Ribeira Grande, Cape Verde (municipality)

For other uses, see Ribeira Grande (disambiguation).

Ribeira Grande is a concelho (municipality) of Cape Verde. Situated in the northern part of the island of Santo Antão, it covers one fifth of the island area (166.5 km²), and is home to nearly half of its population (18,890 at the 2010 census).^[2] Its seat is the city Ponta do Sol.

Ribeira Grande
Municipality
Municipal hall of Ribeira Grande in Ponta do Sol
Coordinates: 17.15°N 25.11°W / 17.15; -25.11
Country	Cape Verde
Island	Santo Antão
Seat	Ponta do Sol
Area
• Total	166.5 km2 (64.3 sq mi)
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	18,890
• Density	110/km2 (290/sq mi)
ID	11
Website	Official website

Subdivisions

The municipality consists of four freguesias (civil parishes):

• Nossa Senhora do Rosário
• Nossa Senhora do Livramento
• Santo Crucifixo
• São Pedro Apóstolo

Demography

Population of Ribeira Grande (1940—2010)

Year	Population
1940[3]	19,766
1950[3]	15,444
1960[3]	17,246
1970[3]	22,873
1980[3]	22,102
1990[3]	20,851
2000[3]	21,560
2010[2]	18,890

Geography

The municipality has a rugged landscape, stretching from the mountains in the interior of the island to the north coast. It has several deep river valleys, including those of Ribeira da Garça, Ribeira Grande and Ribeira da Torre. It borders the municipality Paul to the east and Porto Novo to the south. The protected areas Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park, Moroços and Cruzinha lie (partly) within the municipality..

History

In 1732 the Municipality of Santo Antão was created, with its seat in the town Ribeira Grande.^[4] In 1867 this was divided into the municipality of Paul (covering the area of current Paul and Porto Novo) and the municipality of Ribeira Grande. These were merged in 1895 into one municipality. The municipalities of Paul and Ribeira Grande were recreated in 1917.^[5]

Politics

Since 2008, the Movement for Democracy (MpD) is the ruling party of the municipality. Its current president is Orlando Delgado (MpD). The results of the latest elections, in 2016:^[6]

Party	Municipal Council		Municipal Assembly
	Votes%	Seats	Votes%	Seats
MpD	61.77	7	60.62	12
PAICV	24.77	0	24.81	4
UCID	8.51	0	9.64	1

Persons

• António do Espírito Santo Fonseca, president of the National Assembly from 1996 to 2001
• Gabriel Mariano, Capeverdean essayist, novelist & poet
• Manuel de Novas, Capeverdean poet

Twin towns

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Cape Verde

• Torres Novas, Portugal
• Ponta do Sol, Madeira Islands

References

1. "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
2. 2010 Census Summary
3. Source: Statoids
4. Evolução histórica do concelho do Porto Novo, Andreza Costa Dias, 2006, p. 12
5. Inventário dos recursos turísticos do município do Paúl, Direcção Geral do Turismo, p. 16
6. Official results local elections 2016, Boletim Oficial I Série, Número 53, 23 September 2016

External links

• Official website (in Portuguese)
• ANMCV (Associação Nacional dos Municípios Cabo-Verdianos - National Association of the Capeverdean Municipalities)

Other articles

• Interview with the president of the Municipal Council of Ribeira Grande Orlando Delgado - Olhos de Zepra (in Portuguese)