Cape Verde
Capital:
Praia
Continent:
None - it's an island chain; closest continent is Africa.
Map:
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| Cape Verde. I included the island names for a bit of visual interest. |
Neighbors:
None; the nearest countries are Mauritania, Senegal, and The Gambia, in western Africa (to the east of the islands)
Water Borders:
Atlantic Ocean
Total Area:
1,557 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Praia, Mindelo, Assomada, Porto Novo, Sao Filipe
Famous Geographical Point:
Pico do Fogo, at 9,281 feet the island chain's tallest mountain
Famous Person:
Dona Tututa, composer & pianist
Book Set In/About:
The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araujo by Germano Almeida
After his death, the lengthy will of the island's most upright & successful inhabitant is read aloud to his family, neighbors & friends. There is much in it that is shocking.
Movie Set In/About:
"O Ilheu de Contenda (The Island of Contenda)" (1995), directed by Leao Lopes
Set in 1964, conflict ensues as local Cape Verdeans begin to express their own cultural identity, which clashes with the colonial Portuguese government. (Cape Verde was uninhabited before being settled by the Portuguese in the 1400s. The subsequently brought over African slaves. Over the next several hundred years, a unique culture arose that was a mix of both Portuguese and African influences. The country peacefully won independence in 1975.)
Headline of the Day:
"Mitu Monteiro Completes a 460-mile Circumnavigation of Cape Verde" in Surfer Today.
One of the games I play with your "Up with Geography" series is that when I don't know where a country is located, I make myself guess which continent it is on before I go to the post. I guessed: "Africa?" and decided I was right.
ReplyDeleteFascinating history of culture development. I had no idea.
Well, Africa is the nearest continent! There's a quiz site I sometimes frequent (Jet Punk) and each time I go, I like to do their "name every country" quiz. I believe they give you 15 minutes to name all 196 countries. I've never gotten them all (highest is like 176 I think) and that's partly because of Africa. I can never remember all the countries in Africa.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Cape Verde's history before doing this post. This project has certainly been educational!