Fortinho

Fortinho Fortim do (del) Rei Centro do Mindelo
Neighborhood
Fortim do Rei (de São Vicente), the dominant feature of the subdivision and one of the city's most prominent.
Country	Cape Verde
Island	São Vicente Island
City	Mindelo
Postal code	2100
Website	www.cmsv.cv

The Fortinho or Fortim do Rei (pre 1945 spelling: Fortim d'El Rei) is a subdivision northwest of the historic center of the Mindelo in the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde and are one of the city's five oldest subdivisions.

The subdivision is also a small hill elevating 43 meters high. Until the urban sprawl of the 1950s, it was the city's highest point, it was later replaced with Monte Cara in the 1990s.

Bordering subdivisions include Lajinha to the north bordered on an avenue named Dr. Alberto Leite, Chã de Alecrim to the northeast, Alto Miramar (Alto Mira) to the east, the city center (Morada) to the southeast and Porto Grande to the west. The eastern boundary partly borders on Rua Angola, 5 de Julho and the south of Parque Nhô Roque.

Right after the completion of the fort named Fortim d'El Rei in 1852 which defended the island from further pirate atttacks, the subdivision was also founded later its fortress was used as a prison. It was sparsely populated, the southern portion was first populated in the 1880s. Many of the residential areas especially in the east were built from 1950. Quarrying activity occurred in the north of the hill then in the south, buildings built in one of its old quarries. Until 1962, the neighbourhood included west of the hill which became its own subdivision of Porto Grande right after the port was relocated and enlarged. Before, it formed the westernmost point of the city, now it is further west even with the urban expansion during the last century. Later more numerous hotels were built including up to 10 stories in the northern part first opened around 2008 forming the island's tallest buildings. Its fortress was last renovated in 2009.

Large size homes dominate most of the area. The number of buildings are around under 100. In the eastern end is the Mindelo campus of Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde also the Technical School (Escola Técnica) is at its northern end.

Along the coastline in the west, Avenida Marginal runs in the limits, the western part belongs to Porto Grande, the area up to the ferry route forms a part of EN1-SV01. The south of Rua Angola has a small greenspace in the middle.