Cidade Velha | |
|---|---|
Settlement | |
 Cidade Velha - Pillory Square | |
  | |
| Coordinates: 14°54′58″N 23°36′22″W / 14.916°N 23.606°W | |
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Island | Santiago |
| Municipality | Ribeira Grande de Santiago |
| Civil parish | Santíssimo Nome de Jesus |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
• Total | 1,214 |
| ID | 79102 |
| Official name | Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(vi) |
| Reference | 1310 |
| Inscription | 2009 (33rd Session) |
| Area | 209.1 ha (0.807 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 1,795.6 ha (6.933 sq mi) |
Cidade Velha ([siˈðaðɨ ˈvɛʎɐ], Portuguese for "old city", also: Santiago de Cabo Verde) is a city[2] in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders,[3]: 77 it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called Ribeira Grande by the Portuguese colonists, they changed its name to Cidade Velha in the late 18th century after relocating the capital to Praia.[4] It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.
Located on an island off Africa's northwest coast, this town was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, including a royal fortress, two churches and a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is designated in 2009 as one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.[4]
- ^ "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
- ^ Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015, Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33
- ^ Valor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia, Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008, p. 97
- ^ a b "Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Retrieved 8 July 2011.