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  Sal  Sal | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Africa |
| Coordinates | 16°43′N22°56′W / 16.717°N 22.933°W /16.717; -22.933 |
| Area | 219.84 km2 (84.88 sq mi) |
| Length | 29.7 km (18.45 mi) |
| Width | 11.8 km (7.33 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 406 m (1332 ft) |
| Highest point | Monte Grande |
| Administration | |
| Municipality | Sal |
| Largest settlement | Espargos |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 39,700 (2019) |
| Pop. density | 180/km2 (470/sq mi) |
Sal (Portuguese for "salt") is an island inCape Verde. Sal is a tourist destination with white sandy beaches and over 350 days of sunshine a year. It is one of the three sandy eastern islands of the Cape Verde archipelago in the central Atlantic Ocean, 350 miles (560 km) off the west coast of Africa. Cabo Verde is known for year-roundkiteboarding, for the large reserve ofCaretta turtles which hatch from July to September, and the music ofCesaria Evora. Cabo Verde is now the world's largest nesting aggregation for this turtle species,[1] and Sal has the second-largest rookery.[2]
For Europeans, the island was discovered on 3 December 1460 and namedLlana ("flat"). This name was changed into the current "Sal" when the two large salt ponds (Pedra de Lume andSanta Maria) were discovered.[citation needed] The first three centuries after its discovery, the island was only sparsely inhabited; in 1720 there was a small fishing village near presentPalmeira.[3] This changed when the salt industry was developed at the end of the 18th century, starting in Pedra de Lume.Santa Maria was founded in the south of the island in 1830 byManuel António Martins.[3] During this time the salt industry thrived, with 30,000 tons of salt being exported in the early years. Most of the salt was exported to Brazil until its nationalization in 1887, Portuguese and French salt investors resumed salt production until 1984.[3]
In 1939 Italy started constructing an airport to receive flights from Europe and South America. Construction was halted and ceased aroundWorld War II. The Portuguese bought the airport from the Italians and finished it in 1949. Northeast of the airport, workers from São Nicolau Island settled in a village named Preguiça, now part of Espargos.Hurricane Fred struck the island of Sal in late summer 2015, causing damage to houses, tourist facilities and ships.
The island is 29.7 km long and 11.8 km wide.[4]: 25 Its area is 219.84 km2 (84.88 sq mi).[5] It is one of the three sandy eastern islands (Sal,Boa Vista andMaio) of thearchipelago, with white sandy beaches. The island is fairly flat; its highest point isMonte Grande, at 406 m elevation.[4]: 25 The uninhabited isletIlhéu Rabo de Junco lies near the west coast of Sal. Saline marshes can be found in thePedra de Lume crater and north of Santa Maria.
Sal Island has on average 350 days of sunshine a year. Winds mainly blow from the northeast. However, some days do also have clouds, but they tend to be scattered and seldom bring rain. The 'rainy season' is from July to mid-October, although rainfall is still low.
| Climate data for Sal, Cape Verde (Amílcar Cabral International Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1950–1990 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32 (90) | 30 (86) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 38 (100) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 30 (86) | 38 (100) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.1 (82.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.6 (85.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.1 (80.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.8 (71.2) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.5 (72.5) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.3 (75.7) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.8 (80.2) | 25.2 (77.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 24.2 (75.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.2 (66.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.1 (75.4) | 22.5 (72.5) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.5 (70.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12 (54) | 10 (50) | 12 (54) | 15 (59) | 15 (59) | 15 (59) | 17 (63) | 20 (68) | 20 (68) | 19 (66) | 17 (63) | 16 (61) | 10 (50) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 2.8 (0.11) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.5 (0.02) | 1.0 (0.04) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.4 (0.09) | 12.8 (0.50) | 34.5 (1.36) | 15.6 (0.61) | 1.3 (0.05) | 3.4 (0.13) | 75.3 (2.95) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 7.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 69.0 | 70.9 | 70.9 | 70.6 | 73.3 | 75.4 | 75.5 | 75.9 | 77.1 | 74.7 | 72.9 | 71.1 | 73.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 182.9 | 175.2 | 201.5 | 216.0 | 204.6 | 174.0 | 148.8 | 161.2 | 180.0 | 198.4 | 189.0 | 155.0 | 2,186.6 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Source 1: NOAA,[6] Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica (humidity 1981-2010)[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, sun)[8] | |||||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 °C (73 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 22 °C (72 °F) | 23 °C (73 °F) | 23 °C (73 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) |
Administratively, the island of Sal is covered by one municipality,Concelho do Sal. This municipality consists of onefreguesia (civil parish),Nossa Senhora das Dores, which also covers the whole island. The municipality of Sal was created in 1935, when it was separated from the Municipality ofBoa Vista.[10] The municipal seat was originally at Santa Maria, but Espargos became the municipal seat in the 1970s.[citation needed]
Thefreguesia is subdivided into the following settlements:
Since 2016, theMovement for Democracy (MpD) is the ruling party of the municipality. The results of the latest elections,in 2016:[11]
| Party | Municipal Council | Municipal Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes% | Seats | Votes% | Seats | |
| MpD | 50.88 | 7 | 50.18 | 9 |
| PAICV | 43.58 | 0 | 41.14 | 7 |
| UCID | 2.82 | 0 | 5.83 | 1 |
| PSD | 0.34 | 0 | 0.38 | 0 |
As of 1832, the population was estimated at 400 people.[12] Until 1960, it was the least populous island of the nine inhabited islands of Cape Verde, with less than 3,000 inhabitants.[13] Since then the population has been growing rapidly, reaching around 40,000 in 2019, which makes it the third most populous island in Cape Verde, after Santiago and São Vicente, and having overtaken Santo Antão and Fogo.[14]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1940[13] | 1,121 |
| 1950[13] | 1,838 |
| 1960[13] | 2,608 |
| 1970[13] | 5,505 |
| 1980[13] | 5,826 |
| 1990[13] | 7,715 |
| 2000[13] | 14,792 |
| 2010[5] | 25,779 |
| 2015[4]: 36 | 33,747 |
| 2019[14] | 39,700 |
Sal's main town,Espargos, is home to one of the nation's international airports. Tourism, focused on the area ofSanta Maria, has replaced salt and fishing as the main source of income. In 2017, 48.2% of the country's available beds were on the island of Sal.[15] The living standards on the island are among the best in the Cape Verde archipelago. The island'sGDP per capita as of 2015 is 495,827escudos (4,497euro).[16]
The island is home toAmílcar Cabral International Airport, the busiest airport of Cape Verde. The main port of the island of Sal is atPalmeira. The main roads are:
Football (soccer) is the chief sports on the island. It has theSal Regional Football Association and its main competitions are thePremier and theSecond Divisions. Its main clubs areAcadémica do Sal,Académico do Aeroporto,Juventude andSC Santa Maria. The island's main stadium isEstádio Marcelo Leitão situated southeast of Espargos's center and all regional matches are played. Also Basketball is the second most popular on the island as well as volleyball, they are played at Polidesportivo do Sal, Académico do Sal is the island's best basketball team. Futsal is also played. Also dominant particularly in the beaches the south of the island and its surrounding waters are surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, recently gained for about 25 years and becoming the most dominant in the nation in windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Sal istwinned with:
Cascais, Portugal
Desenzano del Garda, ItalyGrottammare, Italy
South Normanton, England
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The island ofSal, Cape Verde | ||
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