| Ribeira do Paul | |
|---|---|
 Ribeira and Vale do Paul near Eito | |
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | near Cabo da Ribeira, Santo Antão |
| River mouth | |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - coordinates | 17°09′00″N25°00′50″W / 17.1500°N 25.0138°W Coordinates: 17°09′00″N25°00′50″W / 17.1500°N 25.0138°W |
Ribeira do Paul is a seasonal stream that flows in the northeastern part of the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. The stream flows from southwest to northeast. The upper part of the valley belongs to Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park. [1]
Santo Antão is the westernmost island of Cape Verde. At 779 km2 (301 sq mi), it is the largest of the Barlavento Islands group, and the second largest island of Cape Verde. The nearest island is São Vicente to the southeast, separated by the sea channel Canal de São Vicente. Its population was 40,547 in 2015, making it the third most populous island of Cape Verde after Santiago and São Vicente. Its largest city is Porto Novo on the south coast.
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country spanning an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Savage Isles. In ancient times these islands were referred to as "the Islands of the Blessed" or the "Fortunate Isles". Located 570 kilometres (350 mi) west of the Cape Verde Peninsula off the coast of Northwest Africa, the islands cover a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).
Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park, in the east of the island of Santo Antão, is one of ten "natural parks" in the country of Cape Verde. Its area is 20.92 km2 (8.08 sq mi), of which 8.91 km2 (3.44 sq mi) in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, 8.85 km2 (3.42 sq mi) in the municipality of Paul and 3.16 km2 (1.22 sq mi) in the municipality of Porto Novo. Since 2016, the natural park is on the tentative list of World Heritage sites.
The sources of the stream Ribeira do Paul are northeast of the Cova crater, near the settlement Cabo da Ribeira. It flows through a narrow and steep gorge, along the settlements Campo de Cão and Eito, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the town of Pombas. There is small-scale agriculture in the valley, producing sugar cane, coffee, yam, banana, papaya and mango. [2]
Cova is a volcanic caldera in the eastcentral part of the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde. It is situated at the southwestern end of the municipality of Paul. Its lowest point is 1,166 meters, and the highest point of the crater rim is about 1,500 m. The diameter of the caldera is about 1.0 km. It forms a part of Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park. The Cova formation dates from between 1.4 million and 700,000 years ago.
Cabo da Ribeira is a settlement in the eastern part of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde. In 2010 its population was 912. It is situated at about 500 m elevation in the upper valley of the Ribeira do Paul, 5 km southwest of Pombas. It is part of the municipality of Paul, and lies in the Cova-Paul-Ribeira da Torre Natural Park.
Eito is a village in the northeastern part of the island of Santo Antão, Cape Verde, part of the municipality of Paul. It is situated 1 km southwest of Pombas, 2 km northeast of Figueiral and 15 km northeast of the island capital Porto Novo. Its population was 979 in 2010.
