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Sao
Vicente is very cosmopolitan and is famous for its
Cape Verdean style nights. It has spawned some of the greatest
artists of the Cape Verdean music scene which has led to a
bohemian type of community with many artists and musicians
populating the island.
It is home to the country's second largest city (officially
called Mindelo, but usually referred to as São Vicente).
São Vicente is a city of nostalgia, with a mixture
of romance and harsh beauty.
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Sao
Vincente is roughly rectangular with a surface area of
227km2. From east to west it measures 24km and from north
to south no more than 16km. Although volcanic in origin,
the island is quite flat. Its highest point is Monte Verde
with an altitude of 774m. Although a great amount of erosion
has taken place, some craters still remain, in particular
the bay of Mindelo. |
Getting
There/Getting Around
By air: Internal flights are regularly available.
Sao Vicente is onsidered one of the archipelago's main islands,
transport to and from San Vincente is relatively easy.
By sea: There is a reliable ferry service
running from Santo Antao
to San Vincente and a twice weekly ferry links San Vincente,
Santo Antao, San
Nicolao and Santiago.
On land: Taxis or car/bike hire are available
along with other fairly reliable local transportation services.
History
Discovered on St.Vincents Day (22nd of January) in 1462, the
island remained practically uninhabited until the middle of
the 19th century. It was only in 1838, when a coal deposit
was established in Porto Grande to supply ships on the Atlantic
routes, that the population started to grow.
The Pracinha da Igreja (little church square) was the city's
birthplace and from there the first houses and basic infrastructure
began to take shape.
Due to the lack of rain and consequent lack of natural resources,
the economy of Sao.Vicente is based mainly on commerce and
services. The town of Mindelo was named in honour of the liberal
troops who disembarked on the beach of the same name in the
north of Portugal.
Mindelo became an important port, as it was a stopping point
for ships from all over the world and sailors of many nationalities
met together in the local bars and cafés. At the same
time, the town became on important cultural centre where music,
literature and sports were encouraged and developed.
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