Praia

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Praia (disambiguation) .

Praia
Coordinates	14 ° 55 ′  N , 23 ° 31 ′  W Coordinates: 14 ° 55 ′  N , 23 ° 31 ′  W
Symbols
coat of arms
Basic data
Country	Cape Verde
Archipelago	Ilhas de Sotavento
District	Praia
height	0 m
Residents	127,524 (January 1, 2009)
Website	www.cmp.cv
View of Praia

Praia (from Portuguese beach ) is the capital of the Republic of Cape Verde and is located on the island of Santiago .

With around 140,000 inhabitants, Praia is the largest city in the country and the economic center of the islands. About 20 years ago there were still around 70,000 inhabitants, so the population has almost doubled in two decades.

Praia is the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde .

history

Praia in 1792

The village of Santa Maria was founded in 1615 on the rocky plateau on which the historic center of Praia is located today. On the beach (Portuguese: praia ), which is now known as Gamboa and is located directly below the plateau, an increasing number of ships docked in order not to have to pay the port fees of Ribeira Grande , the then capital of Cape Verde. With the economic decline of Ribeira Grandes, the importance and population of Santa Maria increased, which was officially declared the capital and administrative seat of Cape Verde in 1770.

From the end of the 18th century, the plateau was built on in colonial style with dead straight streets, starting in the south around today's Praça Afonso de Albuquerque . The rights of a city ( cidade ) were granted to the place in 1858, until then it was considered vila , which literally means 'small town'.

At the beginning of the 1920s, Praia had a population of 21,000. After the power station was the first of Cape Verde's to be completed in Praia in 1927, the city received electrical street lighting.

Attractions

Barracks Quartel Jaime Mota

• There is no national museum on the Cape Verde Islands. However, the Museu Etnográfico da Praia, which is housed in an old manor house in the historic old town and founded in 1997, is worth a visit .
• One of the oldest surviving buildings in Praia is the Quartel Jaime Mota barracks, built in 1826 in the southeast of the old town, in front of which you can still see some cannons.
• The town hall ( Câmara Municipal ) and the main church of the city are well worth seeing on the main square, which is laid out in the Portuguese style with a pavilion and flower beds .
• The Biblioteca Nacional de Cabo Verde is located opposite the National Stadium Estádio da Várzea.

Economy and Transport

The place has a port from which coffee beans , sugar cane and tropical fruits are shipped and which has a certain importance as a stopover for passing ships. Praia also has a fishing industry. There are bathing beaches and the Praia International Airport nearby .

sons and daughters of the town

• Jorge Barbosa (1902–1971), Cape Verdean writer
• Paulino do Livramento Évora (1931–2019), religious, bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde
• José Araújo ("Cachupa", 1933–1992), resistance fighter and politician
• Arménio Vieira (* 1941), Cape Verdean writer and journalist
• Cristina Fontes Lima (* 1958), politician and lawyer, multiple minister
• José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva (* 1962), Cape Verdean Prime Minister
• Manuel dos Santos Fernandes (* 1974), French-Cape Verdean football player
• Vargas Fernandes (* 1977), Cape Verdean football player
• Gelson Fernandes (* 1986), Swiss football player
• Nani (* 1986), Portuguese soccer player
• Kuca Miranda (* 1989), Cape Verdean football player
• Gelson Martins (* 1995), Portuguese soccer player
• Evelise Veiga (* 1996), track and field athlete

Climate table

Praia
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     2   25th 20th     2   25th 19th     0   26th 20th     0   26th 20th     0   27 21st     0   28 22nd     8th   28 23     45   29 24     105   30th 24     58   29 24     30th   28 23     10   26th 21st Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: wetterkontor.de

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Praia Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 24.8 25.0 26.1 26.4 27.1 27.9 28.0 28.6 29.7 29.2 28.0 25.6 O 27.2 Min. Temperature (° C) 20.0 19.4 19.7 20.3 21.0 21.9 22.9 23.8 24.0 23.6 22.7 21.3 O 21.7 Precipitation ( mm ) 2 2 0 0 0 0 8th 45 105 58 30th 10 Σ 260 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 7.2 8.3 9.0 9.5 9.9 9.3 7.0 6.5 7.2 7.9 7.8 6.6 O 8th Rainy days ( d ) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 6th 4th 1 1 Σ 19th Water temperature (° C) 23 22nd 22nd 23 23 24 24 25th 26th 27 26th 24 O 24.1 Humidity ( % ) 64 62 59 63 65 67 72 74 76 73 68 67 O 67.5 Source: wetterkontor.de

Individual evidence

1. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Cabo Verde
2. ↑ Praia - a centenária capital entre o passado eo futuro , in: Fragata - a revista de bordo de TACV , No. 14, July / September 2009, p. 49ff.
3. ^ Habbel, Josef: Habbels Konversationslexikon , vol. 3, p. 1043. Regensburg 1925.

Web links

Commons : Praia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Praia  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Museu Etnográfico da Praia