Cape Verde 02 Apr 2007 08:52 am
Cape Verde Islands
The stunning Cape Verde islands are located off the west coast of Senegal (Africa), just one hour south of Spain’s Canary Islands.
In total, the archipelago consists of ten idyllic tropical islands, known for their spectacular mountain scenery and beautiful deserted beaches.
Cape Verde has a total land area of 1,557 square miles (4,033 square kilometres). Sao Tiago, the largest island, covers 383 square miles (991 square kilometers). Santo Antao is the second largest island, followed by Boa Vista, Fogo, Sao Nicolau, Maio, Sao Vicente, Sal, Brava, and Santa Luzia. Santa Luzia and the five islets are uninhabited.
The islands remain largely undiscovered and offer the perfect opportunity to cut yourself off from the stresses of modern day life.
Every year more and more people are choosing to escape the rat race by setting up home on these beautiful islands. With properties going at excellent rates and numerous English-speaking agents, buying a home here couldn’t be easier.
The Cape Verde islands are a nature lover’s paradise, with colourful rhododendrons, huge fire trees and corn plants growing beneath endless clear blue skies. In the surrounding waters, dolphins, whales and turtles swim with the coral in pristine turquoise harmony.
Most of the islands are quite hilly with lush green vegetation. The beaches are endless stretches of fine white sands and clean blue seas.
Each of the islands has its own distinct natural character… from the volcanic Sao Nicolau to the diving paradise of Boa Vista. Santiago is often described as lush green paradise compared to Sal, (the “salt island”) which is a lot sandier.
Never boring, the islands are full of life – full of “Capeverdean” charm. Check out São Vicente’s exuberant Carnival or the Baia das Gatas Festival, a more traditional affair, but guaranteed to keep you boogieing till well into the early hours.
The Cape Verde islands were first discovered by the ancient Phoenicians and later taken over by the Portuguese. Most of the indigenous people on the islands are descendants of African slaves. To this day, the islands remain rich in African, Mediterranean and Latin influence.
The official language of Cape Verde is Portuguese. But most Cape Verdeans speak the national language, Crioulo. Crioulo is a local dialect based on Portuguese and various African languages. Most Cape Verdeans are Roman Catholics.
Cape Verde has a warm, dry climate, with average annual temperatures that range from 68 °F (20 °C) to 77 °F (25 °C). It’s not too hot in summer or too cold in winter.
On some of the southern islands, like Fogo, it can get hot and sticky during the summer but in the northern islands summer temperatures can actually be cooler than in Europe.
Buying a property on the Cape Verde Islands
Although, still relatively untouched, the Cape Verde islands represent an excellent investment opportunity. Properties are still relatively cheap but are set to increase in value significantly as the islands become more popular.
Investors have just begun to realise the potential of these paradise islands. As the Canary Islands have become more and more saturated, they’ve starting looking further south. Now is one of the best times to buy.
How to get to the Cape Verde Islands
It takes about five and a half hours to fly here from the UK and about six hours from Ireland. At the moment you can fly directly from France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia. Direct flights from the UK and Ireland have recently been announced.
Real Estate Agents
- Horizon Property Group Blog
- Montana Roja Blog
- Aip Property Group Blog
- Homes of Cape Verde
- Cape Verde Island Property
- Cape Verde 4 Sale
- Xclusive Properties
- Redmountain Property Blog
- Cape Verde Resort Invest Blog