Santa Cruz is a ''
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 a ...
'' (municipality) of
Cape Verde
, national_anthem = ()
, official_languages = Portuguese
, national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole
, capital = Praia
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, demonym ...
. It is situated in the eastern part of the island of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
. Its seat is the city
. Its population was 26,617 at the 2010 census, and its area is 112.2 km
2.
[2010 Census Summary]
/ref>
Economy
Its economy is based in agriculture, in which rural population produces agricultural commodities for export to larger markets in Praia
Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde. , and Fogo. Small market centers exist in São Lourenço dos Órgãos
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
and , which act primary as commodity exchanges where subsistence farmers exchange goods as available with merchants who transport and sell goods in larger markets. The primary agricultural productions include fodder
Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...
(usually in the form of maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
stalks), banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s, papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
s and coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...
s. Prior to 1981 the area also produced a substantial percentage of the island's maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
, but the arrival of large-scale international food aid
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
Ai ...
, while vastly improving the region’s food security, made producing foodstuffs unprofitable. Maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
and legumes
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...
are still the region's primary agricultural product, though 97% is consumed by the families that produce it. The mixture of nitrogen fixing
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the Atmosphere of Earth, air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but al ...
and nitrogen consuming crops reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, allowing small farmers to remain solvent despite little cash income.
The dry-season economy is directed primarily by agricultural cooperatives, which assign stonemasonry, carpentry and other construction tasks through contracts awarded by the local governments. The president of the cooperative acts as a de facto village headman in areas where there are no government representative.
The soil in the region is very fertile (being especially rich in iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
and potash
Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. ), though water is scarce in all parts of the municipality.
Subdivisions
The municipality consists of one ''freguesia
''Freguesia'' (), 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 Port ...
'' (civil parish), Santiago Maior. The ''freguesia'' is subdivided into the following settlements:
* Achada Belbel (pop: 767)
*Achada Fazenda
Achada Fazenda is a settlement in the eastern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. In 2010 its population was 2,592. It is situated near the east coast, 2 km southeast of Pedra Badejo
Pedra Badejo is a city (pop: 2,592)
*Achada Igreja
Achada is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality Nordeste on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 436, in an area of 11.89 km.
History
The area known as ''Achada'', once referred to as ''Achada ...
(pop: 142)
*Achada Lage
Achada is a ''freguesia'' ("civil parish") in the municipality Nordeste on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 436, in an area of 11.89 km.
History
The area known as ''Achada'', once referred to as ''Achada ...
(pop: 686)
*Achada Ponta
Achada Ponta is a settlement in the eastern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. It is part of the municipality Santa Cruz. It is located near the east coast, 2 km southeast of Achada Fazenda and 5 kilometers southeast of Pedra Badejo
Pedr ...
(pop: 403)
* Boaventura (pop: 424)
* Boca Larga (pop: 186)
*Cancelo
Cancelo is a settlement in the eastern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. It is part of the municipality Santa Cruz. It is situated near the east coast, 4 km northwest of Pedra Badejo and 5 km southeast of Calheta de São Migue ...
(pop: 2,042)
* Chã da Silva (pop: 1,152)
* Librão (pop: 297)
* Matinho (pop: 737)
* Monte Negro (pop: 562)
* (pop: 9,859, city)[Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015]
Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33
* Porto Madeira (pop: 400)
* Rebelo (pop: 153)
* Renque Purga (pop: 904)
* Ribeira Seca (pop: 720)
* Ribeirão Almaço (pop: 158)
* Ribeirão Boi (pop: 388)
* Rocha Lama (pop: 724)
* Saltos Abaixo (pop: 535)
* Santa Cruz (pop: 2,019)
* São Cristovão (pop: 442)
* Serelho (pop: 293)
History
The municipality was created in 1971, when two parishes of the older Municipality of Praia were separated to become the Municipality of Santa Cruz. In 2005, a southern parish of the municipality was split off to become the Municipality of São Lourenço dos Órgãos.
Demography
Politics
At the federal level, it belongs to the constituency of Santiago North. Since 2004, the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde
The African Party of Independence of Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano da Independência de Cabo Verde, PAICV) is a democratic socialist political party in Cape Verde. It was formerly a Marxist–Leninist communist party and the sole legal par ...
(PAICV) 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
Notable people
* Elida Almeida, singer
* Nilson António, footballer
*Djaniny
Jorge Djaniny Tavares Semedo (born 21 March 1991), known as Djaniny, is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays for Turkish club Trabzonspor as a forward.
Club career União Leiria
Born in Santa Cruz, Djaniny arrived in Portugal at t ...
, footballer
* Lito, footballer and manager
* Tino Santos, footballer
Sister city
The municipality of Santa Cruz is twinned with:
* Alandroal
Alandroal () is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Évora located on the eastern frontier with Spain along the right margin of the Guadiana River in the Central Alentejo region. It is located above sea level, northeast of Évora and sou ...
[
* ]Candiolo
Candiolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Nort ...
Storia e Gemellaggi
Candiolo
* Lagoa[
* ]Sines
Sines () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The municipality, divided into two parishes, has around 14,214 inhabitants (2021) in an area of . Sines holds an important oil refinery and several petrochemical industries. It is also a popular ...
[
]
References
External links
Câmara Municipal de Santa CruzANMCV (Associação Nacional dos Municípios Cabo-Verdianos - National Association of the Capeverdean Municipalities)
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Cape Verde
Geography of Santiago, Cape Verde
1971 establishments in Cape Verde