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The island of Brava is located in the extreme Southeast of the leeward group of the Archipelago, with an elliptic configuration, it has a surface of 64 km2 and the maximum length of 9 km East-Westward. lt is 20 km away from the island of Fogo and from this viewpoint you can see four small islets where the fishermen go from time to time.

Brava is the smallest island of the Archipelago with the exception of the uninhabited Santa Luzia. lt is very mountainous and its highest point is Monte Fontainhas. Deep and abrupt valleys contrast with its high peaks. The coastline is very rugged, forming many bays such as: Furna, Ancião, Fajã d'Água and Sorno. Evidence of the volcanic past of the island can be seen in Fundo Grande; a crater preserved by time.

Due to its altitude, Brava is the dampest and the most green of all the islands and due to and its abundance of flowers makes it known as "ilha das flores" (island of flowers). The medium temperature oscillates between 16 and 26°C

History
It was discovered in 1462 and but the island began to become populated after 1680. Due to the eruption of the volcano of Pico, in the nearby island of Fogo, its inhabitants all relocated to Brava. By the end of the XVIII century the New Bedford and Rhode Island whaleboats started to use the island as a supply stop in the mid Atlantic. Little by little the men from Brava, with their fame for being excellent mariners, find work aboard these whaleboats. But because the living conditions on these boats were very hard, the Cape Verdeans started to look for jobs on land, mainly in Massachusetts, thus commencing the emigration to the United States of America, where still today there is the greatest Cape Verdean community abroad. Therefore, it is not by chance that in Brava, English is more widely spoken and the greater part of the commercialized products come from the United States.

Travel Guide and articles of interest. Must be V.I.P. Member and logged in to access:

Visiting the island of Brava
When visiting its main attraction, the village of Nova Sintra, considered the most beautiful city in the archipelago, its marvelous houses with flowered gardens will delight the visitor. This is the island of beautiful women... [ Read More ]

Brava - A Poet from Ilha das Flores!
Eugenio Tavares often lived in an almost permanent state of turbulence. He managed to work as tax collector in Tarrafal, Santiago before he was appointed to a most responsible collector post in Brava, in 1890... [ Read More ]

Traditional New Year's celebration in Brava
Groups composed some of the most beautiful marches to which they would sing while parading through the streets of Nova Sintra, accompanied by their chosen musicians. The well known... [ Read More ]

Admiral Reis could have been first President of Portugal
In 1852, Lila Azevedo dos Reis bore her first son in the house in Fernao Nunes, in Nova Sintra, Brava. They named the boy Carlos. By October of 1910, Admiral Reis and his accomplices had the backing of most of the military forces... [ Read More ]

ARQUITHARMONIA: o exemplo que nos vem da BRAVA
Na pequena ilha da Brava, a mais isolada do país, há um mundo por descobrir. Especialmente um rico património arquitectónico bem conservado... [ Read More ]