Mindelo
Settlement
Mindelo from Monte Verde
Mindelo from Monte Verde
Mindelo is located in Cape Verde
Mindelo
Coordinates: 16°53′10″N 24°59′17″W / 16.886°N 24.988°W / 16.886; -24.988
CountryCape Verde
IslandSão Vicente
MunicipalitySão Vicente
Civil parishNossa Senhora da Luz
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total69,904
ID21101

Mindelo is a port city[2] in the northern part of the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde. Mindelo is also the seat of the parish of Nossa Senhora da Luz, and the municipality of São Vicente. The city is home to 93% of the entire island's population. Mindelo is known for its colourful and animated carnival celebrations, with roots in Portuguese traditions later influenced by the Brazilian culture.

History

Old postcard of Mindelo from the early 20th century

A settlement at Mindelo was founded in 1793 by the Portuguese.[3]: 34  It was initially named Nossa Senhora da Luz, renamed Leopoldina around 1820 after the Queen consort. In 1838 it was renamed Mindelo after the 1832 Landing at Mindelo, north of Porto.[3]: 42–48  It became a coal deposit for ships of the British East India Company in 1838, followed by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company in 1850. The settlement became a town (vila) in 1858, and had 1,400 inhabitants then.[3]: 55  It became a city (cidade) in 1879, and had 3,717 inhabitants then.[3]: 61–63  In 1884 a submarine communications cable was laid between Europe, Africa, India and North America, making Mindelo an important communications centre for the British Empire.

From the beginning of the 20th century the port of Mindelo lost its importance for transatlantic navigation. Causes for this were the shift from coal to oil as fuel for ships, the rise of competing ports like Dakar and the Canary Islands and the lack of investment in port infrastructure.[3]: 76–80  Between 1910 and 1940 there were several strikes in Mindelo, and on 7 June 1934 there were riots in the streets of Mindelo, caused by unemployment and poverty. One man was killed; several were injured.[4]

Between 1940 and 1958 three prolonged periods of severe drought, combined with soil erosion and overgrazing, brought famine in Cape Verde.[5] In the whole archipelago, about 45,000 people died and 20,000 people emigrated. Mindelo attracted immigrants, notably from nearby Santo Antão, and continued to grow.[3]: 86 

Mindelo was the cultural capital of the Portuguese-speaking world from November 2002 until November 2003.[6] Mindelo is also considered the cultural capital of Cape Verde.[7]

Geography

Downtown Mindelo seen from 'Gud'
Mindelo, Cape Verde

Mindelo is situated at the Porto Grande Bay, a large natural harbour. The town is surrounded by low mountains: the Monte Cara and the Morro Branco headland to the west, and the Monte Verde to the east. The town is crossed by the river Ribeira de Julião.

The Cesária Évora Airport lies 9 km (6 mi) southwest of Mindelo, near the village São Pedro. Ferries for Santo Antão leave from the port.

Subdivisions

The city is divided into the following localities for statistical reasons:[8]

  • Alto Miramar
  • Alto Morabeza
  • Alto Santo António
  • Alto São Nicolau
  • Alto Solarine/Forca
  • Atrás do Cemitério/Sul do Cemitério
  • Bela Vista/Pedreira
  • Campinho
  • Chã de Alecrim
  • Chã de Cemitério
  • Chã de Marinha
  • Chã de Monte Sossego
  • Chê Guevarra
  • City center/Morada
  • Cruz João Evora
  • Dji d'Sal
  • Fernando Pó
  • Fonte Cónego
  • Fonte Filipe
  • Fonte Françês
  • Fonte Inês/Espia
  • Fonte Meio/Madeiralzinho
  • Fortinho/Escola Técnica
  • Horta Seca
  • Lazareto
  • Matiota
  • Monte/Craca
  • Monte Sossego
  • Pedra Rolada
  • Ribeira Bote
  • Ribeira da Craquinha
  • Ribeira de Julião
  • Ribeira de Passarão
  • Ribeirinha
  • Tchetchênia
  • Vila Nova/Lombo Tanque
  • Zona Industrial Sul
  • Zona Militar

Climate

Mindelo city has a desert climate (Köppen: BWh). The average annual temperature is 23.6 °C (74 °F). It is very dry with only around 100 mm (4 in) annual precipitation.

Climate data for Mindelo (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.2
(84.6)		 29.5
(85.1)		 30.3
(86.5)		 29.5
(85.1)		 31.5
(88.7)		 30.5
(86.9)		 33.6
(92.5)		 31.8
(89.2)		 32.7
(90.9)		 31.5
(88.7)		 31.0
(87.8)		 30.0
(86.0)		 33.6
(92.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.9
(75.0)		 24.0
(75.2)		 24.9
(76.8)		 25.4
(77.7)		 27.1
(80.8)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.8
(83.8)		 28.0
(82.4)		 26.8
(80.2)		 25.2
(77.4)		 25.7
(78.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.9
(71.4)		 21.6
(70.9)		 22.0
(71.6)		 22.2
(72.0)		 22.8
(73.0)		 23.8
(74.8)		 25.0
(77.0)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.0
(78.8)		 25.0
(77.0)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.9
(75.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 19.9
(67.8)		 19.7
(67.5)		 19.6
(67.3)		 20.2
(68.4)		 20.9
(69.6)		 21.9
(71.4)		 22.9
(73.2)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.8
(76.6)		 24.2
(75.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.9
(71.4)
Record low °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)		 13.5
(56.3)		 15.6
(60.1)		 15.0
(59.0)		 15.0
(59.0)		 18.0
(64.4)		 17.5
(63.5)		 14.5
(58.1)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.5
(65.3)		 19.0
(66.2)		 17.0
(62.6)		 13.5
(56.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 4.8
(0.19)		 1.7
(0.07)		 0.4
(0.02)		 0.4
(0.02)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 2.6
(0.10)		 16.3
(0.64)		 36.2
(1.43)		 14.5
(0.57)		 6.3
(0.25)		 1.0
(0.04)		 84.2
(3.33)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 5 2 2 2 18
Average relative humidity (%) 66.1 67.6 67.2 68.2 70.1 72.9 72.7 74.0 74.2 72.8 69.4 67.3 70.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 229.4 237.3 275.9 291.0 306.9 276.0 248.0 226.3 225.0 238.7 225.0 201.5 2,981
Mean daily sunshine hours 7.4 8.4 8.9 9.7 9.9 9.2 8.0 7.3 7.5 7.7 7.5 6.5 8.2
Source 1: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica[9]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, precipitation days, and sun)[10]

Economy

New hotel developments in Praia da Laginha, Mindelo

Its economy consists mainly of business, fishing, shipping, boating and more commonly tourism which developed more recently. Mindelo has several hotels, restaurants and tourist agencies.

Cityscape

Porto Grande
Palácio do Povo

The main streets of Mindelo are Avenida Marginal along the waterfront, and the perpendicular Rua Libertadores de África (former Rua Lisboa). Many colonial buildings from the 19th and early 20th century have been preserved in the city centre. Sites of interest include:[3]: 118–127 

Fortim d'El Rei

Statues

International relations

Mindelo has been twinned with the following cities:

Twin towns – sister cities

Education

Demography

At the 2010 census, Mindelo had 70,468 inhabitants. It is the second largest city in Cape Verde after Praia.

Population of the city of Mindelo (1980–2010)[11]
1980 1990 2000 2010
36,746 47,109 62,497 70,468

Sporting teams

Mindelo has several sports teams that includes the city, Académica, Corinthians and Derby are clubs that includes the entire island.

The main football stadium is Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena. Basketball, volleyball and futsal are played at Polivalente de Amarante in the southwest.

Notable people

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mindelo.

References

  1. ↑ "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
  2. ↑ Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015, Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Génese e desenvolvimento da cidade do Mindelo: a preservação de uma identidade, Fred Yanick Fonseca Delgado, 2016
  4. ↑ Mindelo: entre a Ficção e a Realidade, buala.org
  5. ↑ Keese, Alexander (2012). "Managing the Prospect of Famine. Cape Verdean Officials, Subsistence Emergencies, and the Change of Elite Attitudes During Portugal's Late Colonial Phase, 1939-1961" (PDF). Itinerario. XXXVI (1): 49–69. doi:10.1017/S0165115312000368.
  6. ↑ Capital Lusófona 2003 (in Portuguese)
  7. ↑ Goulding, Rory (27 July 2023). "Where to go on holiday in January: 15 incredible destinations: 11. Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, Cape Verde". The Times. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "2010 Census results São Vicente". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Normais Climatológicas" (in Portuguese). Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Klimatafel von Mindelo / Sao Vicente / Kapverden (Rep. Kap Verde)" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  11. ↑ Source: City Population, citing the Instituto Nacional de Estatísticas.
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