Espargos ( Portuguese for "

asparagus Asparagus (''Asparagus officinalis'') is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus (genus), Asparagus'' native to Eurasia. Widely cultivated as a vegetable crop, its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. Description ...

") is the capital and main commercial centre of the island and municipality of Sal,

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

. The cityCabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015
Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33 is situated in the heart of the island.

Geography

The highest point of Espargos is

Monte Curral Monte Curral is a hill in the city of Espargos, on the island of Sal, Cape Verde. Its elevation is 109 meters. On the summit there is an air control tower for the nearby Amílcar Cabral International Airport, as well as several telecommunication ...

, elevation 109 meters, where the radar station and the control tower for the airport are located. The

Amílcar Cabral International Airport Amílcar Cabral International Airport , also known as Sal International Airport, is the main international airport of Cape Verde. The airport is named after the revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral. It is located west-southwest from Espargos ...

is situated directly southwest of the city centre. The head offices of

Cabo Verde Express Cabo Verde Express is a Cape Verdean regional airline headquartered in Espargos and based at Amílcar Cabral International Airport operating domestic scheduled and charter services. History It was established in 1998 by Jean-Christophe Bartz, ...

are located at the airport. The national road

EN1-SL01 EN1-SL01 is a first class national road on the island of Sal, Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting ...

, a dual carriageway, connects Espargos with Santa Maria in the south of the island. Other national roads connect it with

Pedra de Lume Pedra de Lume is a village in the northeastern part of the island of Sal, Cape Verde, Sal, Cape Verde. The village is situated on the east coast, about 5 km east of the island capital Espargos. It has a small port and a lighthouse, Farol de Pe ...

and Palmeira. For statistical purposes, the city of Espargos is divided into 24 localities (''lugares''). The most populous of these are: África 70, Bairro Novo I, Bairro Novo II (Ribeira d'Hoz), Chã de Matias, Chã de Fraqueza, Hortelã de Baixo, Hortelã de Cima, Preguiça and Ribeira Funda.

History

The development of Espargos started with the construction of the airport in 1939. The Italian Government of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

was granted authorization by the Portuguese colonial government to begin construction of a transit airport to service its flights between

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. As a consequence of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Italian involvement in the airport project ceased. In 1945 the Portuguese purchased the airport installation from the Italians and by 1949 the airport was a fully operational facility. Small houses were erected in several areas immediately adjacent to the airport. Workers from the island Sao Nicolau named the civilian area "Preguiça" after the port village on their home island. In 2010, Espargos was elevated from a town to a city.

Demographics

References

External links

* {{Sal Cities in Cape Verde Municipal seats in Cape Verde Geography of Sal, Cape Verde

Geography

History

Demographics

See also

References

External links