Country Cape Verde Area 54.26 km² | Island Santo Antão | |
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Paul is a concelho (municipality) of Cape Verde. It covers all the valley named the Vale do Paul. Situated in the northeastern part of the island of Santo Antão, it covers 7% of the island area, and is home to 16% of its population, the majority are rural. Its capital is the town Pombas. In area, the municipality is the 4th smallest and the 19th largest in the nation, in population it had the 17th largest and the 6th smallest in 2000.
Contents
- Map of Paul Cape Verde
- The municipality and parish
- History
- Sport clubs
- Local competitions
- Notable people
- Politics
- Sister cities
- References
Map of Paul, Cape Verde
Paul are connected with a road linking west Ribeira Grande and north of the island and since 2009 linking east then south and west to Porto Novo and south and west of the island without using the difficult road that crosses high in the mountains at around 1,400 m elevation.
It is part of a protected natural space in Cape Verde under the statute of natural park of Cova-Ribeira da Torre-Paul. The protected area covers Ribeira da Torre, within the Corda Crater and all of Paul Valley with som exception of the southeast.
Its geology consists of basalt rocks formed 1.4 million to 700,000 years ago. It is the known as the Cova Group which has Cova, Corda and Paul rock formations. In the southwest is the Cova crater.
The municipality and parish
The municipality consists of one freguesia (civil parish), Santo António das Pombas. The freguesia is subdivided into the following settlements, it population data was of the 2010 census:
History
The Municipality of Paul is one of the oldest administrative divisions in Cape Verde. By the end of the 19th century it merged with the older Municipality of Ribeira Grande, becoming the Municipality of Santo Antão. In 1971 the Municipality of Santo Antão was redivided in 3 municipalities: Ribeira Grande, Paul and Porto Novo.
In around 2009 and 2011, several windmills were built in the southeastern part of the municipality in an area where rural roads once difficultly connected to the road to Ribeira Grande and the west of the island, now they are connected with the new road, that area is located between Ponta do Tumbo and the municipal boundary. Windmills provide renewable energy to Paul and the north of the island.
Sport clubs
Local competitions
Each year, the municipality of Paul has the Paul Municipal Cup which consists of four clubs based in the municipality. It takes place in around October or November of each year.
Notable people
Politics
From 2004-2008 and since 2012, the Movement for Democracy is the ruling party of the municipality which won 54.7% in the last election.
Sister cities
Paul has three sister cities and municipalities, all of them are in Portugal: Almodôvar, Benavente, Gavião (since June 2006) and Sernancelhe