Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
62.7km²
Area
54km
Coastline
976m
Highest point
Monte Fontainhas
5,638
People
28°C
Warmest sea
October
769km
To the mainland
When to go to Brava
Best for the beach in January and from April to July.
The sea is warmest in October (28 °C) and coolest in February (23 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Smallest inhabited island of Cape Verde
Brava is an island in Cape Verde. It covers 62.7 km², with 54 km of coastline. Its highest point, Monte Fontainhas, rises to 976 m. About 5,638 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 769 km away.
Getting there
- Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 131 km in a straight line
- FerriesBrava - Praia
- 769 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- January and from April to Julybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Brava.
- 4beaches
- 7viewpointsMiradouro Santa Maria, Miradouro Mato Grande, Miradouro de Cutelo Mentira and 4 more
- 2lighthouses
- 1ferry terminals
- 4named peaksTina, Monte Gambia, Chão Formoso and 1 more
- 7volcanoesFontainhas, Monte Miranda, Monte da Ponta Verde and 4 more
- 1waterfalls
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesFarol Ponta Jalunga Lighthouse
- 7waymarked walking routes
- 14hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 8restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Brava in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Brava, each with its own numbers.
6beaches and covesCoastya
2mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
976m
Monte Fontainhas
prominence 976 m · according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
27.5°C
Praia de Aguada
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
6 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia de Aguada27.5°C
- Praia de Rei Fernanado27.5°C
- Cajau de Morro27.5°C
- Praia de Moreia27.5°C
- Escora de Ancião27.5°C
- Porto da Furnacove27.5°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 397 m above the sea. 25 % of it is below 200 m.
- 6 %0–50 m
- 19 %50–200 m
- 39 %200–500 m
- 36 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Nova Sintra2,225 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| Sea (°C) | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 20 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 52 | 86 | 49 | 46 | 36 |
| Wet days | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Sun h/day | 7.9 | 8.3 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 25 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.8 | +0.6 | −0.2 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.8 | +1.3 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.8 | +1.3 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +1.5 | +1.9 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | −0.5 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.3 | −0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Fogo
Cape Verde472 km²2,829 m39 km away
MaioCape Verde274 km²437 m171 km away
São NicolauCape Verde346 km²1,312 m200 km away
São VicenteCape Verde226 km²750 m222 km away
Santa LuziaCape Verde35 km²397 m211 km away
Boa VistaCape Verde634 km²387 m245 km away
Santo AntãoCape Verde787 km²1,979 m250 km away
SalCape Verde215 km²405 m281 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q492528) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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