Praia

About Praia

Praia is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. Located on the southern coast of Santiago island within the Sotavento Islands group, the city is the seat of the Praia Municipality. Praia is the political, economic and cultural center of Cape Verde.

The island of Santiago was discovered by António da Noli in 1460. The first settlement on the island was Ribeira Grande (Cidade Velha). The village Praia de Santa Maria was first mentioned around 1615 and grew near the natural harbour. The ports of Santiago were important ports of call for ships sailing between Portugal and the Portuguese colonies in Africa and South America. Between the end of the 16th century and the end of the 18th century, both Ribeira Grande and Praia was attacked by privateers several times, including Sir Francis Drake in 1585 and Jacques Cassard in 1712.

Due to its strategic position on a plateau it had better protection against pirate attacks, which gave it a large advantage over the older city of Ribeira Grande (Cidade Velha). It gradually superseded Cidade Velha to become the most important settlement of Cape Verde, and became the capital...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.