''Plateau'' is the historic centre of the capital city of

Praia Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. It gets its name (from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

“plateau”) because it is situated on a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

overlooking the port of Praia. Its average elevation is 37 meters above sea level. The population of ''Plateau'' was 1,019 at the 2010 census. Many public buildings are situated in ''Plateau'', notably the Presidential Palace, the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, the city hall and the

Ethnographic Museum Ethnographic museums conserve, display and contextualize items relevant to the field of ethnography, the systematic study of people and cultures. Such museums include: List by country/region Albania * Ethnographic Museum of Kavajë, * Gjirokast� ...

BARROW(1806) p098 PORTO PRAYA, ISLAND OF ST

Adjacent neighbourhoods are Gamboa/Chã de Areia to the south, Várzea to the southwest and west, Achadinha to the northwest,

Fazenda A ''fazenda'' () is a plantation found throughout Brazil during the colonial period (16th - 18th centuries). They were concentrated primarily in the northeastern region, where sugar was produced in the ''engenhos'', expanding during the 19th ...

to the north and Praia Negra to the east.

History

Praia was founded as a small village near the natural

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

in the early 16th century. Due to its strategic position on a plateau it was easily defended against pirate attacks, which gave it a large advantage over the older city of Ribeira Grande (

Cidade Velha Cidade Velha ( Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a city grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogo ...

, lined with grand colonial buildings and mansions.Antigas residências senhoriais do Centro Histórico da Praia
Domingas Andrade Silva Barbosa de Pina, Universidade de Cabo Verde, 2009 Since 2016, the historic centre of Praia is on the tentative list of

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s.Centre historique de Praia
UNESCO Praia-Nossa Senhora da Graça (1)

Cityscape

The streets of ''Plateau'' are laid out according to a grid plan. The main square is Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, lined by the city hall and the cathedral. The main streets are

Avenida Andrade Corvo Avenida Andrade Corvo (formerly ''Rua do Corvo'') is an avenue in the Plateau of Praia, in the city centre of Praia, Santiago island, Cape Verde.Rua Serpa Pinto ''There is also Rua Serpa Pinto in the neighbourhood of Mártires in Lisbon, Portugal'' Rua Serpa Pinto (formerly ''Rua do Lencastre'') is a street in the Plateau, the historic centre of Praia, Santiago island, Cape Verde.

and

Avenida Amílcar Cabral Avenida Amílcar Cabral is an avenue in the Plateau, the historic centre of Praia, Santiago island, Cape Verde.Museu Etnográfico da Praia Museu Etnográfico da Praia is an ethnographic museum in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia on the island of Santiago. It is located at 45 Rua 5 de Julho, in the historic part of the city, the Plateau. The museum was opened in November 1997 and is ...

* National Justice Palace *

Presidential Palace of Cape Verde The Palácio da Presidência da República (Portuguese for "Palace of the Presidency of the Republic") is a public building in the city centre of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. It is situated on Rua Serpa Pinto, at the south end of Plateau, the ...

* Palácio da Cultura Ildo Lobo * Hospital

Agostinho Neto António Agostinho da Silva Neto (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979) was an Angolan politician and poet. He served as the first president of Angola from 1975 to 1979, having led the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) ...

, the island's main hospital * International Portuguese Language Institute (''

Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa The International Portuguese Language Institute ( pt, Instituto Internacional da Língua Portuguesa, IILP) is the Community of Portuguese Language Countries's institute supporting the spread and popularity of the Portuguese language in the world ...

'') * The Post Office building of Praia, headquarters of Correios de Cabo Verde * Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace * Quartel Jaime Mota, former military barracks * Quintal da Música, music club * Liceu Domingos Ramos, Praia's secondary school * National Supreme Court Building Praia-Plage de Gamboa (1)

References

External links

Gallery

File:Praia-Musée ethnographique (1).jpg, Praia's Ethnographic Museum File:Vue de Praia.jpg, View of Praia and its plateau around 1896 File:Praia plaza.jpg, António Loreno Square File:Praia CV Praca Domingos Ramos.jpg, Liceu Domingos Ramos, Praia's chief secondary school File:Praia-Palácio da Cultura Ildo Lobo.jpg, Palácio da Cultura Ildo Lobo File:Praia agostinhonetohospital.jpg, Agostinho Neto Hospital {{DEFAULTSORT:Praia