranquillity. It is also a place with deep religious roots, having been chosen as the seat of the Diocese of Cape Verde, as well as the site of the archipelago’s first seminary. The mountainous Sao Nicolao is crowned by the Monte Gordo, a long-extinct volcano that towers above the surrounding hills. There are plenty of historical buildings to see on Sao Nicolao, as well as the fairytale-like Dragon tree, characteristic of this island.
Maio island, Cape Verde
Maio is another quiet, almost forgotten, island of lovely beaches and is home to a rich variety of marine life. Although it shares similar features with Sal and Boavista and does not have much rainfall, it has the largest wooded area in Cape Verde. The island has little in the way of touristic development, making it the ideal place to savour the traditional Cape Verdean way of life. Maio offers lots of opportunities for you to enjoy delicious seafood at typical seaside restaurants, as well as to mingle with the locals and enjoy their lively music.
Fogo island, Cape Verde
The island of Fogo is crowned by the towering Fogo volcano with its summit of almost 3000m (10,000ft) and aptly gets its name from the Creole word for fire. The still-active volcano is the island’s main tourist attraction and heat still vents out of the new crater that was formed by its latest eruption in 1995. The tiny village of Chas das Caldeiras, nestled at the base of the volcano is definitely worth a visit. The island capital is Sao Felipe, with its rows of colonial houses built by wealthy farm owners in times gone by. Fogo’s landscape is a varied one; dry and barren in the south becoming more humid and fertile as you venture north.
Brava island, Cape Verde
Brava is not only the smallest inhabited island in Cape Verde, but also the wettest and greenest. It is considered the most attractive island of all because of the rich abundance of flora and vegetation that covers its high mountains and deep ravines. Brava is the only inhabited island that does not have an airport, although it can be reached by ferry from Fogo. The capital of the island is Nova Sintra, famous for its lovely gardens full of flowers.