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Sao Vicente
Former Portuguese colony, Cape Verde became independent on July 5, 1975. This archipelago located 600 km of Western Africa is becoming the new destination for Fishing Sport, discovery of a virgin nature, excursion, surfing and diving...
Population: over 400 000 inhabitants, 50% of this population being less than 20 years old, 60% being female. The life expectation is 65 years.
Religion: mainly catholic with some protestant cores.
Language: Bilingual nation. Portuguese is the official language, but the Creole is the national language; its accent varies from one island to the other.
French or English is spoken by a large percentage of the population.
The archipelago is made up of ten islands and eight islets making a total surface of 4.033Km2. Nine of the ten islands are inhabited and one of them, Santa Luzia, is uninhabited. The ten islands are divided in two groups: the Barlavento (Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal and Boavista) and the Sotavento (Santiago – Praia, capital city, with more than 200 000 inhabitants, Maio, Fogo and Brava).
Each island is equipped with an airport. The international airport is located in the island of Sal and is named “Aeroporto Internacional Amilcar Cabral”.
Another international airport in the capital city of Praia in the island of Santiago and has been opened in 2006.
Air Links: direct flights to Roissy twice a week with the national company TACV, or via Lisbon with departure from Orly four times a week with the Portuguese company TAP. The domestic (inter-islands) flights are operated by TACV.
Music: composed of African, Brazilian, Portuguese influences
Styles of music: morna, coladeira, galôpe, san jon, funaná,..
Gastronomy: rich country in traditional dishes of fish and seafood, the cachupa is the national dish.
Drink: local rum called "grogue", the "honey ponche", coffee of Fogo (classified in the 3rd world rank) and ultra-natural wine, red and white, from the island of Fogo, called Manecom.
SAO VICENTE and its city - MINDELO
Sheltered by the island of Santo Antão, with 227 km2 for 65 000 inhabitants, São Vicente represents the culture in general and is the most cosmopolitan island of the country. The bay of Mindelo has just been classified as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Mindelo fascinates by the beauty of the colonial houses, the Lisbon street (rua de Lisboa) with its typical bars, the municipal market with its exotic scents, the palace of the governor, the museum of the craft industry, and finally by the charm and the kindness of the inhabitants, result of a great mixture in all latitudes. Mindelo is the seat of poets and musicians. The music, the dance and the gastronomy are a perfect mixture in the nights of Mindelo where the day and the night are confused under a charming crying guitar, under the sound of a violin or under a melodic and captivating voice.
Let us not forget the famous carnival in February, which fills the streets with people from different origins and the emigrants of different countries.
We should also not forget the worldwide known music festival of Baía das Gatas which takes place every year in
August.
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