Boa Vista Island
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Native name: Bubista Nickname: Ilha das dunas (island of the dunes) |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°6′11.93″N 22°48′12.59″W / 16.1033139°N 22.8034972°W |
| Archipelago | Cape Verde |
| Total islands | 10 |
| Area | 620 km2 (240 sq mi) |
| Length | 31 km (19.3 mi) |
| Width | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 387 m (1,270 ft) |
| Highest point | Monte Estância |
| Administration | |
| Concelhos (Municipalities) | Boa Vista |
| Largest settlement | Sal Rei |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 8554 (2010) |
| Pop. density | 13.8 /km2 (35.7 /sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | http://www.boavistaofficial.com |
Boa Vista (Portuguese meaning “good view”) is the easternmost island of Cape Verde. It is located in the Barlavento group of the archipelago. The island is known for marine turtles and traditional music, as well as its ultramarathon and its sand dunes and beaches. The island also constitutes the municipality of Boa Vista, which has two parishes, Santa Isabel and São João Baptista.
In the 19th century, the English called Boa Vista, Bonavisa.
With an area of 620 km², it is the third largest island, after Santo Antão and Santiago. It is 455 km west of the coast of Africa. Much of the island is flat. The highest point on the island is Monte Estância, elevation 387 meters; other mountains include Santo António (Saint Anthony) and Monte Negro (Black Mountain). Other features include Campo da Serra. Its main town is Sal Rei, its ferry port and home to Boa Vista's airport (Rabil Airport)on the northwest side of the island.
Surrounding islets include Ilhéu de Sal Rei featuring a lighthouse in the west, and Ilhéu do Baluarte featuring the easternmost point in Cape Verde. Points include Ponta Antónia to the north.
Boa Vista landscape.
Ruins of the abandoned village Curral Velho.
Sal Rei beach
As of the mid-19th century, the population was estimated at 4,000. While most of the population live in Sal Rei, there are many small settlements with 10 to 100 people; others are abandoned. It has the smallest population of all of inhabited Cape Verde’s islands, and it is the least-dense populated in the archipelago.
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