The ecoregion covers an area of 3,645km2, and covers the archipelago's entire land area.
The archipelago consists of ten islands and five islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento) groups. The six islands in the Barlavento group are Santo Antão (779km2), São Vicente (227km2), Santa Luzia (34km2), São Nicolau (379km2), Sal (216km2), and Boa Vista (620km2). The four islands in the Sotavento group are Maio (269km2), Santiago (991km2), Fogo (476km2), and Brava (66km2). All but Santa Luzia are inhabited. Santiago is the largest island, and is home to half the country's population and its capital, Praia.
The archipelago is volcanic in origin. Several of the islands are mountainous, and summits over 1000 meters elevation are found on Fogo (Pico do Fogo, 2,829 m), Santo Antão (Tope de Coroa, 1,979 m), Santiago (Pico de Antónia, 1,392 m), and São Nicolau (Monte Gordo, 1,312 m). Three islands – Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio – are low and dry, and lack reliable water supplies.
The Cape Verde islands are part of Macaronesia, a group of archipelagoes in the Atlantic Ocean which share similarities in climate and ecology.
Climate
The Cape Verde Islands have a tropical climate. Most rainfall is during the warm August and November wet season. The dry season extends from December to July.[2]
The islands' original flora is not well understood, but likely included savanna or steppe at lower elevations, with semi-desert plants on the lower and drier portions of the archipelago. The higher islands with more precipitation may have supported dry monsoon woodlands or forests. The more humid areas of the islands have been converted to agriculture, and native woodland vegetation persists in isolated enclaves on steep slopes.[3]
There are 750 species of vascular plants on the islands. The majority have been introduced since the islands were settled. 33 pteridophyte species and 240 flowering plants are thought to be native. There are many endemic species among the natives, including the fern Dryopteris gorgonea and 85 flowering plant species from 42 genera, including the endemic genus Tornabenea.
After Portuguese colonization in the 15th century, the clearing of land for agriculture and grazing by goats reduced and degraded the native vegetation and tree cover, which caused extensive soil erosion. Portuguese colonial authorities began to establish forest plantations in the early 20th century to reduce soil erosion and restore watersheds. Between 1928 and 1975, 30km2 were afforested with non-native pines, cypresses, and eucalyptus, mostly on Santo Antão, Fogo, and São Nicolau. The oldest plantations in the highlands of Santo Antão and São Vicente have now grown into dense forests. Tree planting continued after independence in 1975, and recent afforestation projects have focused on the drier areas of Santiago, Maio, and Brava islands. The species used in these areas include Prosopis juliflora, Acacia spp., and Ziziphus mauritiana, which are adapted to the drier conditions.[5] In 2013, it was estimated that 97km2 of the islands were covered in forest, 22km2 in woodland, and 225km2 in tree plantations.[6]
The Cape Verde Islands are home to five endemic bird species. The Iago sparrow (Passer iagoensis) and Cape Verde swift (Apus alexandri) are found on most of the islands. The endangered Raso lark (Alauda razae) is limited to uninhabited Raso Island, and the Cape Verde warbler (Acrocephalus brevipennis) is found only on Santiago Island. The Cape Verde buzzard (Buteo bannermanni) is also endemic to the islands. Bourne's heron or Cape Verde heron (Ardea purpurea bournei) is an endangered subspecies of heron endemic to the islands, with 40 birds living on Santiago Island.
The islands are an important nesting area for seabirds. Two species breed only in the Cape Verde Islands. The Cape Verde shearwater (Calonectris edwardsii) breeds in February and March, principally on the islands of Brava, Branco and Raso in February and March Fea's petrel (Pterodroma feae) breeds on Fogo, Santo Antão, São Nicolau and Santiago in the spring and autumn. The islands are also important breeding areas for the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), and for a subspecies of red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus mesonauta ).
Prior to colonization, the only mammals on the islands were bats. Several species have since been introduced to the islands, including sheep, goats, and cattle, green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus), slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), black rat (Rattus rattus) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus).[7]
There are 22 native species of lizards on the Cape Verde Islands, all of which are endemic – three geckos in genus Hemidactylus, 12 wall geckos of genus Tarentola, and seven skinks in genus Chioninia. There are three non-native reptiles living on the island.[8] Endemic species include the Cape Verde giant skink (Chioninia coctei) on Raso and Branco islands, and the Giant wall gecko (Tarentola gigas) found on São Nicolau, Raso and Branco islands.
Cape Verde is a group of arid Atlantic islands which are home to distinct communities of plants, birds, and reptiles. The islands constitute the unique Cape Verde Islands dry forests ecoregion, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Ribeira, Portuguese and Galician for stream or riverside, may refer to the following places:
Santa Luzia is an island of the Barlavento archipelago in Cape Verde located between São Nicolau and São Vicente, the channel of Santa Luzia separates the island of São Vicente and is 8 km wide. The area is 34.2 km². Like all Cape Verdean islands, it is of volcanic origin. The highest point is Topona. Santa Luzia is 12.4 km long and 5.3 km wide.
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.
The Cape Verdean Football Federation is the governing body of football in Cape Verde. It was founded in 1982, affiliated to FIFA in 1986 and to CAF in 2000. It organizes the national football league and the national team.
The wildlife of Cape Verde is found across its archipelago of ten islands and three islets, albeit in smaller numbers of species than mainland Africa. Each volcanic island within the archipelago is unique, and each of them have parks under their jurisdiction, by decree promulgated by the Cape Verde government. Located just off the west coast of Africa, the total land area of the island nation is 4,564 square kilometres (1,762 sq mi). With the exception of bats, there are no truly endemic species of mammal on Cabo Verde; historically, the archipelago was only accessible to creatures with the ability to fly or swim, or to be brought by humans. The islands were first explored in 1456, but not actually settled until 1462; humans brought their livestock with them, including donkeys, pigs, cattle and goats—many of the latter are now so wild, they resemble mainland ibex, and are considered endemic “by default”. In the centuries since settlement began, more mainland species would make their way with waves of settlers. There are no snakes present on the archipelago, which has allowed for the proliferation of many other species of other herpetiles, such as geckos, frogs and lizards. The main predators of these reptiles and amphibians would be the various birds of prey and raptors present, including the Egyptian vulture, Eurasian buzzard, kestrel, osprey, peregrine falcon, and the rare Cape Verde kite. This kite species is currently threatened by extinction but may yet be observed on Boa Vista and Maio.
Cape Verde is an archipelago, and its islands are historically divided into two groups, or regions:
The 2003 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 24th of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. Its started on 17 May and finished on 2 August. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. No club participated in the 2004 CAF Champions League or the 2004 CAF Winner's Cup.
In the 2009–10 season of competitive football (soccer) in Cape Verde: The 3rd Cape Verdean Cup took place that year.
The Flora of Cape Verde includes the flowers and plants of Cape Verde, mostly native to the islands. There are about 240 species of plants.
The 2017–18 season is the season of competitive football (soccer) in Cape Verde.
Tolpis farinulosa is a species of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. The species is endemic to Cape Verde. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Its local name is mato-branco, a name that may also refer to the species Phagnalon melanoleucum and Verbascum cystolithicum.
The 2012 Cape Verdean Cup season was the 5th competition of the regional football cup in Cape Verde. The season started on 11 August and finished with the cup final on 24 August. The cup competition was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. Maio's Onze Unidos won their only title.
Sideroxylon marginatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, where it is a mesophytic species whose habitat is now limited to steep escarpments and inaccessible places. It is threatened by continued habitat loss.
References
↑ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
↑ Duarte, Maria & Romeiras, Maria. (2009). "Cape Verde Islands". in Encyclopedia of Islands University of California Press, USA, 2009. pp.501-512.
↑ "Land Use, Land Cover, and Trends in Cabo Verde". West Africa: Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics. U.S. Aid and USGS. Accessed 7 May 2020.
↑ Tappan, G. G., Cushing, W.M., Cotillon, S.E., Mathis, M.L., Hutchinson, J.A., Herrmann, S.M., and Dalsted, K.J., 2016, West Africa Land Use Land Cover Time Series: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F73N21JF
↑ Duarte, Maria & Romeiras, Maria. (2009). "Cape Verde Islands". in Encyclopedia of Islands University of California Press, USA, 2009. pp.501-512.
↑ Vasconcelos, R., Brito, J., Carranza, S., & Harris, D. (2013). Review of the distribution and conservation status of the terrestrial reptiles of the Cape Verde Islands. Oryx, 47(1), 77-87. doi:10.1017/S0030605311001438
↑ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
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