Cape Verde Islands

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS (Illias do Cabo Verde), an archi pelago belonging to Portugal; off the West African coast, between 17° 13' and 14° 47' N. and 40' and 22' W. Pop. (1930) 153,700; area, 1,475 sq.m. The archipelago consists of fourteen islands in all, including Santo Antao (commonly miswritten St. Antonio), Sao Vicente, Santa Luzia, Sao Nicolao, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Sao Thiago (St. Jago), Fogo and Brava. The distance between the coast of Africa and the nearest island (Boa Vista), is about 3oom. The islands derive their name, frequently but erroneously written "Cape Verd," or "Cape de Verd" Islands, from the African promontory off which they lie, known as Cape Verde, or the Green cape. The entire archipelago is of volcanic origin.

Climate.

The atmosphere is generally hazy, especially in the direction of Africa. With occasional exceptions during summer and autumn, the north-east trade is the prevailing wind, blowing most strongly from Nov. to May. The rainy season is during Aug., Sept. and Oct. The Harmattan, a very dry east wind from the African continent, occasionally makes itself felt. The heat of summer is high, the thermometer ranging from 8o° to 90° F near the sea. The unhealthy season is during and following the rains.

Flora.

The flora is markedly tropical in character ; and although some 7o wild-flowers, grasses, ferns, etc., are peculiar to the archipelago, the majority of plants are those found on the neighbouring African littoral. The Portuguese have introduced a few trees, such as the baobab, eucalyptus and dragon-tree, be sides many plants of economic value. Coffee-growing, an industry dating from I 790, is the chief resource of the people of Santo Antao, Fogo and Sao Thiago ; maize, millet, sugar-cane, manioc, excellent oranges, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and, to a less extent, tobacco and cotton are produced. On most of the islands coconuts, dates, tamarinds and bananas are to be found; orchil is gathered; and indigo and castor oil are produced. Of considerable impor tance is the physic-nut (Jatropha curcas), which is exported.

Fauna.

Quails are found in all the islands; rabbits in Boa Vista, Sao Thiago and Fogo ; wild boars in Sao Thiago. Both black and grey rats are common. Goats, horses and asses are reared, and goatskins are exported. The neighbouring sea abounds with fish, and coral fisheries are carried on by a colony of Neapolitans in Sao Thiago. Turtles come from the African coast to lay their eggs on the sandy shores. The Ilheu. Branco, or White Islet, be tween Sao Nicolao and Santa Luzia, is remarkable as containing a variety of puffin unknown elsewhere, and a species of large lizard (Macroscinctus coctei) which feeds on plants.

Inhabitants.

The first settlers on the islands imported negro slaves from the African coast. Slavery continued in full force until 1854, when the Portuguese government freed the public slaves, and ameliorated the conditions of private ownership. In 1857 arrangements were made for the gradual abolition of slavery. and by 1876 the last slave had been liberated. The blacks and mulattoes far outnumber the white inhabitants. They are, as a rule, taller than the Portuguese, and are of fine physique, with regular features but woolly hair. Their language is a bastard Portuguese, known as the lingua creoula.

Industries.—The principal industries, apart from agriculture, are the manufacture of sugar, spirits, salt, cottons and straw hats and fish-curing. The most important of the exports are coffee, physic-nuts, millet, sugar, spirits, salt, live animals, skins and fish. The imports consist principally of coal, textiles, food-stuffs, wine, metals, tobacco, machinery, pottery and vegetables. Over 3,000 vessels, with a total tonnage exceeding 3,500,000 annually enter the ports of the archipelago; the majority call at Mindello, on Sao Vicente, for coal, and do not receive or discharge any large quantities of cargo.

Santo Antic, (pop. 25,000) at the extreme N.W. of the archi pelago, has an area of 265 sq.m. Its surface is very rugged and mountainous, abounding in volcanic craters, of which the chief is the Topoda Coroa (7,3oof t.) , also known as the Sugar—loaf. Mineral springs exist in many places. Santo Antic, produces large quantities of excellent coffee, besides sugar and fruit. It has sev eral small ports, of which the chief are the sheltered and spacious Tarrafal Bay, on the S.W. coast, and the more frequented Ponta do Sol, on the N.E., 8m. from the capital, Ribeira Grande, a town of 4,500 inhabitants. Cinchona is cultivated in the neighbourhood.

Sao Vicente (pop. 8,000), lies near Santo Antao, on the S.E., and has an area of 75 sq.m. Its highest point is Monte Verde (2,400f t.) . An English speculator founded a coaling station here in 1851, and the town of Mindello, also known as Porto Grande or St. Vincent, grew up rapidly, and became the commercial centre of the archipelago. Sao Vicente has a station for the submarine cable from Lisbon to Pernambuco in Brazil.

Santa Luzia, about 5m. S.E., has an area of 18 sq.m. Its high est point is 885ft. above sea-level. On the S.W. it has a good harbour, visited by whaling and fishing boats.

Sao Nicolao or Nicolau (pop. 12,000), a long, narrow, cres cent-shaped island with an area of 126 sq.m., lies farther E. Maize, kidney-beans, manioc, sugar-cane and vines are cultivated. The interior is mountainous, and culminates in two peaks one of which, Monte Gordo, has a height of 4,28o feet. The island was one of the first colonized; in 1774 its inhabitants numbered 13,50o, but famine subsequently caused a great decrease.

Sal (pop. 75o), in the N.E. of the archipelago, has an area of 75 square miles. Towards the close of the 17th century it was inhabited only by a few shepherds, and by slaves employed in the salt-works. In 1705 it was entirely abandoned, owing to drought and consequent famine; and only in 1808 was the manu facture of salt resumed. A railway, the first built in Portuguese territory, was opened in 1835.

Boa Vista (pop. 2,600), the most easterly island of the archi pelago, has an area of 235 square miles. It was named Sao Christovao by its discoverers in the 15th century. A chain of heights, flanked by inferior ranges, traverses the middle of the island, culminating in Monte Gallego (I,25oft.), towards the E.

Maio (pop. ',coo) has an area of 7o sq.m., and resembles Sal and Boa Vista in climate and configuration. Its best harbour is Nossa Senhora da Luz, on the S.W. coast, and is commonly known as Porto Inglez or English Road, from the fact that it was occu pied until the end of the 18th century by the British.

Sao Thiago (pop. 63,000) is the most populous and the largest of the Cape Verde Islands, having an area of 35o square miles. It is also one of the most unhealthy, except among the moun tains over 2,000f t. high. The interior is a mass of volcanic heights, formed of basalt covered with chalk and clay, and cul minating in the central Pico da Antonia (4,5ooft.), a sharply pointed cone. There are numerous ravines, furrowed by perennial streams, and in these ravines are grown large quantities of coffee, oranges, sugar-cane and physic-nuts, besides a variety of tropical fruits and cereals.

Fogo (pop. 17,600) is a mass of volcanic rock, almost circular and measuring about 190 square miles. In the centre a still active volcano, the Pico do Cano, rises to a height of about Io,000 feet. Its crater, which stands within an older crater, measures 3m. in circumference and is visible at sea for nearly zoo miles. It emits smoke and ashes at intervals; and in 168o, 1816, 1846, 1852 and 1857 it was in eruption. After the first mentioned and most serious outbreak, the island, which had previously been called Sao Felipe, was renamed Fogo, i.e., "Fire." Brava (pop. 9,013), the most southerly of the islands, has an area of 23 square miles. Though mountainous, and in some parts sterile, it is very closely cultivated, and, unlike the other islands, is divided into a multitude of small holdings. The women, who are locally celebrated for their beauty, far outnumber the men, who emigrate at an early age to America.

History.—The earliest known discovery of the islands was made in 1456 by the Venetian captain Cadamosto (q.v.), who had entered the service of Prince Henry the Navigator. The archi pelago was granted by Alphonso V. of Portugal to his brother, Prince Ferdinand, whose agents completed the work of discovery. On his death in 1470 his privileges reverted to the crown, and were bestowed by John II. on Prince Emanuel, by whose accession to the throne in 1495 the archipelago finally became part of the royal dominions. Its population and importance rapidly in creased ; its first bishop was consecrated in '532, its first governor general appointed about the end of the century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.-The best general account of the islands is given in Bibliography.-The best general account of the islands is given in vols. xxiii. and xxvii. of the Boletim of the Lisbon Geographical Society (1905, 1908), and in Madeira, Cabo Verde, e Guine, by J. A. Martins (Lisbon, 1891) .

See

also Ober die Capverden (Leipzig, 1884) and Die Vulcane der Capverden (Graz, 1882) , both by C. Dolter. A useful map, entitled Ocean Atlantico Norte, Archipelago do Cabo Verde, was issued in 1900 by the Commissdo de Cartographia, Lisbon.