Cape Verde Geography

Archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean, 570 km from the African coast, off the coast of Senegal.

Volcano de Fogo, the highest point in the islands of Cape Verde, with 2,829 m.

The archipelago is made up of a dozen islands and a dozen islets, and is divided into two groups, whose name is related to the direction of the prevailing wind. The Windward Islands include the islands of Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia (uninhabited), São Nicolau, Sal and Boavista. The Leeward Islands include the islands of Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.

The landscape includes dry plains, active volcanoes, and vertiginous cliffs overlooking the ocean. São Vicente and the three flat islands, Sal, Boa Vista and Maio, lack fresh water. In Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antão and São Nicolau the mountains exceed 1,280 m in altitude, and in Fogo the volcano, which reaches almost three thousand meters, is the main attraction of tourism.

Deforestation, the introduction of invasive species, goats destined to supply the ships at port of call, donkeys and rabbits have unbalanced the original plant environment. Numerous foreign visitors, including Charles Darwin in 1832, mention the clearing of forests for lumber and fuel.

Exposure to sand carried by the harmattan wind from the Sahara has caused significant erosion in a weakened environment, particularly on slopes exposed to the easterly wind, the trade winds. The vegetation only subsists in the interior valleys, which are also the only cultivable ones.

Episodes of heavy tropical rains have contributed to erosion, causing mud and sediment flows.

Weak and irregular rainfall has caused numerous famines. The annual average in Praia is 240 mm. In winter, the harmattan causes a dust haze that reduces visibility and can hide the sun, but the rest of the year there is abundant sunshine. Temperatures are tempered by the ocean and vary little throughout the year, averaging between 22.oC and 26.oC at sea level, and cooler at altitude.

Cape Verde has given its name to Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which form in its vicinity, and then cross the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Antillean and American coasts.

Relief

Fogo Island

Cape Verde's territory ranges from the geologically older and flatter islands in the east to the more mountainous and younger ones in the west. The eastern islands of Boa Vista, Maio and Sal have been badly eroded by the wind and are very flat and sandy. On the western side, the volcanic island of Fogo is the youngest and has suffered recent eruptions, in 1951, 1995 and the last one, at the end of 2014.

The archipelago as a whole is a chain of volcanic islands due to the eastward shift of the African plate. The almost circular island of Fogo is about 25 km in diameter, and the caldera of the volcano, not centered on the island but located to the northeast, is about 10 by 7 km, and is formed by an almost vertical cliff in the interior, the bordeira, with a large opening to the east, through which the lava has escaped. In fact, Fogo is a stratovolcano located on the African plate due to a thermal anomaly under the mantle, which is called a hot spot. In this, it is similar to Teide, in the Canary Islands. Inside the caldera, called Chã das Caldeiras, is the Fogo peak, 2,829 m high.

Almost a quarter of the soils are made up of volcanic rocks, dominated by basalt. Three fifths of the land (sand and limestone) lacks a fertile layer of humus, so a great effort is required to cultivate it. There is hardly any water and erosion when it rains has led to a large reforestation campaign.

Vegetation

In Cape Verde there are no forests, but there are numerous endemic native plants. The vegetation typical of Macaronesia ((Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands and Cape Verde) dominates, of which it is the driest and most southern region, with important changes made by human beings. Centuries ago, there were forests of dragon trees, tarajales and palm groves, fig trees and numerous bushes on the islands of São Nicolau and Santo Antão) in Barlovento, and Santiago, Fogo and Brava in Sotavento. The coastal vegetation has been preserved, and remains of the original vegetation in São Nicolau, Santo Antão) and Fogo.

The endemic flora comprises 66 species and 17 subspecies, giving rise to 83 endemisms, including two trees, the marmolán (Sideroxylon marginata) and the Phoenix atlantidis palm >. There is only one genus endemic to Cape Verde, Tornabenea.

Agriculture is mostly subsistence, but industrial crops such as sugar cane, bananas, coconuts, mangoes, cassava and potatoes are also grown on the islands of São Tiago, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Fogo and Santo Antão. In Fogo wine and coffee are produced for export. Sugar cane is used to produce rum.

Hurricane Fred devastated part of agriculture in 2015, especially to the east of the island of São Nicolau.

In Cape Verde, agriculture contributes on average between 8.2 and 12% of GDP, compared to 12.3% for industry and 75.5% for services. In the past, cotton was planted.

Climate

Satellite view of Cabo Verde, where the most llanas islands are appreciated, east. Within the widespread aridity, rains are more abundant in the southern islands, although the relief effect in the higher mountains favors the formation of fogs all year round. In general, it only rains between July and October.

The climate of Cape Verde is unusual, tropical arid, with mild temperatures due to the current of the Canary Islands, with cold waters, and to the trade winds, which blow from the northeast, especially between November and May, and which they cool off as they pass over the sea, whose temperature oscillates throughout the year between 23.oC in January and 27.oC between August and October.

In both the Windward and Leeward Islands, heavy but unusual rainfall occurs between August and October, the warmest period of the year, due to the northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The rains are very irregular, sometimes they do not occur or accumulate in a few days, causing flooding, also due to the scarcity of vegetation. In Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, in Barlovento, about 100 mm fall per year, of which half fall in September, and the rest spread over August and October. Temperatures range between 19-23.oC minimum and 23-27.oC maximum, being the coldest and driest months from December to May, with the wind from the northeast, and the warmest from June to November. In Sotavento it is a little hotter and it rains more due to the influence of southerly winds. In Praia, on the island of Santiago, about 250 mm falls, with maximums of 100 mm in August and September, something in October and practically nothing in the rest of the months. Temperatures range between 19-20.oC minimum and 29.oC maximum in wet months.

When the wind blows from the desert, temperatures can rise to 35-37.o C between May and October. The mountains act as a brake on the winds and can cause mist on the north faces of the highest in the dry months, with drizzle, allowing some vegetation. The trade winds start to blow in November, but sometimes the harmattan blows with clouds of dust that make visibility difficult.

Major Islands

Islets

• Ilhéu do Baluarte (Isleta del Baluarte)
• Ilhéu Laja Branca (Isleta Laja Branca)
• Ilhéu dos Pássaros (Isleta dos Pássaros)
• Ilhéu Rabo de Junco (Isleta Rabo de Junco)
• Ilhéu de Sal-Rei (Sal-Rey Island)
• Ilhéu de Santa Maria (Isleta de Santa Maria)
• Ilhéus Secos (Swedish Loans)
  • Ilhéu de Cima (Cima Island)
  • Ilhéu Grande (Big Island)

Protected areas

In Cape Verde there are 7 protected areas that cover about 120 km², 2.9% of the country's 4,072 km². On the other hand, only 5 km² of the 801,065 km² of marine surface that the islands encompass are protected. Altogether, there are 3 natural parks with national designation and 4 Ramsar sites with international designation.

• Monte Gordo natural park, 9,52 km2, on the island of São Nicolau.
• Bordeira Natural Park, Chã das Caldeiras e Pico Novo, 84,69 km2. Also known as Parque natural do Fogo, in the volcano of the same name, on the island of Fogo.
• Natural park of the Serra da Malagueta, 7.74 km2, on the island of Santiago.

Ramsar sites cover coastal areas:

• Curral Velho, island of Boa Vista, 986 ha.
• Lagoa de Pedra Badejo, island of Santiago, 666 ha.
• Salinas de Porto Inglés, island of Maio, 535 ha.
• Lagoa de Rabil, island of Boa Vista, 113 ha.

In addition to these sites, there are numerous areas proposed but not designated as natural parks, nature reserves, natural monuments, strict nature reserves (islets), natural tourist attractions, and bird watching areas.