History of Cape Verde. Mindelo on So Vicente is the main port for cruise ships and the terminus for the ferry service to Santo Anto. [50] Cape Verde is part of the Sahelian arid belt, with nothing like the rainfall levels of nearby West Africa. [68], Cape Verde's strategic location at the crossroads of mid-Atlantic air and sea lanes has been enhanced by significant improvements at Mindelo's harbour (Porto Grande) and at Sal's and Praia's international airports. [19] After a French attack in 1712, the town declined in importance relative to nearby Praia, which became the capital in 1770. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth. [19] It also participates in most international conferences on economic and political issues. Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese. [citation needed] Members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote for five-year terms. Palmeira on Sal supplies fuel for the main airport on the island, Amlcar Cabral International Airport, and is important for the hotel construction taking place on the island. The most important ethnic roots for Cape Verde based on historically known presence, cultural retention and ancestral connections are those of the Mandinga, Wolof, Biafada, Papel and Bainouk ethnicities, while the remaining suspected ethnicities will show much variation in actual contributions to Cape Verde's ethnogenesis. The culture of Cape Verde is characterized by a mixture of African and European elements. Born around 1766, Douglass had resided on Nantucket since at least 1809. There are also Cape Verdeans who have Jewish ancestors from North Africa, mainly on the islands of Boa Vista, Santiago and Santo Anto. Cape Verde is a founding member state of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, an international organization and political association of Lusophone nations across four continents, where Portuguese is an official language. The songs came . Cape Verde is one of the Small Island Developing States or SIDS. Initially envisaged as a base to give mariners direct access to West African trade, the Central Atlantic islands soon became a major hub of the Atlantic slave trade.Slaves were used on the sugar plantations of the islands and sold on to ships sailing to the Americas. [99], Coordinates: 1555N 2355W / 15.917N 23.917W / 15.917; -23.917. As of the 2021 census the most populated islands were Santiago where the capital Praia is located (269.370), So Vicente (74.016), Santo Anto (36.632), Fogo (33.519) and Sal (33.347). [1] Interview with Janet Walsh, former Fox Point . 0:41. Its absolutely beautiful, soft white sand which is so much nicer than the Touareg beach. The settlement on So Tiago (Santiago) was the first European toehold in the tropics and was ideally located as a supply point for slaves traded to Brazil and the West Indies.