Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha Cidadi
Cidade Velha.
Cidade Velha Location in Cape Verde
Coordinates: 14°55′00″N 23°36′15″W / 14.9166667°N 23.60417°W / 14.9166667; -23.60417Coordinates: 14°55′00″N 23°36′15″W / 14.9166667°N 23.60417°W / 14.9166667; -23.60417
Country	Cape Verde
Municipality	Ribeira Grande de Santiago (seat)
Population (1990)
- Total	2,148
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande
Type:	Cultural
Criteria:	ii, iii, vi
Designated:	2009 (33rd session)
Reference #:	1310
State Party:	Cape Verde
Region:	Africa

Cidade Velha (Portuguese for "old city"), or simply Cidadi in Cape Verdean Creole, is a city located 15 km from Praia (Cape Verde's capital) on the island of Santiago. It is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and used to serve as the capital of Cape Verde. Once called Ribeira Grande, its name was changed to Cidade Velha so to avoid confusion with another Ribeira Grande on another island. It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality. Located off of Africa's northwest coast, this city center was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, from a royal fortress to two towering churches to a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture.

History

Pillory, Cidade Velha

After the island was discovered, the city was named Ribeira Grande (Portuguese for large river) by António da Noli, in 1462. In 1466, the settlement became an important port for trading slaves from Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to Brazil and the Caribbean. Transcontinental slavery made Cidade Velha the second richest city in the Portuguese realm.

Cidade Velha's port was a stopping place for two great navigators: Vasco of Gamma, in 1497, on his way to India, and Christopher Columbus, in 1498, while on his third voyage to the Americas.

Cidade Velha has the oldest colonial church in the world, constructed in 1495.^{[citation needed]} The fort Real de São Filipe overlooks the town. It was constructed in 1590 to defend the Portuguese colony from the attacks of the Frenchmen and English. However, it was sacked by French pirates in 1712. The capital was moved to Praia in 1770.^[1]

The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.^[2]

Demography

According to 1990 data, Cidade Velha had 2,148 inhabitants.

Population of the city of Cidade Velha (1990–2005)[3]
1990	2000	2005
2148	—	—

Nearest communities

• Rui Vaz, northeast
• Praia, east

Sites of interest

• Pelourinho - Located in a square praça and has the history of slavery in Ribeira Grande dating back to 1513. It was first raised in 1520.
• Fort Real de São Filipe, constructed in 1590 was a fort which was built for attacking pirates and defending the Portuguese colony from French and the English. The elevation is at 120 m above sea level.

Gallery

• 

  Ruins of the old cathedral.

• 

  Ruins of the São Filipe fort.

References

1. ^ "Cidade Velha, Santiago, Cape Verde Islands". CapeVerdeWeb.com. http://www.capeverdeweb.com/cidade_velha.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-08. 
2. ^ "Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1310. Retrieved 8 July 2011. 
3. ^ Source: City Population, citing the Instituto Nacional de Estatísticas.