Povoação Velha

For the town in the Azores, see Povoação.

Povoação Velha is a village in the southwestern part of the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde.^[2][3] The village is around 16 km south of the island capital Sal Rei.

Povoação Velha
Settlement
Povoação Velha
Coordinates: 16.038°N 22.917°W / 16.038; -22.917
Country	Cape Verde
Island	Boa Vista
Municipality	Boa Vista
Civil parish	Santa Isabel
Elevation	62 m (203 ft)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	309
Postal code	5111
ID	51203

Geography

Praceta de Santo António, in Povoação Velha.

Povoação Velha is situated at the foot of the 357 m high Rocha Estância.^[4] To its south is Ribeira Baixa which flows south to the Atlantic. The sandy beach Praia de Santa Mónica lies near the mouth of Ribeira Baixa. Landmarks include the Chapel of Santo António (Saint Anthony) built in 1800,^[5] the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição built in 1828^[6] and Praceta de Santo António in the center. There is a health center in the village^[7] and a youth center.^[8]

History

The community is the oldest settlement in the island (hence the name, which means "old settlement"), dating back to the late 16th century. Until 1810, it was the island capital.^[2] The 2010 census recorded 309 inhabitants. Hurricane Fred struck Boa Vista island in 2015, damaging 50 houses.^[9][10]

Gallery

• 
  Povoação Velha welcome sign
• 
  Nossa Senhora da Conceição church
• 
  View of the village

See also

• List of villages and settlements in Cape Verde

References

1. "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
2. Patrimonio cultural, Municipality of Boa Vista
3. Boa Vista Island at SDTIBM (in Portuguese)
4. Protected areas in the island of Boa Vista - Municipality of Boa Vista, March 2013 (in Portuguese)
5. Arquipélagos Archived 2017-02-03 at the Wayback Machine arquipelagos.pt, accessed on 3 February 2017
6. Cape Verde: Island of Boa Vista at capeverde.com
7. Ministério da Saúde de Cabo Verde, Relatório Estatístico, 2005, Cape Verdean Ministry of Health, 2006, accessed on 2 February 2017
8. "«Boa Vista: CEJ da Povoação Velha reabriu este fim de semana - Primeiro diário caboverdiano em linha". A Semana (in Portuguese). 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
9. Fonseca, Sanny (2015-09-04). "Boa Vista: Hurricane Fred damaged around 50 houses in Povoação Velha". A Semana. Archived from the original on 2015-11-07. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
10. "Boa Vista: Recuperação de habitações de povoações velha danificadas pelo furacão Fred orçada em 3 mil contos" (Video) (in Portuguese). Praia, Cape Verde: Radiotelevisão Caboverdiana. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-09-23.