Mindelo
Mindelo is a port city in the northern part of the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde. Mindelo is also the seat of the parish of Nossa Senhora da Luz, and the municipality of São Vicente. The city is home to 93% of the entire island's population. Mindelo is known for its colourful and animated carnival celebrations, with roots in Portuguese traditions later influenced by the Brazilian culture. History. A settlement at Mindelo was founded in 1793 by the Portuguese. It was initially named "Nossa Senhora da Luz", renamed "Leopoldina" around 1820 after the Queen consort. In  1838 it was renamed "Mindelo" after the 1832 Landing at Mindelo, north of Porto. It became a coal deposit for ships of the British East India Company in 1838, followed by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company in 1850. The settlement became a town ("vila") in 1858, and had 1,400 inhabitants then. It became a city ("cidade") in 1879, and had 3,717 inhabitants then. In 1884 a submarine communications cable was laid between Europe, Africa, India and North America, making Mindelo an important communications centre for the British Empire. From the beginning of the 20th century the port of Mindelo  lost its importance for transatlantic navigation. Causes for this were the shift from coal to oil as fuel for ships, the rise of competing ports like Dakar and the Canary Islands and the lack of investment in port infrastructure. Between 1910 and 1940 there were several strikes in Mindelo, and on 7 June 1934 there were riots in the streets of Mindelo, caused by unemployment and poverty. One man was killed; several were injured. Between 1940 and 1958 three prolonged periods of severe drought, combined with soil erosion and overgrazing, brought famine in Cape Verde. In the whole archipelago, about  45,000 people died and 20,000 people emigrated. Mindelo attracted immigrants, notably from nearby Santo Antão, and continued to grow. Mindelo was the cultural capital of the Portuguese-speaking world from November 2002 until November 2003. Mindelo is also considered the cultural capital of Cape Verde. Geography. Mindelo is situated at the Porto Grande Bay, a large natural harbour. The town is surrounded by low mountains: the Monte Cara and the Morro Branco headland to the west, and the Monte Verde to the east. The town is crossed by the river Ribeira de Julião. The Cesária Évora Airport lies southwest of  Mindelo, near the village São Pedro. Ferries for Santo Antão leave from the port. Subdivisions. The city is divided into the following localities for statistical reasons: Climate. Mindelo city has a desert climate (Köppen: "BWh"). The average annual temperature is . It is very dry with only around annual precipitation. Economy. Its economy consists mainly of business, fishing, shipping, boating and more commonly tourism which developed more recently. Mindelo has several hotels, restaurants and tourist agencies. Cityscape. The main streets of Mindelo are Avenida Marginal along the waterfront, and the perpendicular Rua Libertadores de África (former "Rua Lisboa"). Many colonial buildings  from the 19th and early 20th century have been preserved in the city centre. Sites of interest include: International relations. Mindelo has been twinned with the following cities: Demography. At the 2010 census, Mindelo had 70,468 inhabitants. It is the second largest city in Cape Verde after Praia. Sporting teams. Mindelo has several sports teams that includes the city, Académica, Corinthians and Derby are clubs that includes the entire island. The main football stadium is Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena. Basketball, volleyball and futsal are played at Polivalente de Amarante in the southwest.