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The island of Santo Antao is quite spectacular. Situated at the far north of the group to the west of cultural San Vincente. I t is the second largest island of the archipelago. A huge mountain range exceeding 1,500m splits the island in two creating fertile valleys in the most central parts of the island whilst the other areas remain dry and windswept. The arid, red landscape on the southern slope, in Porto Novo, turns abruptly into low scrubland vegetation and forest covered with tall Mediterranean-like Canary and Cupressaceous pine trees in the highlands of Planalto Leste, toward the green valleys of Paúl, Ribeira Grande and Torre with tropical plants especially sugar cane and breadfruit.

The island's highest point is Tope da Coroa at 1,979 meters. On it there are well preserved volcanic structures, such as the Tope da Coroa Volcano and the crater of Água das Caldeiras. This bygone volcanic presence leaves reliefs of ancient plateaus and isolated towers of rock in the interior of the valleys, creating a landscape of rare scenic beauty in terms of its visual diversity, not to mention significant scientific value for the study of volcanic behaviour and the biodiversity that precedes it. Small towns dangling from cliffs at great heights, trails on mountain edges, and terraces for agriculture are all characteristic elements of Santo Antão.

Getting There/Getting Around
By air: There are no internal public flights available.
By sea: Relatively regular ferries are available from Mindelo on San Vincente. (Journey time approximately 1 hour)
On land: There is some limited car/bike hire. Otherwise transport around the island is by the local taxi service - Alugar. This does not tend to run to a structured timetable - lifts are usually arranged locally.

History
The island of Santo Antão was discovered by Diego Alfonso on the 17th of January in 1462. Colonialisation began in 1548. In the 19th century, roads were built linking Ponta do Sol to Ribiera Grande and Porto Novo and it was from here the island's goods were shipped out. Economically, the island is very rich in agriculture, the main produce being sugar cane, sweet potatoes or yams, manioc, bananas, coconuts, mango, papaya and almonds. Fishing is the main occupation of most of the inhabitants of the ports of Tarrafal, Porto Novo and Janela. The abundance of water, especially on the northeast region and deep into the valleys, permitted the installation of a solid irrigated agriculture. Nowadays, the production of "Grogue" from sugar cane is Santo Antão's principal trademark.