Ribeira da Trindade

Ribeira da Trindade
Ribeira da Trindade from the neighborhood of Fazenda in Praia with the view of Lem Cachorro, on the left is Vila Nova
Country	Cape Verde
Basin features
Main source	southwest of São Domingos Santiago Island, Cape Verde 650 m (2,130 ft)
River mouth	Praia Harbor, Atlantic Ocean 14°54′59″N 22°30′27″W / 14.9165°N 22.5074°W / 14.9165; -22.5074Coordinates: 14°54′59″N 22°30′27″W / 14.9165°N 22.5074°W / 14.9165; -22.5074
Basin size	44 km2 (17 sq mi)
Physical characteristics
Length	15 km (9.3 mi)

Ribeira da Trindade (Portuguese for trinity) is a stream that flows in the southeastern part of the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. It is Praia's longest stream and it has a large basin area covering about 44 km² (around 4%) making it one of the largest on the island. The stream mainly flows northwest to southeast and is about 14 to 15 km in length. It flows in the area of Achadinha (a hamlet southwest of São Domingos and southeast of Rui Vaz and is also southeast of the boundaries of Pico da Antónia Natural Park) all the way to the center of Praia between the Platô and Achada Grande Frente and empties at its harbor. During dry days especially in the Spring and Summer, the stream is predominantly dry.

The stream starts from the agricultural and mountainous portion of the south of the island. It passes through the municipal boundary at 350 meters above sea level then into the settlement of Trindade in which the stream gives the name to, the elevation being 175 meters. In that area features a chapel of the Trinity, it also features a baobab tree, a psychiatric hospital and a warehouse center named São Martinho. Close by is the locality named Vera Cruz, between 2007 and 2016, the population and the built up area have doubled. It crosses the road at 103 meters, the Circular Road at 99 meters, 53 meters at the tributary with Ribeira de São Jorge, 50 meters the tributary with Ribeira da Veneza in São Pedro, 43 meters at Pensamento, 29 meters by Calabaceira and its football (soccer) field, 22 meters at the tributary with Ribeira de Safende and Vila Nova, 20 meters at the Praia-Tarrafal highway (EN1-ST01), 14 meters at Lem Cachorro and its pedestrian bridge below in Lem Ferreira, 12 meters at Rua do Aeroporto (EN1-ST06) and 5 meters east of the SCCR factory.

The neighborhood boundaries are marked on the south bank, one of them being Achadinha de Baixo, some of the boundaries are marked at some streets.

During the Ice Age, the stream was 3.5 kilometers longer and was 18 km and emptied 1.6 km southeast of Ponta Temerosa, it shortened to 16 km some 8,000 to 7,000 years ago.

Before the 17th century, the he low lying areas were forested, they were cut down to make room for farming and agriculture, the forest stretched up to Ribeira Grande, the upper part of the landscape before the 17th century is unknown.