Assomada

Assomada is a city[2] on the Sotavento (leeward) island of Santiago in Cape Verde. Since 1912, it is the seat of the municipality of Santa Catarina, which comprises the central western part and much of the interior of the island.[3] It is the largest city in that region.

Assomada
Settlement
City of Assomada
Coordinates: 15.096°N 23.667°W / 15.096; -23.667
CountryCape Verde
IslandSantiago
MunicipalitySanta Catarina
Civil parishSanta Catarina
Elevation
560 m (1,840 ft)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total12,332
ID72152

Geography

Assomada lies at about 550 m (1,800 ft) elevation on a plateau surrounded by mountains, farmland, and hills in the center of Santa Catarina. Assomada is located 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Praia. It has an urban area of about 550 ha (1,400 acres). In 2015, it had about 15,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest city on the island. Assomada plays an important commercial role and has a pleasant combination of urban areas and fields. Assomada lies near the midpoint of the highway that runs the length of the island of Santiago from Praia (the capital) in the south to the northern port of Tarrafal (EN1-ST01).

A bust to Father Louis Allah

Subdivisions

Assomada is subdivided into 22 neighborhoods including Achada Riba, Atrás de Banco, Bolanha, the City Center (central part), Chã de Santos, Covão, Covão Ribeiro, Cruz Vermelha, Cumbém (located in the south), Cutelo, Cutelo Torre, Espinho Branco, Leiria, Lém Vieira, Matinho, Nhagar (located in the north), Pedra Barro, Ponta Fonte Lima, Portãozinho, Tarafalinho and Tras da Empa (Traz d'Empa).

Landmarks
  • The market of Assomada, founded in 1931 is one of the largest on the island of Santiago, with a large variety of agricultural products and crafts.
  • Centro Cultural Norberto Tavares, in the former post office, home to the Museu da Tabanca until 2008.[4]
Downtown Assomada
Freedom Avenue, Assomada

Demography
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1990 3,414—    
2000 7,067+107.0%
2005 11,900+68.4%
2010 12,332+3.6%
2020 18,235+47.9%
Source: [5]

The age and sex distribution at the 2010 census were:[1]

Sex Residential population Age
Under 15 Between 15 and 64 65 and over
Total 18235 12332 3760 7965 605
Male 5900 1814 3850 234
Female 6432 1946 4115 371

Education
University of Santiago

In addition to a professional school (i.e., Escola de Formação Profissional), Assomada is home to the University of Santiago, which is a major Cabo Verdean university and a private one, an extensive school complex, including a public high school (Amilcar Cabral High School), two private secondary schools (Centro de Ensino de Assomada and Escola Secundária Abrolhos) and a primary school (escola primária). It is also the home of an elite vocational school (i.e., technical school Grand Duke Henri), which trains the most promising Cape Verdean youth in career skills.

Economy

Commerce, financial services (particularly banking), transport, and educational services are the lifeblood of the city. Among the financial entities that contribute much to the local economy are: six commercial banks, hundreds of retail and wholesale businesses, a relatively large fleet of taxis and minivans, schools (including private secondary schools and a private university). The "summit city" as it is kindly called by its locals and the outsiders is increasingly consolidating its economic success and self-sustainability. The residents of the city of Assomada enjoy the highest living standards on the island of Santiago.

Notable people

References
  1. "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
  2. Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015, Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33
  3. Evolução histórica do Concelho de Santa Catarina (1834 – 1912), Ana Zenaida Gomes, 2005, p. 43
  4. Santa Catarina: Museu da Tabanca abre as portas novamente na próxima semana Archived 2018-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, 17 November 2017
  5. Source: City Population, citing the Instituto Nacional de Estatística.
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