About Cape Verde, is an insight into the different Islands, Sal, Santiago, Boavista and Sao Vicente. The currency, climate of Cape Verde, beaches.
Legend tells that the Cape Verde islands were the crumbs that fell from God’s fingers when he brushed his hands together having finished creating the world.
The reality of the islands is no less enchanting. An archipelago of nine islands, long white sandy beaches, azure waters in rocky bays and a welcoming population.
Add to this a climate which mostly remains in the lower to upper 20 degrees C throughout the year and it is clear why Cape Verde has been tipped as a hot spot for the property buyer. The idyllic islands of Cape Verde are one of the hottest emerging property markets with great investment potential.
The adventure of getting to know Cape Verde is only a few hours away...
They are situated off the west coast of Africa, 1000km from the Canary islands, and 3,600 km east of the Caribbean. The Cape Verde islands were discovered, uninhabited, by the Portuguese in the 15th century but gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and since 1991 have had a democratic government. The government is very keen to encourage overseas investment and to develop the private sector.
The islands vary in their attractions. Sal is the principal holiday island with long sandy beaches, hotels, restaurants and night-life, Boavista has charming bays and beaches and is quieter but with its new airport has great investment potential as getting to Cape Verde becomes much easier. Maio has long sandy beaches and development has started but will take longer. Santiago and Sao Vincente are the more traditional islands. Santiago houses the capital Praia and has an international airport and Sao Vincente has the lovely town of Mindelo as the cultural centre of the islands. Watersports are popular on most of the islands with Sao Vicente being famed for wind-surfing and surfing but also popular on Sal and Boavista. Deep sea fishing mainly operates out of Sal, Boavista and Santiago while diving has the added excitement of shipwrecks not far from land as well as beautiful coral reefs, huge rock formations and underwater caves.
The western islands are the more mountainous, Mt Fogo is the high point at 2,829m, and the eastern islands of Sal, Boavista and Maio offer more beaches.
Languages spoken are Portuguese and Creole, a mixture of Portuguese and West African. French and a certain amount of English is also spoken.
The population of Cape Verde is about 500,000 people, about half of which are Santiago.
The currency generally used is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE), which is pegged to the euro at the rate of 1 Euro = 110.265 CVE. But the Euro is becoming widely accepted on the islands and can be used for most cash transactions including in shops and taxis – although change may still be given in escudos.
Getting to Cape Verde has become very easy since the advent of direct weekly flights from London Gatwick and Manchester. These arrive and depart from Sal airport on Thursdays but flights from London Gatwick to Boavista airport are starting.
The climate of Cape Verde boasts year-round sunshine and very little rain. It is altogether a gentler climate than in neighbouring countries located on the same latitude. This is partly due to the northeast wind from December to April, the hot winds from the Sahara, and the Monsoons. January's midday temperature is 27 ° C and 20 ° C at night. It rises until September when it is 31° C at midday, 24° C at night, and temperatures then fall back until December.
