Santo Antão ( Portuguese for " Saint Anthony") is the northwesternmost island of

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 ...

. At , it is the largest of the

Barlavento Islands Cape Verde (formally, the Republic of Cabo Verde) is a group of arid Atlantic islands which are home to distinct communities of plants, birds, and reptiles. Location and description The Cape Verde Islands are located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean ...

group, and the second largest island of Cape Verde.Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015
Instituto Nacional de Estatística The nearest island is São Vicente to the southeast, separated by the sea channel

Canal de São Vicente The Canal de São Vicente is a strait of the Atlantic Ocean separating the islands of Santo Antão, Cape Verde, Santo Antão and São Vicente, Cape Verde, São Vicente, Cape Verde. At its narrowest point, it is wide. The ferry route between the p ...

. Its population was 38,200 in mid 2019,Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Cabo Verde (web). making it the fourth most populous island of Cape Verde after

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, São Vicente and Sal. Its largest city is

Porto Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the capital and second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French ...

located on the southern coast (population 9,310 in 2010).

Geography

Santo Antão is long (east-west) and wide (north-south). The island is of volcanic origin and very mountainous, characterized by two high plateaus and several steep river valleys. The southern part of the island has a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, while the northeast and the higher elevations are

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

Rivers

The main rivers of Santo Antão are: * Ribeira de Alto Mira *

Ribeira da Cruz Ribeira da Cruz is a settlement in the northwestern part of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde. Situated 22 km northwest of the island capital Porto Novo, it is part of the parish of Santo André, in the municipality of Porto Novo. It had 421 ...

Ribeira da Garça Ribeira da Garça is a river in the northern part of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde, Santo Antão in Cape Verde. Its source is on the north side of the eastern plateau of the island, northeast of Pico Moroços.Ribeira Grande Ribeira Grande may refer to the following places: Cape Verde * Ribeira Grande (stream), a stream on the island of Santo Antão * Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde, a town on the island of Santo Antão * Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde (municipality), a municip ...

Ribeira da Janela Ribeira da Janela is a civil parish () in the municipality of Porto Moniz in the Portuguese islands of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 228, in an area of 18.48 km2.Ribeira do Paul * Ribeira das Patas * Ribeira da Torre

Mountains

The tallest mountain is Tope de Coroa, reaching an elevation of 1,979 m. Other high mountains on the island are Monte Tomé (1,863 m), Gudo de Cavaleiro (1,810 m), Monte

Moroços Moroços Natural Park (''Parque Natural de Moroços''), in the middle of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde, Santo Antão, is one of ten "natural parks" in Cape Verde.Pico da Cruz (1,584 m).

Climate

Santo Antão island has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: BWh) in Sinagoga and Porto Novo and a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(

: BSk) in Espongeiro. The island features very balanced temperatures year round higher on the slopes (~ 800 metres ASL) to cool highland subtropical steppe climate ''BskL'' above 1,000 metres ASL. The average annual temperature on the coast is about , decreasing to some on the highest grounds. There can be remarkably cool weather in the interior with warmer wet season starting in July and ending in December–January with colder dry season starting in December–January and ending in June. The major

climate risk Climate risk is the potential for problems for societies or ecosystems from the impacts of climate change.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary öller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger (eds.) InC ...

, similarly to other Cape Verdean islands, yet much less pronounced in the higher altitudes due to better ability in gaining moisture from clouds, is drought.

History

The island was discovered in 1461 or 1462 by

Diogo Afonso Diogo Afonso (fl. 15th century) was a Portuguese explorer. Biography He took part in several explorations in the northwest and west coast of Africa which were made by Prince Henry. In 1444, he commanded a ship which had other explorers includi ...

, together with the islands of São Vicente and São Nicolau.Valor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia
Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008 Settlement of the island started in the first half of the 16th century. The main settlement was

Ribeira Grande Ribeira Grande may refer to the following places: Cape Verde * Ribeira Grande (stream), a stream on the island of Santo Antão * Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde, a town on the island of Santo Antão * Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde (municipality), a municip ...

. Other settlements such as

Ponta do Sol Ponta do Sol (; ) is a municipality in the southwestern coast of the island of Madeira, in the archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 8,862, in an area of . History The settlement of Ponta do Sol began shortly after the discovery of t ...

, Pombas and

developed in the 19th century. In 1732 the Municipality of Santo Antão was created, with its seat in the town Ribeira Grande. In 1867 this was divided into the municipality of Paul (covering the area of current Paul and Porto Novo) and the municipality of Ribeira Grande. These were merged in 1895 into one municipality. The municipalities of Paul and Ribeira Grande were recreated in 1917.Inventário dos recursos turísticos do município do Paúl
Direcção Geral do Turismo, p. 16 The municipality of Porto Novo was created in 1962 when the parishes of São João Baptista and

Santo André Santo ('saint' in various languages) may refer to: People * Santo (given name) * Santo (surname) * El Santo, Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (1917–1984), Mexican wrestler and actor * Bob Santo or Santo, stage name of Ghanaian comedian John Evans Kwad ...

were separated from the older Municipality of Paul.

Population

In the 1830s, the estimated population of Santo Antão was 24,000.

Economy

Fishing and agriculture are the main industries on the island.

Agriculture

The island's agriculture products include

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

, yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

es, and

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

. The main product on the island is a kind of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

known as ''

grogue Grogue, also known as grogu or grogo (derived from English ''grog''), is a 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 Ocea ...

''. Mills continue to distill grogue in the Paul Valley. Due to its mountainous nature, most of the island's plantations are done in terraces, obviating the use of machinery and requiring immense manual labor. Recently, some experiences using

drip irrigation Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surfac ...

have been taking place in order to mitigate the drought conditions. The exportation of many of the island's agriculture products to other islands has been prohibited for nearly two decades because of the millipede ( Spinotarsus caboverdus)

blight Blight is a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organs. A ...

, but the

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

was lifted in 2008.

Tourism

Tourism is becoming one of the most dominant industries on the island. There has been some investment in

Rural tourism Rural tourism is a form of tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism, emphasizing sustainable practices and community involvement. Many villages can facilitate tourism because of the ho ...

infrastructures.

Hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

Trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...

and

Cultural tourism Cultural tourism is a type of tourism in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the cultural attractions and products offered by a tourist destination. These attractions and products relate to the ...

account for most of the touristic offer of this island.

Administrative divisions

The island is divided in three municipalities, which are subdivided into civil parishes: *

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

CV-PA **

Santo António das Pombas Paul is a ''concelho'' (municipality) of Cape Verde. Situated in the northeastern part of the island of Santo Antão, it covers 7% of the island area (54.3 km2), and is home to 16% of its population (6,997 at the 2010 census). Its seat is the to ...

CV-PN ** São João Baptista **

CV-RG **

Nossa Senhora do Rosário Nossa Senhora do Rosário is a civil parish and most populated area in the municipality of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azore ...

** Nossa Senhora do Livramento ** Santo Crucifixo ** São Pedro Apóstolo

Nature

Santo Antão has 50 endangered species of flora which has the most number in the nation. Several flora found in the island that are also found in some parts of the archipelago includes ''

Aeonium gorgoneum ''Aeonium gorgoneum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde. It was first described by Johann Anton Schmidt in 1852. Its local name is ''saião''. The plant plays a role in traditional m ...

'', ''

Artemisia gorgonum ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae, endemic to Cape Verde. Its local name is ''losna'' or ''lasna''. The plant plays a role in traditional medicine. Description ''Artemisia gorgonum'' is an aromatic ...

'', ''

Campanula jacobaea ''Campanula jacobaea'' is a species of flowering plants of the Campanulaceae family. The species is endemic to Cape Verde and is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Its local name is ''contra-bruxas-azul'' ("blue against witches"). The plant is use ...

'', the ''Conyza'' species of '' feae'', '' pannosa'' and '' varia'', ''

Echium stenosiphon ''Echium stenosiphon'' is a plant species of the family Boraginaceae. The species is endemic to 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 ...

'', '' Kickxia webbiana'', ''

Lavandula rotundifolia ''Lavandula rotundifolia'' (common name: round leaf lavender) is a species of flowering plant of the family Lamiaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo ...

'', '' Limonium braunii'', ''

Micromeria forbesii ''Micromeria forbesii'' is a species of flowering plants of the genus ''Micromeria''. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales ...

'', ''

Sonchus daltonii ''Sonchus daltonii'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terre ...

'', Capeverdean navelwort ('' Umbilicus schmidtii'') and '' Verbascum capitis-viridis''. Flora found only in the island include ''

Tornabenea insularis ''Daucus insularis'' is a species of flowering plants of the family Apiaceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde.Oromí, Martín, Zurita & Cabrera, 2005 : Lista preliminar de especies silvestres de Cabo Verde: Hongos, Plantas y Animales Terrest ...

'' and '' ribeirensis''. Santo Antão has different species of birds including the Cape Verde (Iago) sparrow, reptiles including the

Cape Verde wall gecko Cape Verde wall gecko, also Santo Antão wall gecko, (''Tarentola caboverdiana'') is a species of geckos in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde, where it occurs in the island of Santo Antão. The species was named by ...

and insects including the spider '' Tetragnatha torrensis'', the moth '' Scopula paneliusi'' and the water bear '' Echiniscus clavispinosus''. The island does not have a lot of animal life comparing to other islands. Along its shores, most of the marine life are within Canal de São Vicente.

Culture

Other than Portuguese (official language), the majority of the population speaks

Cape Verdean Creole Cape Verdean Creole is a Portuguese-based creole languages, Portuguese-based creole language spoken on the islands of Cape Verde. It is the native creole language of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used as a second language by the Cape Verd ...

Notable people

Jorge Ferreira Chaves Jorge Ferreira Chaves (22 February 1920 – 22 August 1981) was a Portuguese architect. Some authors may refer to him as "Jorge Chaves" or simply "Chaves". He was one of the architects responsible, in the latter part of the 1940s, for the esta ...

(1920–1982), Portuguese architect * Leão Lopes (b. 1948), writer, professor and entertainment director *

Gabriel Mariano José Gabriel Lopes da Silva, also known as Gabriel Mariano (May 18, 1928 in Ribeira Grande – February 18, 2002 in Lisbon, Portugal), was a Cape Verdean poet, novelist, and an essayist. He studied at São Joaquim and graduated as director in Li ...

, essayist, novelist and poet * Luís Romano de Madeira Melo, composer *

Manuel de Novas Manuel d' Novas (February 24, 1938 — September 28, 2009) was a Cape Verdean poet and composer. Biography Manuel Jesus Lopes was born in Penha da França, one of the neighbourhoods of Ribeira Grande on the island of Santo Antão, he became one ...

, songwriter * Roberto Duarte Silva (1837–1889), chemist *

Antoninho Travadinha António Vicente Lopes (1937–1987), better known as Antoninho Travadinha was one of the major autodidactic musicians of Cape Verde originated from Janela in Paúl the island of Santo Antão. He performed the popular dances when he was only ni ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist *

Dina Salústio Dina Salústio (born 1941) is a Cape Verde, Cape Verdean novelist, who is the first woman from the country to publish a novel, and the first writer from the country to have a novel translated to English. Biography Dina Salústio is the pseudo ...

, teacher, poet, writer and journalist

External links

University of Massachusetts
- information and images from Santo Antão

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo Antao, Cape Verde Islands of Cape Verde

Geography

Rivers

Mountains

Climate

History

Population

Economy

Agriculture

Tourism

Administrative divisions

Nature

Culture

Notable people

See also

External links

References