Cape Verderava Cape Verderava
Cape Verde Dorfrava 2 Cape Verde Dorfrava 2
Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde Nova Sintrarava Cape Verde
Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2 Faja Daguarava Cape Verde Islands 2
Cape Verdeaio Beach Cape Verdeaio Beach
Maio Cape Verde Fischer Maio Cape Verde Fischer
Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2 Tarrafal Sao Nicolau 2
Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands2
Sao Nicolau Landscape 2 Sao Nicolau Landscape 2
Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau Cape Verde Islands Sao Nicolau
Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2 Cape Verde Fogo Pico 2
Cape Verde View Onrava Cape Verde View Onrava
Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde Steep Coast Fogo Cape Verde
Sao Filipe Fogo Sao Filipe Fogo
Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde Sao Filipe Fogo Cape Verde
Pico Fogo Cape Verde 1 Pico Fogo Cape Verde
Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2 Lavab Beach Island Fogo 2
Fogo Caldeira Fogo Caldeira
Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands Coast Fogo Cape Verde Islands
Fogo Funku Pico Fogo Funku Pico
Santo Antao Cape Verde 1 Santo Antao Cape Verde
Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2 Santao Antao Fishermen Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul Cape Verde Santo Antao Paul2
Paul Santo Antao2 Paul Santo Antao2
Tarrafal Santo Antao4 Tarrafal Santo Antao4
Mountains Santo Antao 2 Mountains Santo Antao 2 1
Mountains Santo Antao2 Mountains Santo Antao2 1
Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde Sport Fishing Sao Vicente Cape Verde
Sao Vicente Sao Pedro Sao Vicente Sao Pedro
Baia Das Gatas 3 Baia Das Gatas 3
Norteaia 2 Norteaia 2
B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago B Beach Tarrafal Island Santiago
Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde Serraalagueta Santiago Cape Verde2
Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands Praia Santiago Cape Verde Islands
Island Boavista Chaves Beach Island Boavista Chaves Beach
Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista Chaves Beach Island Boa Vista
Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista 1 Dunes Cape Verde Islandsoavista
Islandoavista Desert Oase 2 Islandoavista Desert Oase 2
Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2 Dunesoa Vista Cape Verde Sonnenuntergang 2
Wreckoa Vista Wreckoa Vista
B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands B Beachoa Vista Cape Verde Islands
B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2 B Beach Djeu Cape Verde 2
B Beach Onoa Vista 2 B Beach Onoa Vista 2
B Beach Palmsoa Vista B Beach Palmsoa Vista
Saluracona Cape Verde 2 Saluracona Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Windsurfer 2 Cape Verde Windsurfer 2
Cape Verde Surfer 2 Cape Verde Surfer 2
Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2 Cape Verde Sal Santaria Beachoot 2
Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2 Cape Verde Sal Espargos 2
Salines Sal Cape Verde Salines Sal Cape Verde
Salines Cape Verde Salines Cape Verde
Sal Beach Areal View Sal Beach Areal View
Areal View Santaaria Sal Areal View Santaaria Salobile
Buracona Sal Cape Verde Buracona Sal Cape Verde
B Beach Santaaria Island Sal B Beach Santaaria Sal Island 1
Street Santaaria Cape Verde Street Santaaria Cape Verde
Santaaria Sal Beach 2 Santaaria Sal Beach 2
Insal Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach Island Sal Santaaria Hotels Beach2
Tamarinde Cape Verde Tamarinde Cape Verde
B Beach Welle Cape Verde B Beach Welle Cape Verde
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde Islands
Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2 Sonnenuntergang Cape Verde 2
Cape Verde Yacht Cape Verde Yacht
Cape Verde Beach Cape Verde Beach
Cape Verde Beach Schirme Cape Verde Beach Schirme
Cape Verde Steinformationen Cape Verde Steinformationen
Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde Gesteinsformationen Cape Verde
Fischerboote Cape Verde 2 Fischerboote Cape Verde 2
Duenen Sand Cape Verde Duenen Sand Cape Verde
Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands Abendstimmung Beach Cape Verde Islands
Arial View Santaaria Sal Arial View Santaaria Salobile
Monte Cara2 Monte Cara2

Geography

About the location and nature of the Cape Verde Islands

The Cape Verde Islands are located between 14 and 17° northern latitude and 22 and 25° western longitude in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the height of Senegal. The total area of the archipelago covers 4,033 square kilometres and includes ten larger islands, of which nine are inhabited, and five smaller uninhabited islands.

The islands are about 4500 kilometres away from England. They are arranged in a “U“ that opens towards the west, with Brava at its southernmost point. The farthest end of the island group in the north is Santo Antão. They extend a total of 300 kilometres from north to south and 250 kilometres from east to west. The predominating north-east passat wind on the archipelago divides Cape Verde into the group of islands that lies above the wind (Barlavento) with Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolao, Boa Vista, Sal, Santa Luzia, Branco and Razo, and the islands lying below the wind (Sotavento) with Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.

Geography Cape Verde Islands
Cape Verde in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

In terms of their geography, the islands belong to the Macaronesian group with Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Azores due to their similar vegetation. Macaronesia is translated as the “Islands of Bliss”.

About 135 million years ago, the islands rose out of the sea due to plate-tectonic shifts and volcanic eruptions. Through the various effects of wind and rain, the islands sometimes display a greatly contrasting surface structure. The eastern islands, which are distinguished by a flat relief, are differentiated from the mountainous western islands. While dry, flat desert landscapes and white sandy beaches predominate in the east with Sal, Boavista and Maio, rugged mountain ranges with green valleys and volcanoes can be found in the western archipelago with Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolao, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.
The coasts on the eastern islands are shallow as they slope into the sea, while the western islands have steep cliffs of up to 800 metres bordering on the ocean.
The islands’ highest elevation is the Pico de Fogo on the island of Fogo with a height of 2829 metres, which is still an active volcano that most recently erupted in 1995 and 2014.

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