| Várzea | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | |
 The Government Building in Praia | |
| Coordinates: Coordinates: 14°55′01″N23°30′52″W / 14.9170°N 23.5145°W | |
| Country | Cape Verde |
| Island | Santiago Island |
| City | Praia |
| Population (2010) | 4,834 |
| Postal code | 7600 |
| Website | www.cmpraia.cv |
Várzea is a subdivision of the city of Praia in the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Its population was 4,834 at the 2010 census. [1] It is situated west of the city centre. Adjacent neighbourhoods are Bairro Craveiro Lopes to the north, Platô to the east, Achada Santo António to the south and Terra Branca to the west.
Praia, is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation's four international airports. The city centre is known as Plateau due to its location on a small plateau.
Santiago is the largest island of Cape Verde, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. Part of the Sotavento Islands, it lies between the islands of Maio and Fogo. It was the first of the islands to be settled: the town of Ribeira Grande was founded in 1462. Santiago is home to the nation's capital city of Praia.
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).
There are several public buildings in Várzea, including the National Assembly, the National Library of Cape Verde, the National Auditorium and the Estádio da Várzea.
The National Library of Cape Verde is located in Praia, Cape Verde. The library was established in 1999. The library maintains the National Bibliography, contains the country's historical archives and the theses and dissertation bank and is a legal deposit. It also serves as the public library of Praia, the country's capital.
The National Auditorium is a public building on Av. Cidade de Lisboa in Praia, capital of Cape Verde, completed in 2015. It was constructed with state investment by China. It is on the west side of the National Library of Cape Verde.
Estádio da Várzea is a multi-purpose stadium in Praia, Cape Verde just west of the city center's plateau in the subdivision of Várzea and on Avenida Cidade de Lisboa on its east side. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,000 people. The stadium is owned by the city of Praia and is operated by the Santiago South Regional Football Association and serves its headquarters of the association. The other stadium operated by the association in the south of the island is Calabaceira. The entrance is on the west side of the stadium where most of the seat is. The stadium has seat rows in the left and right sides, 200 meters east is the Plateau of Praia. Its size is 108 by 69 m, the longest part of the field goes north to south with a 15 degree angle facing east at the top. Its elevation is about 4 meters above sea level. A smaller practice field lies due south. The stadium is home to the four best football clubs in Cape Verde, Sporting, CD Travadores, Académica and Boavista FC the Santiago Island first division alongside Vitória FC, one of the region's best, it also home of Desportivo da Praia which is a military club and the lesser club Benfica Praia. Other teams that base in another part include ADESBA located in the nearby neighborhood of Craveiro Lopes some hundreds of meters north but play in the stadium.
