| Tarrafal de São Nicolau | |
| Coordinates: | 16.566°N -24.357°W |
| Key: | 32109 |
| Postal Code: | 3121 |
Tarrafal de São Nicolau is a city[1] in the western part of the island of São Nicolau, Cape Verde. With a population of 3,733 (2010 census), it is the most populous settlement of the island. It is the seat of the Tarrafal de São Nicolau Municipality, and the main port of the island. It is situated on the west coast, 9 km southwest of Ribeira Brava.
The city is divided into neighborhoods (bairros) including:
Before the 19th century, the roadstead of Tarrafal was little used because it was far from the main settlement of the island, Ribeira Brava.[2] It was mentioned as Terrafal in the 1747 map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin.[3] It became an anchorage for whaling ships in the 19th century, and fish processing infrastructure was built, leading to further growth of the settlement.[2] The settlement became a town in the early 1990s[2] and a city in 2010.[1]
The port of Tarrafal was constructed in 1991. It has 2 quays and a roll-on/roll-off ramp and a passenger terminal. The total length of the quays is 137 m, and the maximum depth is 7 m.[4] There are ferry connections from Tarrafal to the islands of São Vicente (Mindelo) and Santiago (Praia).[5]