Brava
Brava is located in Cape Verde
Brava
Brava
Geography
LocationAtlantic Ocean
Coordinates14°52′N 24°42′W / 14.867°N 24.700°W / 14.867; -24.700
Area62.51 km2 (24.14 sq mi)
Length10.5 km (6.52 mi)
Width9.3 km (5.78 mi)
Highest elevation976 m (3202 ft)
Highest pointMonte Fontainhas
Administration
MunicipalityBrava
Largest settlementNova Sintra
Demographics
Population5,698 (2015)
Pop. density91.2/km2 (236.2/sq mi)

Brava is an island in Cape Verde. It is in the Sotavento group. It is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago.

For more than a century, its main industry was whaling. Now it is primarily agricultural.

History

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Brava was discovered in 1462 by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Afonso.[1] Around 1620 the population of Brava started with the arrival of settlers from Madeira and the Azores.[2]

Geography

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Monte Fontainhas is the highest point on the island, reaching 976 metres elevation.[3]

Municipality

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Administratively, the island of Brava is covered by one municipality. There are 2 civil parishes: São João Baptista and Nossa Senhora do Monte. The municipal seat is the city Nova Sintra.

References

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  1. Valor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia, Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008, p. 97
  2. Centre historique de Nova Sintra, UNESCO (in French)
  3. Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015, Instituto Nacional de Estatística