concelho
Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal ...
'' (municipality) of
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
. It is situated in the southwestern part of the island of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
. Its seat is the city
Cidade Velha
Cidade Velha (, Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a city2010 Census Summary /ref>
Subdivisions
The municipality consists of two ''
freguesias
(), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Portuguese overs ...
'' (civil parishes):
*
Santíssimo Nome de Jesus
Santíssimo Nome de Jesus is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) of Cape Verde. It covers the eastern part of the municipality of Ribeira Grande de Santiago, on the island of Santiago.
Settlements
The ''freguesia'' consists of the following settlement ...
The municipal territory is mountainous. One of the main streams of the area is
Ribeira Grande de Santiago
Ribeira Grande de Santiago is a ''Administrative divisions of Cape Verde, concelho'' (municipality) of Cape Verde. It is situated in the southwestern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, Santiago. Its seat is the city Cidade Velha. Its popu ...
.
History
The municipality was created in 2005, when two parishes of the older Municipality of Praia were separated to become the Municipality of Ribeira Grande de Santiago.Lei nº 63/VI/2005 p. 25
The old city of Ribeira Grande de Santiago (
Cidade Velha
Cidade Velha (, Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a cityEurope
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an settlements in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
. It was an important port for the slave trade from West Africa to the
Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
. The town has numerous protected significant buildings and ruins. The city is listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
At the federal level, it belongs to the constituency of Santiago South. Since 2008, the Movement for Democracy (MpD) is the ruling party of the municipality. The results of the latest elections, in 2016:Official results local elections 2016 ''Boletim Oficial I Série, Número 53'', 23 September 2016