Sao Vicente - Cape Verde
Information about the Island of Sao Vicente

São Vicente (Portuguese for "Saint Vincent") is one of the Barlavento islands of the Cape Verde. It is separated by the São Vicente Channel in the northwest separating the island of Santo Antão.

The airport is in the southwest. It is located between the islands of Santo Antão and São Nicolau.In November 2006 direct flights from UK airports initially started to operate from Birmingham in the UK. The 'Open Skies' policy will see more airlines fly to Cape Verde and forcing lower air fares through competition.

Sao Vicente is the second furthest from the African mainland and some 200km from the capital Island of Santiago.

Sao Vicente has a population of around 70,000 concentrated in its main town of Mindelo. It is the second most populous island of Cape Verde. As the island is generally arid, its main industries are now fishing and tourism.

Sao Vicente is known for the Baia das Gatas Music Festival and for its cricket team. It also has a small airport and a desalinisation plant.

Sao Vicente is roughly rectangular in shape with a surface area of ca. 227 sq.km. From east to west it measures 24 km and from north to south no more than 16 km.

The terrain in sao Vicente includes mountains in the west, the southwest, the south, the east-central and the north.

The area is flat in the north central, the central part, the eastern part south of Calhau and the northern part in the Baia das Gatas area. The urban area of Mindelo is in the northern part. Much of the island have been deforested.

Although volcanic in origin, Sao Vicente is quite flat. Its highest point is Monte Verde (Portuguese for green mountain) located in the northeast-central part with an altitude of 774 metres. Although a great amount of erosion has taken place, some craters still remain -- in particular near the bay of Mindelo. The other mountain include Monte Cara. Other mountaintops includes Topona.

Local climate

The climate in Cape Verde is mild to tropical dry with two seasons; the dry season, between November and July and the humid or rainy season from August to October, when the weather is warm, but winds can be quite strong all year round, while the rest of the year is much cooler.

Cape Verde has temperatures fairly similar to the Canary islands and the coolest temperatures of any country in West Africa.