  Images: Cape Verde - Salt Island 6
Sal (Portuguese for "salt" -- from the mines at Pedra de Lume) is an island in the country of Cape Verde, and the munici-
pality of the same name. The island is 30 km long by 12 km wide. It belongs to the northern group of islands, called Barla-
vento and is one of the three sandy eastern islands (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio) of the archipelago, with beautiful white sandy
beaches and fairly flat, with the highest elevation of 406 m at Monte Grande. Serra Negra has a height of 92 m
Cape Verde is a group of ten islands off the west coast of Africa. Cape Verde has Caribbean weather conditions and is a
great all round holiday destination.
Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony until Cape Verde gained independence in July 5, 1975. As times have past the
government of Cape Verde has grown strong and Cape Verde is moving forward fast and as a country it is much more in
line with a European country.
Cape Verde's main industry is now tourism with some of the islands being developed with money coming in from overseas
developers and the Cape Verde government and people. Billions of pounds of going in to roads, airports, accommodation,
medical centres and hospitals and much more. There are currently two international airports with a third under construction,
these are the Amilcar Cabral International Airport on Sal and Francisco Mendes Airport on Santiago Island.
Due to the islands world position the islands have perfect conditions for many water sports including surfing, wind surfing,
kite surfing and holds many international surf events. There is also excellent diving locations on the islands with reef and
wonderful wrecks, the aqua life is also amazing with dolphins and whales which are great to see on a boat trip.
Languages of Cape Verde
Portuguese is Cape Verde's official language, and the language of instruction in official schools. However, the Cape
verdean Crioulo languages are also widely spoken. These are a range of Portuguese-based creole languages, which vary
considerably from island to island.
There is a substantial body of literature in these languages, especially in the Crioulo of Santiago (bádiu) and the Crioulo
of São Vicente (criol di de Soncente). The Crioulo languages have been gaining prestige since the nation's independence
from Portugal, and there is a movement to make the variant of Santiago the official language of the country.
However, the substantial differences between the languages spoken in different islands, each with its traditional spelling
system, has been a major obstacle in the way of this move. Some people have advocated the development of two official
languages: a North (Barlavento) standard, centred on the Crioulo of San Vicente, and a South (Sotavento) standard,
centred on that of Santiago.
When visiting Cape Verde it really is a great thing to speak Portuguese even if it is just a few phrases as it would enable
you to get by much easier. In time more and more Cape Verdeans will speak English and other languages.
Hello Olá
Hi Oi
Good morning Bom dia
Good day Bom dia
How are you Como estás
Thank you Obrigado
Please Por favor
Bye Adeus
Afternoon Tarde
Evening Noite
What is the time Que horas são
Water Agua
Restaurant Restaurante
Hotel Hotel
I hope you have learnt a little from our article and I hope Cape Verde is somewhere you would like to visit in the future or
maybe even invest in the islands. For more information please keep visiting the site and even chat and ask questions on
the forums. www.capeverdebreaks.com
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