Praia
| Municipality of Praia | |
| Map | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Island: | Santiago |
| Seat: | Praia |
| Population: | 113,664
(
2001) Ranked 1st |
|
Elevation: Lowest: Centre: Highest: |
Atlantic Ocean about 5 m (Praia) Pico do Antónia |
| Location: | 14.91667/14°55' N
lat. 23.51667/23°31' W long. |
| Name of inhabitants: | Praiense m, pl |
| ISO 3166-2 code: | CV-SC |
| Website: | www.cmpraia.cv |
Praia ( Portuguese for " beach"), population 113,664 ( 2005), is the capital of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. Praia is also the largest city in Cape Verde after Mindelo and municipally Santa Catarina. It lies on Santiago island in the Sotavento archipelago. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation's two international airports. The city centre is known as Platô due to its location on a small plateau. Praia is located at 14°55' North, 23°31' West (14.91667, -23.51667). [1]
Praia is Cape Verde's largest city, and a commercial center and a port that ships coffee, sugar cane, and tropical fruits. Praia also has a fishing industry. There are resort beaches nearby.
A variant of Capeverdean Crioulo spoken in Praia is known as Crioulo de Santiago or Bádiu.
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 ( June 23, Census) | 61,644 | - | - |
| 2000 ( June 16, Census) | 94,757 | - | - |
| 2003 (Estimate) | 101,000 | - | - |
| 2005 ( January 1, Computing) | 113,664 | - | - |
Parishes
- Nossa Senhora da Graça
- Santíssimo Nome de Jesus
- São João Baptista
Settlements
- Cidade Velha, located 15 km west of downtown Praia
- Porto Gouveia
- Porto Mosquito
- Praia
- Santa Ana
Sporting teams
Basketball
- ABC - Serie A
- Sporting - Serie A
Football/soccer'
- Académica - Serie A
- Boavista - Serie A
- Praia Rural - Serie B
- Sporting Clube de Praia - Serie A
- Tchadense - Serie B
- CD Travadores - Serie A
Communications
- Praia FM
- Radio Praia or Radio Clube de Cabo Verde - Cape Verde's first radio station first operated in 1945 by Fernando Quejas
- RTC - national/state station of Cape Verde
- Capeverdean Television station
Sites of interest
Landmarks includes Albuquerque Square, the old city hall, the Presidential Palace, constructed in the end of the 19th century used to be housed for the Portuguese governor and Museu Etnográfico (Ethnographic Museum) and Monumento de Diogo Gomes, named after the Portuguese navigator who founded the island of Santiago 1460
Other
Praia has schools or collegiates (colegio), lyceums (middle schools), gymnasia (secondary schools), churches, beaches, ports, a university named after Jean Piaget, a post office and squares ( praças).