Why it's the capital
The first capital, Ribeira Grande, lay about 10 km to the west, but it suffered pirate attacks and went into decline. Praia was built on a plateau that was easier to defend, and it became the capital of Cape Verde in 1770.
Praia
Capital of Cape VerdePraia is on the southern coast of Santiago, the largest island of Cape Verde, an island country in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
Fun facts
- Praia means 'beach' in Portuguese. Around 1615 the village was known as Praia de Santa Maria.
- The historic centre is simply called the Plateau, because it sits on one, with streets laid out in a grid.
- Ribeira Grande, now called Cidade Velha, was founded in 1462 and was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Finding it on the globe
Cape Verde is a horseshoe of islands far west of Dakar in Senegal. Tap the south coast of Santiago, the biggest island in the southern group.
Sources: Wikipedia: Praia, Wikipedia: Cidade Velha, Wikipedia: Santiago, Cape Verde, Wikipedia: Sotavento Islands, Wikipedia: Cape Verde