In the year 1462, the Portuguese settlers reached Santiago and named part it as Ribeira Grande, which was later renamed Cidade Velha. Ribeira Grande became the first permanent settlement city to be occupied by Europeans in the tropics. The Portuguese named the series of islands in Portuguese as Cabo Verde, from which the English name Cape Verde was derived. The original Portuguese name, Cabo Verde, was coined from Cap Vert, which is a rocky headland extending westwards from the core sandy regions of Senegal, and forms an excellent harbor.
Slave Trade Activity
Cape Verde prospered from slave trade during the sixteenth century. Dubbed the transatlantic slave trade, the activity was characterized by pirates who frequently attacked the Portuguese settlers. The Portuguese used the labor provided by slaves to grow indigo and cotton in the areas that were initially unoccupied. The most agriculturally productive areas were near river Gebi. The harvested cotton was exchanged for slaves captured from other areas on the African continent such as the Senegal mainland. In the transatlantic trade, the captured slaves were also sold to the Americas and Europe.
Capital City of Cape Verde
The Cape Verde islands were visited by the French who attacked the Portuguese in 1712. As a consequence of the French attack, the city of Ribeira Grande declined in terms of its importance with the growth of other cities such as Praia. Praia later became the capital city of Cape Verde in the year 1770.
The islands provided ideal areas for location of shipping lanes, which were commonly used to support re-supplying ships. As a result of the need for excellent transport facilities, Mindelo harbor, located in the island of Sao Vicente was converted into a key commercial centre in the wake of the 19th century.
The islands of Cape Verde such as Sao Tome and Principe had features that resembled the regions in West Indies rather than the neighboring African region because of the growing number of activities. The island communities were particularly sensitive to the balance between the human population and the resources available in the region since the amount of rainfall in the region was inadequate and they had to rely on other activities to support themselves. In addition, the agriculturally productive areas in the islands were occupied by white settlers.
Status Change
In the year 1951, Portugal changed the status of Cape Verde from a colony and named it as an overseas province. This move was initiated in a bid to deter the spread on nationalism that was steadily of the rise. In spite of the move, two Cape Verdeans known as Amilcar Cabral and Barbosa Rafael organized the formation of a clandestine party that was aimed at freeing Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde from the colonial master. The party demanded among other things, the improvement of the political, social and economic conditions in the two countries.
Sources:
Fage, J.D.; Clark, D. J.; A. D. Roberts, & R Oliver (1986).The Cambridge History of Africa: From 1905 to 1940. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Lobban R. A. (1998).Cape Verde: Crioulo Colony to Independent Nation. New York: Westview Press
Shillington, K (2005). Encyclopedia of African History. New York: CRC Press
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