Espargos

Espargos is the seat town of the island municipality of Sal, Cape Verde and is also in the heart of the island. Espargos means "asparagus" and refers to the wild vegetable asparagus stalk with its bright yellow flowers which grows in sandy areas around the island. Espargos is connected with roads linking to Reguinho Fiúra to the north, Pedra de Lume to the east, Santa Maria to the south and Palmeira to the west. It is close to its airport, Aeroporto Internacional Amílcar Cabral (SID). There are also hotels, restaurants and others. The flat terrain named Terra Boa (good land in Portuguese) to the north, further northeast Morro Sal and further south, small hills and a plateau. The GDP until the 2000s were low-class and the living standards used to be low as well.

Nearest communities

*Preguiça, north
*Hortelão, northeast
*Murdeira, south

Historical population

It has a population of 8,000 habitants, until the 1990s.

History

In 1939 the Italian Government of Benito Mussolini was granted authorization by the Portuguese colonial government to begin construction on a transit airport to service its flights flying between Europe and South America. Very simple pre-fabricated installations were built. However, as a consequence of World War II the Italian involvement in the airport project ceased. In 1945 the Portuguese purchased the airport installation from the Italians and by 1949 the Ilha do Sal airport was a fully operational transit facility. The airport has been gradually improved ever since. Small houses were erected in several areas immediately adjacent to the airport. Workers from nearby Sao Nicolau named the civilian area "Preguiça" after the port village on their home island. Espargos is the town's official name. Today Espargos is the principal commercial and government center of Ilha do Sal. In 1990 the population was approximately 4000. [http://www.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/salhist.html Sal History]

Espargos has schools, a middle school, churches, banks and a few squares ("praças").