Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-08
CAPE VERDE ISLES
ARE TRADING HUB
Barren Spots Near Africa
Yield Variety of Produce
for Commerce.

THE Cape Verde Islands. famous as
4 stopping place of Vasco ola CANA dur
ing his epoch making voyage to India
AM more recently in the spotlight as
landing place for transatlantic flyers.
has developed its trade to a point where
| the State Department has announced
! the establishment of new consulate
on the Island of Sac Vincent (St. Vim.
cent?" says a bulletin from the Ma
| tional Geographic Society,".
| st. Vincent is one of the Ia islands
OF the Cape Verde group which form a
crescent about 300 miles west of Dakar,
the westernmost city on the African
continent Porto Grande, Capital of st.
Vincent and one of the few large port
towns IN the islands, is the probable To-
cation of. the new Office. Porto Grande
is built in well protected location with
| high mountains at its back and In front
the massive heights of the Island of St.
Anthony. almost shutting in a wide,
deep harbor from the sea.
Rhode Islands Size.
THE IA islands could be placed on
the State of Rhode Island and only a
few rugged edges would extend over the
borders" continues the bulletin. "Sao
Thiago tSt. Jagc), the largest of the
Cape VerdeS, is slightly smaller in area
than the city of Los Angeles. while the
smallest island is measured by square
yards.
The governor general. appointed by
the Portuguese government. resides at
Porto Praia on ST. Jago, city of about
| $500 inhabitants. most of whom are
negroes. Porto Praia rivals Porta Grande
in commercial Importance Unlike the
st. Vincent capital which is built from
tidewater up the mountainside, Porto
Praia occupies lakeland about 100
feet above the waters edge. with three
roads approaching 1t from red painted
docks, 1t was at ST. Jago that VaSco da
Cana stopped before sailing around the
Cape of Good Hope.
Fresh Water Luxury.
"All the larger islands are inhabited
the majority of the population being
quartered in compactly built villages
and towns built in small recesSes in the
steep mountainSideS overlooking the
sea. But 1t Is in the interior of the
larger Islands that one finds the real
native life Of the Cape Verdes. 1t Is
said that the ancestors of these people
Of the interior once lived along the sea-
shore. But for hundred years after
Spain took control of the islands the
Cape Verdes were plundered by pirates
During this period the inhabitants fed
to the valleys. from which they seldom
emerged except to trade. Most of these
valley people are black, but one often
notes Portuguese features. They speak
poor quality Portuguese, which is diff
ficult for the European to understand
Like Greenland, the name Cape
Verde is deceptive. It was. taken from
Cape Verde, Africa. and in good English
means green cape but there is little
on the islands to suggest that the Cape
VerdeS deserve TO be called Cape Green
Islands Here and there along the shore
and in few interior valleys are patches
of fertile land, but rocks and sand claim
tn greater portion of the area Fresh
water has always been a luxury, lack
of which has caused serious famines in
the past
THAT the natives make the best of
their barren islands is indicated by the
fact that they produce indigo, coffee,
castor beans, fruits. tobacco. poultry.
potatoes and yams. Salt is also an inn
portant product, Many of the tnhabi-
ture or shipping are good fishermen and
adept In making rum. curing fish and
manufacturing straw hats and seats.
Slave Center Once.
When the islands were discovered
InOIS ttldu OUu years ago Uy tWO Fufbu-
guese sea captains. they were devoid of
human life, The only excitement was
| the occasional overlooking of volcanic
crater The latest eruption occurred in
1890
For more than two hundred years
the Cape Verdes built up a fiourishing
trade and becaume Portugal's principal
outpost of trade with Africa. Until the
middle of the last century the natives
reaped harvest from the African slave
trade. This probably accounts for the
majority of negroes in the present popu-
lation of about 10000. Those inhabi-
tants who are not black are Portuguese
or of mixed blood.
In the early days when New England
was famous as whaling center. many
of the crews of the whalers were re-
cruited In the Cape Verdes. Those who
did not return TO the islands settled in
southeastern Massachusetts in the Vi
cinity of New Bedford Braves. the
name by which they are sometimes
known, comes from the name Of the
island from which most of the recruits
nligrated--Brava the southwesternmost
island of the Cape Verde group"