Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
226km²
Area
98km
Coastline
750m
Highest point
Monte Verde, Cape Verde
83,467
People
27°C
Warmest sea
September
814km
To the mainland
When to go to São Vicente
Best for the beach from May to August and in October.
The sea is warmest in September (27 °C) and coolest in February (22 °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.
Island of Cape Verde
São Vicente is an island in Cape Verde. It covers 226 km², with 98 km of coastline. Its highest point, Monte Verde, Cape Verde, rises to 750 m. About 83,467 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 814 km away.
Getting there
- Cesaria Evora International Airport (VXE)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- Ferries30 min. fastferry / 55 min. normal ferry (oneway)
- 814 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From May to August and Octoberbest 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 São Vicente.
- 21beachesPraia de Laginha, Baía das Gatas, Praia de São Pedro and 18 more
- 28viewpointsMiradouro and 27 more
- 4lighthousesFarol da D. Amélia and 3 more
- 2ferry terminalsMindelo Ferry Terminal
- 21named peaksMonte Verde, Monte Carrachiça, Tope de Caixa and 18 more
- 8volcanoesPico do Vento, Monte António Gomes, Curral de João and 5 more
- 1castles and fortsFortim D'El Rei
- 8ruins and archaeological sites
- 1dive centresDive Tribe
- 59hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 114restaurants, 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
São Vicente in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside São Vicente, each with its own numbers.
16beaches and covesCoastya
20mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
750m
Monte Verde, Cape Verde
prominence 750 m · according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
26.7°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
16 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia Grande26.5°C
- Praia da Galé26.7°C
- Praia da Matiota26.5°C
- Praia do Fenado26.5°C
- Praia de São Pedro26.7°C
- Praia de Salamansa26.5°C
- Praia do Norte26.5°C
- Praia do Jordão26.5°C
8 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
20 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Monte Verde, Cape Verdeprominence 750 m750m
- Caixa535m
- Monte Caraprominence 247 m489m
- Pico do Vento434m
- Monte António Gomes362m
- Monte Montona242m
- Viana163m
- Monte São João153m
12 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 120 m above the sea. 82 % of it is below 200 m.
- 30 %0–50 m
- 52 %50–200 m
- 17 %200–500 m
- 1 %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.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Mindelo69,013 people
- Ribeirinha8,205 people
- Chã de Alecrim5,875 people
- Fonte Inês5,630 people
- Bela Vista5,099 people
- Monte Sossego4,249 people
- Vila Nova/Lombo Tanque3,940 people
- Ribeira Bote3,347 people
- Fonte Francês3,331 people
- Madeiralzinho3,232 people
- Ribeira de Craquinha2,659 people
- Fonte Filipe2,524 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 |
| Night low (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Sea (°C) | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Rain (mm) | 41 | 37 | 19 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 28 | 46 | 27 | 37 | 50 |
| Wet days | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Sun h/day | 7.8 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
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 | −0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | +0.1 | +0.1 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.1 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.2 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.1 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.3 |
| 2024 | +1.1 | +1.7 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.8 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.3 | −0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | −0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Santo Antão
Cape Verde787 km²1,979 m33 km away
Santa LuziaCape Verde35 km²397 m26 km away
São NicolauCape Verde346 km²1,312 m79 km away
SalCape Verde215 km²405 m217 km away
FogoCape Verde472 km²2,829 m221 km away
BravaCape Verde63 km²976 m222 km away
Boa VistaCape Verde634 km²387 m245 km away
MaioCape Verde274 km²437 m264 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q112031) · 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.
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