Holidays to Cape Verde

Holidays to Cape Verde

Why not take a vacation to the great Cape Verde island. A vacation in this area can be fun. You may want to enjoy the beaches, the culture, the historic sites, to visit people you know or to see the towns and to study the area. You may want to rent, sell, hire, loan, buy a villa, cottage, a hotel room, a cabin, a house, a home in the nation. A holiday or vacation in the area can be super.

Cape Verde is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa. It is formed by 10 main islands and about 8 islets.

The culture of Cape Verde reflects its mixed African and Portuguese roots. It is well known for its diverse forms of music such as Morna and a wide variety of dances: the soft dance Morna, and its modernized version, passada, the Funaná - a sensual mixed Portuguese and African dance, the extreme sensuality of coladeira, and the Batuque dance. These are reflective of the diverse origins of Cape Verde's residents. The term Criolo is used to refer to residents as well as the culture of Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is in the tropical zone.

The main islands are:

- Barlavento (northern island group)

Boa Vista, Sal, Santa Luzia, Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau

- Sotavento (southern island group)
Maio, Brava, Fogo, Santiago

Of these, only Santa Luzia and the five islets are uninhabited. Presently it is a natural reserve. All islands are volcanic, but an active volcano only exists on one of the islands, Fogo ( see Mount Fogo ).

The Barlavento islands (literally, the Windward), is the northern island group of Cape Verde archipelago.

It can be divided in to two groups: Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Santa Luzia islands and Branco and Raso islets lie to the west and are rocky, volcanic, agricultural islands.

Sal and Boa Vista lie to the east and are flat, desert islands with economies once based on salt and now turning to tourism, having more in common with Maio among the Sotavento.

Minor islets include Ilhéu de Sal-Rei and Ilhéu do Baluarte (or Ilhéu do Roque) off Boa Vista, Ilhéu dos Pássaros off São Vicente and Ilhéu Rabo de Junco off Sal.

The Sotavento islands (literally, the Leeward), is the southern island group of Cape Verde archipelago.

There are four main islands: Brava, Fogo and Santiago are rocky and volcanic agricultural islands, with the longest histories of human inhabitance and densest populations in the Cape Verdes. Maio lies to the east and is a flat desert island whose economy was primarily based on salt, giving it more in common with Sal and Boa Vista among the Barlavento.

The islets Ilhéu Grande, Ilhéu de Cima, and the minor islets Ilhéu do Rei, Ilhéu Sapado and Ilhéu Luís Carneiro make up the Ilhéus Secos (or Ilhéus do Rombo) islets group north of Brava . The little Ilhéu de Santa Maria lays off Santiago.

Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese. It is the language of instruction and official acts. However, the Cape Verdean Creole is used colloquially and is the mother tongue of virtually all Cape Verdeans. Cape Verdean Creole or Kriolu is a dialect continuum of a Portuguese-based creole, which varies from island to island.

There is a substantial body of literature in Creole, especially in the Santiago Creole and the São Vicente Creole. Creole has been gaining prestige since the nation's independence from Portugal.

Cape Verde is known internationally for morna, a form of folk music usually sung in the Cape Verdean Creole, accompanied by clarinet, violin, guitar and cavaquinho. The islands also boast funaná and batuque music.

Cesária Évora is perhaps the best internationally-known practitioner of morna. Madonna was so inspired by her that she even purchased a house on the island of Sal.

Amílcar Cabral International Airport , also known as Sal International Airport or Amílcar Cabral Airport, is the principal international airport of Cape Verde. The airport is named for revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral. It is located 2 km (1.3 miles) west-southwest from Espargos on Sal Island.

Praia International Airport is an airport located on Santiago Island in Cape Verde. It was opened in late 2005, replacing the old Francisco Mendes International Airport. It is located about 3 km northeast of central Praia in the southeastern part of the island of Santiago. The first flight to the new airport was on October 23, 2005. Cape Verde’s main international airport will remain Amílcar Cabral International Airport on the island of Sal.

holidays to cape verde

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