Brava, Cape Verde

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Brava

Elevation:	976 m (3,202 ft)
Latitude:	14.85 (14° 51' 0' N)
Longitude:	24.71667 (24° 43' 0' W)
Location:	Cape Verde Islands
Range:
Population:	around 7,000
Area:	64 km²
Type:	Stratovolcano

Nova Sintra.

Brava is a volcanic island in the Cape Verde group. It is the smallest inhabited island of Cape Verde, one of the Sotaventos. First settled in the 1540s, its population grew after Mount Fogo on neighbouring Fogo erupted in 1675. Its main industry was long whaling, but the island is now primarily agricultural. The island's main town is Vila Nova Sintra.

Volcanic activity on the island has been mainly located along three sets of lineaments, which all intersect at the crest of ground that forms the highest part of the island. Brava has no documented historical eruptions, but its youthful volcanic morphology and the fact that earthquake swarms still occur indicate the potential for future eruptions.

The municipality has no municipal boundaries which means it is encircled with the Atlantic Ocean.

Brava is the only inhabited island in Cape Verde without an active airport and was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Beryl in 1982. Former inhabitants of the island include Eugénio Tavares.

1 Parishes
2 Settlements
3 Geography
4 Geographical features
5 History
6 Economics and Tourism
7 Sites of interest
8 Sporting teams
9 External links

[edit] Parishes

São João Baptista
Nossa Senhora do Monte

[edit] Settlements

[edit] Geography

Population: around 6,800 (1991), 4,296 (2001)
Density: around 101.49/km²
ISO 3166-2:CV: CV-BR
Area: 67 km²
Name of inhabitants: Bravense
Municipality: Vila Nova Sintra (population: 1,500 1991, 1,882 2001)

It is part of the district of Sotavento. The places include Nova Sintra.

The island has schools, a lyceum, a gymnasia, churches, and a square (praça) including one in honour of the famous musician Eugene Tavares.

All of the five villages lie north of the mountaintop, which has four main roads including Furna - Vila Nova Sintra and Fajã de Agua and south to Nova Sintra do Monte and slightly south of the mountaintop. The two large islands north of Brava are uninhabited. The mountain valleys dominate the south, the east and the west. The north has a few valleys.

North of Brava are two small islands with 4 islets, 3 of them are west of Ilh(e)u de Cima. The islands are Ilh(e)u Grande (Portuguese for Large Island or Big Island) and Ilh(e)u de Cima.

The island is part of the Sotavento (Portuguese for islands under the wind) island chain and is located west of Fogo. Precipitation arrives from the trade wind clouds. It lies in the lee of the enormous Fogo volcano. The island is covered with a leeward cloud so that evaporation is reduced and the vegetation is more abundant. The island is inhabited. Key inhabited places include the village of Vila Nova Sintra. The village of Furna has a commercial port.

[edit] Geographical features

- Ponta do Alto, located in the southwest
- Ponta da Pesqueiro Grande, the westernmost point on the island.
- Ponta da Rei Fernando (Portuguese for King Fernando), located in the east.
- Ponta da Aguada, a bay located in the east
- Quebra Cabeças, located in the south-southwest
- Monte Pesqueiro, located in the west-northwest

- Ponta da Incenso, the northernmost point on the island
- Ponta Jalunga, located in the northeast
- Ponta Mórea, located in the east southeast
- Cova do Mer, located in the southeast
- Ponta da Vaca

[edit] History

Brava was founded in 1462 by the Portuguese and the first settlement was founded in 1573. The slave trade was common in Cidade Velha. The persons that were from Madeira and Minho in Northern Portugal did not participate any longer. In 1680, the inhabitants fled to the nearby large island of Fogo after the volcano erupted and lava began to flow and devastate. In the 17th and the 18th centuries, pirates raided the bays of the island and continued until the 19th century when whale-catching was common from the ships of Europe and North America. Emigration began as the whale-catching ships sailed people from Brava to the northeastern part of North America especially along the Eastern Seaboard. Most of the immigrants from Brava settled in Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Brava most famous son is the musician Eugénio Tavares, which he used the traditional morna and was written in Crioulo. A statue dedeciated to Eugene Tavares is in the main square of Vila Nova Sintra and is encircled with a beautiful garden that are filled with trees, sunflowers, flowers, grass and other types of plants. Other notable persons includes Hermano da Pina and Armando da Pina who lives in the Eastern Seaboard which has his ancestry to his parents in Brava.

[edit] Economics and Tourism

The main economy of the island is agricultural, related to irrigation and fishing (the island's main production). Trading and private households depend on income from Cape Verdean residents from North America.

The airline service ended in 2004. Brava never had tourism. Tourism slowly boomed. The island is unsuitable for beach tourism because the steep shoreline allows few beaches.

[edit] Sites of interest

Vinagre (Portuguese for Vinegar)

[edit] Sporting teams

Main article: Brava Island League

[edit] External links

caboverde.com
University of Massachusetts - information and images from Brava
Photos of Brava
Map and aerial photos
- Street map: Street map from Mapquest, Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver or Google
- Satellite images: Google - image not yet available
Coordinates: 14°55′0″N, 23°31′0″W
In German:

Islands of Cape Verde
Island Groups
Barlavento \| Sotavento
Islands
Boa Vista \| Brava \| Fogo \| Maio \| Sal \| Santa Luzia \| Santiago \| Santo Antão \| São Nicolau \| São Vicente
Islets
Branco \| Ilhéu Laja Branca \| Ilhéu dos Passaros \| Ilhéu Rabo de Junco \| Razo \| Ilhéu de Sal-Rei \| Ilhéu Secos (Ilhéu de Cima \| Ilhéu Grande)