Tarrafal, Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
Tarrafal is a municipality
located in the northern part of the island
of Santiago
in Sotavento in Cape Verde
. The municipal population is around 18000, the area is 112.4 km² and the density is about 160/km². Tarrafal is located 75 km NNW of Cape Verde's capital, Praia
.
Farmland surrounds the main town to the north and east and in the southern valley
areas. The Serra da Malagueta
mountain range lies to the south. Grassland
and bushes
covers most of the area, with a couple of forests in the mountain heights.
Under Salazar
the Tarrafal Concentration Camp
was built on the plain south of town (Chão Bom) to contain opponents of the political regime.
. The urban
population is concentrated in the town of Tarrafal
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the northern part of the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Santiago
Santiago, Cape Verde
Santiago , or Santiagu in Cape Verdean Creole, is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. At the time of Darwin's voyage it was called St. Jago....
in Sotavento in Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. The municipal population is around 18000, the area is 112.4 km² and the density is about 160/km². Tarrafal is located 75 km NNW of Cape Verde's capital, Praia
Praia
Praia , is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports...
.
Farmland surrounds the main town to the north and east and in the southern valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
areas. The Serra da Malagueta
Serra da Malagueta
Serra da Malagueta is a mountain range located in the northern portion of the island of Santiago.Much of the mountains are grassy and rocky but they contain some forests in the area as well as grasslands to the west, the south and the east.-Panorama:...
mountain range lies to the south. Grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and bushes
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
covers most of the area, with a couple of forests in the mountain heights.
Under Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
the Tarrafal Concentration Camp
Tarrafal camp
Tarrafal was a prison camp in Cape Verde, then a Portuguese colony, set up by the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War , where opponents of his right-wing authoritarian regime were sent...
was built on the plain south of town (Chão Bom) to contain opponents of the political regime.
Settlements
Every year Tarrafal invites everyone to celebrate the festival name ( Festa de Santo Amaro). The date is Janeiro 15.History
It was created in the beginning of the 20th century, when two northern parishes of the older Municipality of Santa Catarina were split off to become the Municipality of Tarrafal. In 1991, a southeastern parish of the Municipality was split off to become the Municipality of São Miguel.Sights
Tarrafal has various sights to offer. There are an interessting town hall, a market hall and a comparatively large church, Saint Amaro Abade, in the market place.Demography
Most of the population is ruralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
. The urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
population is concentrated in the town of Tarrafal
Tarrafal, Cape Verde
Tarrafal is a municipality located in the northern part of the island of Santiago in Sotavento in Cape Verde. The municipal population is around 18000, the area is 112.4 km² and the density is about 160/km². Tarrafal is located 75 km NNW of Cape Verde's capital, Praia.Farmland surrounds...
.
| Population of Tarrafal, Cape Verde (municipality) (1940—2010) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
| 18840 | 13222 | 19140 | 26251 | 24202 | 11626 | 17792 | 23786 |
| North: Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area... |
||
| West: Atlantic Ocean | Tarrafal | East: Atlantic Ocean |
| South: Santa Catarina Santa Catarina, Cape Verde Santa Catarina is a municipality located in the northwestern and the western parts of the island of Santiago in Sotavento in Cape Verde. The municipal population is around 49,829, the area is 243 km² and the density is about 205/km². The seat of the municipality is Assomada... |
Southeast: São Miguel São Miguel, Cape Verde São Miguel is a municipality located in the northeastern part of the island of Santiago in Sotavento in southcentral Cape Verde. The municipal population is around 16,104, the area is 91 km² and the density is about 176/km²... |