Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha
Settlement
Cidade Velha - Pillory Square
Coordinates: 14°54′58″N 23°36′22″W / 14.916°N 23.606°W / 14.916; -23.606
Country	Cape Verde
Island	Santiago
Municipality	Ribeira Grande de Santiago
Civil parish	Santíssimo Nome de Jesus
Population  (2010)[1]
• Total	1,214
ID	79102
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iii)(vi)
Reference	1310
Inscription	2009 (33rd Session)
Area	209.1 ha (0.807 sq mi)
Buffer zone	1,795.6 ha (6.933 sq mi)

Cidade Velha ([siˈðaðɨ ˈvɛʎɐ], Portuguese for "old city", also: Santiago de Cabo Verde) is a city^[2] in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders,^[3]: 77 it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called Ribeira Grande by the Portuguese colonists, they changed its name to Cidade Velha in the late 18th century after relocating the capital to Praia.^[4] It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.

Located on an island off Africa's northwest coast, this town was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, including a royal fortress, two churches and a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is designated in 2009 as one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.^[4]