Portuguese Cape Verde

Cape Verde, 1462–1975. Draft, not yet reviewed

Portuguese Cape Verde was a colony of the Portuguese Empire from the initial settlement of the Cape Verde islands in 1462 until 1975, when independence was granted by Portugal. In 1462, the Portuguese founded the town of Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) on the south coast of Santiago. Slavery was abolished in Cape Verde in 1876. On 5 July 1975, at Praia, Portugal's Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves turned over power to National Assembly President Abílio Duarte, and Cape Verde became independent.

Seat of power: Cidade Velha

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• Due to its proximity to the African coast, it was an essential platform for the Atlantic trade of enslaved Africans.
• The capital was moved to Praia in 1770.
• The port city of Mindelo grew rapidly after 1838, when a coal depot was established to supply ships on Atlantic routes.
• Due to its generally dry climate, Cape Verde has been struck by a series of drought-related famines between the 1580s and the 1950s. Two of Cape Verde's worst-ever famines occurred in 1941-43 and 1947-48, killing an estimated 45,000 people.

Picture

Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders, Cidade Velha is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital.

Image: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sources

• Portuguese Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
• Portuguese Cape Verde (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.