Cidade Velha
| Cidade Velha | |
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| Coordinates: 14°54′58″N 23°36′22″W / 14.916°N 23.606°WCoordinates: 14°54′58″N 23°36′22″W / 14.916°N 23.606°W | |
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Island | Santiago |
| Municipality | Ribeira Grande de Santiago |
| Civil parish | Santíssimo Nome de Jesus |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,214 |
| Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande | |
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| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
| Location | Cape Verde |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, vi |
| Reference | 1310 |
| UNESCO region | Africa |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2009 (33rd Session) |
Cidade Velha (Portuguese for "old city", in Cape Verdean Creole: Sidadi) is a town in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. It is situated on the south coast, 10 km west of the capital Praia. A former capital of Cape Verde, it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde. Once called Ribeira Grande, its name was changed to Cidade Velha so to avoid confusion with Ribeira Grande on Santo Antão island. It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.
Located off Africa's northwest coast, this town was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, including a royal fortress, two towering churches and a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
After the island was discovered, the city was named Ribeira Grande (Portuguese for large river) by António da Noli, in 1462. After discovery of the Americas, the settlement became an important port for trading slaves from Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to Brazil and the Caribbean. Transcontinental slavery made Cidade Velha the second richest city in the Portuguese realm.
Cidade Velha's port was a stopping place for two great navigators: Vasco da Gama, in 1497, on his way to India, and Christopher Columbus, in 1498, while on his third voyage to the Americas.
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