Sal, Cape Verde

Sal, which means "salt" in Portuguese, is a beautiful island in Cape Verde. It is located in the central Atlantic Ocean, about 350 miles off the west coast of Africa. Sal is famous for its white sand beaches and sunny weather, with over 350 days of sunshine each year. It is one of the three sandy eastern islands of the Cape Verde archipelago.

Cape Verde is a special place for activities like kiteboarding. The island of Sal is also home to many Caretta turtles. These turtles come to lay their eggs on the beaches from July to September. The music of Cesaria Evora adds to the charm of Cape Verde, making it a wonderful place to visit and explore.

History

Sal was found on December 3, 1460. It was first called "Chã," which means "flat." The name changed to "Sal" when big salt ponds were found there. For many years, only a few people lived on the island. By 1720, a small fishing village existed near what is now Palmeira.

The salt business grew in the late 1700s, especially at Pedra de Lume. Santa Maria was started in 1830. Lots of salt was sent to Brazil until changes happened in the 1800s. In 1939, Italy began building an airport for flights from Europe and South America, but work stopped during World War II. The Portuguese finished the airport in 1949. In 2015, Hurricane Fred caused damage to homes, tourist spots, and ships on the island.

Geography

Sal is a beautiful island that is 29.7 km long and 11.8 km wide, with a total area of 219.84 km² (84.88 sq mi). It is one of the three sandy eastern islands in the Cape Verde archipelago, along with Boa Vista and Maio. The island has white sandy beaches and is mostly flat. Its highest point is Monte Grande at 406 meters above sea level. Near the west coast of Sal is a small, uninhabited islet called Ilhéu Rabo de Junco. You can also find saline marshes in the Pedra de Lume crater and north of Santa Maria.

Climate

Sal Island has sunshine on about 350 days each year. The winds usually come from the northeast. There are sometimes clouds, but they often scatter and rarely bring rain. The rainy season runs from July to mid-October, though rainfall is still quite low.

Sal mean sea temperature
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
23 °C (73 °F)	22 °C (72 °F)	22 °C (72 °F)	22 °C (72 °F)	23 °C (73 °F)	23 °C (73 °F)	24 °C (75 °F)	25 °C (77 °F)	26 °C (79 °F)	26 °C (79 °F)	25 °C (77 °F)	24 °C (75 °F)	24 °C (75 °F)

Municipality

Sal is an island in Cape Verde. It is one municipality called Concelho do Sal. This municipality has one area named Nossa Senhora das Dores. It includes the whole island. It became its own municipality in 1935, splitting from Boa Vista. First, Santa Maria was the main town, but later Espargos took over that role in the 1970s.

The area includes several places such as Espargos, Murdeira, Palmeira, Pedra de Lume, Santa Maria, and Terra Boa.

Politics

Since 2016, the Movement for Democracy has been in charge of the municipality. The most recent election results were also from 2016:

Party	Municipal Council		Municipal Assembly
Party	Votes%	Seats	Votes%	Seats
MpD	50.88	7	50.18	9
PAICV	43.58	0	41.14	7
UCID	2.82	0	5.83	1
PSD	0.34	0	0.38	0

Demographics

In 1832, about 400 people lived on the island of Sal. For many years, it was the smallest island in Cape Verde, with fewer than 3,000 people. But after 1960, more people began to live on Sal. By 2019, around 40,000 people lived there. This made Sal the third busiest island in Cape Verde, after Santiago and São Vicente. It is now bigger than Santo Antão and Fogo.

Population of Sal (1940—2015)
Year	Population
1940	1,121
1950	1,838
1960	2,608
1970	5,505
1980	5,826
1990	7,715
2000	14,792
2010	25,779
2015^: 36	33,747
2019	39,700

Economy

Sal's main town, Espargos, has one of the biggest airports in the country. Tourism, especially around Santa Maria, is now the main source of jobs on the island. Life on Sal is quite good compared to other parts of Cape Verde. In 2015, the island's GDP per person was 495,827 escudos (about 4,497 euro).

Infrastructure

Sal has Amílcar Cabral International Airport, the busiest airport in Cape Verde. The main port is at Palmeira. The main roads connect:

Santa Maria to Espargos (EN1-SL01)
Palmeira to Espargos (EN1-SL02)

Sports

Main article: Sports in Sal, Cape Verde

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport on the island of Sal. The island has its own football association and holds competitions in the Premier and Second Divisions. Some of the main football clubs include Académica do Sal, Académico do Aeroporto, Juventude, and SC Santa Maria. The main stadium, Estádio Marcelo Leitão, is southeast of Espargos's center, where all regional matches take place.

Basketball and volleyball are also popular and are played at Polidesportivo do Sal, with Académico do Sal being the best basketball team on the island. Futsal is another sport enjoyed there. In the southern part of the island and its waters, surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing have become popular in recent years.

Twin towns - Sister cities

Sal has special friendships with these places:

Notable residents

Sal has been home to many talented people. Some well-known residents include Maria Alice, a singer, and Carlos Andrade, a basketball player. There are also footballers from the island, like Rodirlei José Ascensão Duarte (known as Rody) and Elvis Évora (called Elvis). Other notable individuals include singers such as Ana Firmino and Hermínia da Cruz Fortes, musicians like Ildo Lobo and Mirri Lobo, and the current bishop of Mindelo, Ildo Augusto Dos Santos Lopes Fortes. The island has also produced athletes, politicians, and artists.