Santo Antão

Santo Antão or Sontonton in the Crioulo is the second largest island of the Cape Verde Archipelago and is the westernmost and largest of the Barlavento islands of Cape Verde. There are some very high mountains which are a must for anyone visiting the Santo Antão. The highest mountain and point on Santo Antão is a volcano peak called Topo de Coroa and stands at 1979 metres tall. Santo Antão is entirely made up of volcanic rock and was discovered in 1462 by Diogo Afonso. Santo Antão’s  main town is Ribeira Grande which is situated on the north coast, which has an airport. There is also a ferry port which can be found in Porto Novo, on the south coast.

The land on Santo Antão is desert to the South, with the vegetation becoming very lush as you move to the North of Santo Antão. The main industries found on Santo Antão are fishing and paper manufacturing. The farming that takes place on Santo Antão are sugar cane, yams, cassava, bananas, mangoes, papaya and grain. Tourism is the fastest and most dominant industry on Santo Antão. Currently Santo Antão is the most touristic island in Cape Verde.