Praia, Cape Verde
| Praia | |
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Praia Cabo Verde in early-October 2007
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| Coordinates: 14°55′05″N 23°30′32″W / 14.918°N 23.509°WCoordinates: 14°55′05″N 23°30′32″W / 14.918°N 23.509°W | |
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Island | Santiago |
| Municipality | Praia |
| Civil parish | Nossa Senhora da Graça |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 130,271 |
Praia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾajɐ], lit. "beach", in both Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole), is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports. The city centre is known as Platô due to its location on a small plateau.
Praia is Cabo Verde's largest city, a commercial centre, and a port that ships coffee, sugar cane, and tropical fruits. Praia also has a fishing industry and there are resort beaches nearby. It is the seat of the Praia municipality.
The city (also the municipality) are divided into several neighbourhoods including:
The previous settlement was razed by Francis Drake on November 29, 1585 as part of the Capture of Santiago, only the town hospital remained, the plunder was scarce and his fleet left.
The town of Praia de Santa Maria appeared in 1615 when it took the place of the previous settlement on the plateau, which was originally favored because the nearby port (Santa Maria beach) offered good conditions for ships. Initially used as a clandestine harbor (in order to avoid customs fees at the then capital Ribeira Grande), the settlement gradually acquired the characteristics of a town after much of the population from Ribeira Grande fled there during its decline in the midst of frequent pirate attacks. The official transfer of capital status from Ribeira Grande to Praia took place in 1770.
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