Cape Verde Capitals

The capital of Cape Verde is Praia, which is located on the southern coastline of the Santiago Island. It sits at the top of a chain of plateaus and extends into some of the surrounding valleys of the area. The largest of these geographic features is known simply as Plateau. Because of its position along the coast, Praia serves as an important port city for this country as well. It was officially established as the capital of Cape Verde in 1770, when pirate invasions forced the population out of Ribeira Grande, the previous capital.

The population of Praia is estimated at around 154,900, which represents significant growth over the population size of the year 2000 (94,1161 individuals). These individuals live throughout the valleys and plateaus of Praia. The city itself is divided into a number of neighborhoods, some of which have been developed as recently as 2015. The least populated neighborhood here is Quebra Canela, which is located on the beach and home to several restaurants and a large shopping mall.

Although Cape Verde is growing in popularity with tourists, Praia remains largely unvisited. Part of this is due to the underdeveloped tourism infrastructure found here. For example, many of the streets are still without names and only 2 companies provide public transportation services. Despite this, Praia does have a few sites that tourists enjoy visiting. Some of these attractions include: the presidential palace, the former city hall, the Ethnographic Museum, and Albuquerque Square.

Praia is located in a mild desert climate, which means that very little precipitation falls throughout the year. Most of the rainfall in this city, an average of 8.25 inches annually, occurs between the months of August and October and takes place over an average of 22 days per year. The temperature manages to stay relatively low as well due to its proximity to the ocean. In fact, the highest registered temperature was 99° Fahrenheit in May, when the normal daily average is 75.6° Fahrenheit.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Praia
Languages	Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
Ethnic Groups	Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Religion	Roman Catholic 77.3%, Protestant 4.6% (includes Church of the Nazarene 1.7%, Adventist 1.5%, Assembly of God 0.9%, Universal Kingdom of God 0.4%, and God and Love 0.1%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Christian Rationalism 1.9%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, and New Apostolic 0.5%), Muslim 1.8%, other 1.3%, none 10.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)
Government	Parliamentary republic
Independance	5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Area	4,033.00 km²
Land Area	4,033.00 km²
Population	553,432.00 Among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable. Islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled to exploit their extensive salt deposits. The more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged the soil fertility and vegetation.
Location	Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
GDP(PPP)	$3,583,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$6,700.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partner is Australia.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are fuel, shoes, garments, fish, and hides.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Portugal, Australia, and the Netherlands.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include foodstuffs, industrial products, and transport equipment.
Climate	Temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic
Terrain	Steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Learn More	Cape Verde

Cape Verde Capitals

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