Cape Verde’s Geography
Cape Verde Archipelago is a volcanic archipelago of 4000 km 2 located 500 km off the coast of West Africa. The archipelago consists of ten larger and eight smaller islands.
Barlavento (windward) islands in the north are Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista. The Sotavento (leside) islands in the south are Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava. The capital Praia is located on the largest and most populous island of Santiago.
The islands are of volcanic origin. The active volcano Fogo is the highest point in the archipelago with an altitude of 2829 meters. There are salt surfaces on the islands of Sal and Maio.
In the crater of São Vicente and Sal, the sea has penetrated and formed good harbors.
The bedrock consists of basaltic and pyroclastic rocks similar to other islands on the mid-Atlantic ridge. At Cape Verde, the volcanoes are up to 180 million years old. The area is also volcanically active today.
Climate
Cape Verde Islands are located in the Northeast Passage and have a tropical climate, but the precipitation is small and can sometimes be completely absent. The islands in lee generally have more rainfall than the islands in the species. In the capital Praia on São Tiago, the average temperature in February is 22 ° C and in August-September 27 °C. The annual rainfall is 260 mm, with September being the most rainy month.
Plant life on Cape Verde
The flora of the eyes is poor. It has similarities both with the Canary Islands and with the flora of West Africa.
