Ilhéu de Santa Maria explained

Ilhéu de Santa Maria
Native Name Link:Cape Verdean Creole
Nickname:Isla de Angel
Location:Praia Harbour
Pushpin Map:Cape Verde#Atlantic Ocean
Pushpin Label Position:top
Pushpin Relief:1
Archipelago:Cape Verde
Area Km2:0.05
Length Km:0.42
Width Km:0.13
Elevation M:6
Country Admin Divisions Title:Concelhos (Municipalities)
Country Admin Divisions:Praia

Ilhéu de Santa Maria (once known as Quail Island) is a small uninhabited islet of the Sotavento archipelago in Cape Verde located off the shore of the island Santiago. Like all Cape Verdean islands, the islet is of volcanic origin. The islet has an area of roughly 0.05km2 and is 420m (1,380feet) long and 130m (430feet) wide. It is situated at the entrance of Praia Harbour, in front of Praia da Gamboa, near the city centre of Praia.

In the 1850s, a customs house[1] and warehouses were built on the islet.[1] The buildings have been used for quarantine as well, but this was moved to the new Lazareto on Ponta Temerosa in the 1870s.[1]

In 2015, the Cape Verdean government and the Chinese-based Legend Development Company agreed on construction of a hotel resort and casino on the islet.[2] As of May 2018, the bridge from the islet to the mainland has been completed, and construction of the hotel and casino are due to start in August 2018.[3]

Notes and References

  1. http://hdl.handle.net/11328/594 Valor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia
  2. Web site: Hotel-Casino no Ilhéu de Santa Maria: Governo concessiona Djeu por 75 anos. Hotel-Casino in Ilhéu de Santa Maria: Government Concession of the Islet (Djeu) for 75 Years. Expresso das Ilhas. pt. 2015. 2016-03-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20161110105014/http://www.expressodasilhas.sapo.cv/economia/item/45311-hotel-casino-no-ilheu-de-santa-maria-governo-concessiona-djeu-por-75-anos. 2016-11-10. dead.
  3. Obras do Hotel e Casino no Djéu arrancam dentro de dois meses. Santiago Magazine. 2018-05-31. pt.