The following is a timeline of the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde.
Prehistoric and precolonial era
16 million years ago: the Fundo das Figueiras formation formed
15 to 12.5 million years ago: During the Langhian and Serravallian ages, rocks were under formation including the volcanic cone, the Monte Passarão complex, the Monte Caçador complex and the Pico Forcado formation.
9.5 million years ago: the Chão de Calheta formation started to form
4.5 million years ago: the Chão da Calheta formed
During the Ice Age, the island was possibly connected with Maio, though a third of that island was underwater, it formed a part of the "East Island". Its size was approximately 3,000 to 3,500 km2 at the time. It was north-south, it was about 150–200 km long and its width was 20 km and 50 km in the northern part
Around 6,000 to 5,000 BC: The Eastern Island of Cape Verde broken up into Boavista, Middle and Maio Islands, the Middle Island would later be underwater and became a nearly shallow part of the ocean.
Around 4,000 to 3,000 BC: Ilhéu de Sal Rei and Ilhéu do Baluarte separated from Boa Vista Island.
1974 BC - July 24: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
1920 BC - August 25: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
1736 BC - September 29: An annular solar eclipse took place around noon in the island
1544 BC - December 5: A hybrid solar eclipse took place between the islands that are now Boa Vista and Sal
1475 BC - March 30: An annular solar eclipse took place at the start of afternoon in the island
1262 BC - April 14 An annular solar eclipse took place in the early afternoon hours in the island
962 BC - February 27: An annular solar eclipse took place in parts of the island, the remainder was visibly partial
322 BC - September 26: An annular solar eclipse took place at noon and included a part of the island, the remainder was visibly partial, the greatest eclipse was about 270 Roman miles (400 km) north of what is now Sal
89 BC - April 17: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
21 BC - July 30: An annular solar eclipse took place in the island
374 AD - November 20: A total solar eclipse took place in the morning hours, the umbral path was about 25 to 30 km wide and included the southwest of the island on a shallow water
902 - January 19: An annular solar eclipse took place late afternoon in the island
1112 - April 7: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
1293 - July 14: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
1308 - September 24: An annular solar eclipse took place in the north of the island, the remainder was visibly partial
1431 - February 20: A total solar eclipse took place in the island
1462 - The island was discovered
1497 - October 29: Rodrigo Afonso became the first captain of the island
1505 - January 3: Pero Correia (then spelt Péro Correia) became the second captain of the island
1520s or 1530s: António Correia became the third captain of the island
1542 - Maria Correia became the fourth and last captain of the island
1587 - The island's first settlement now known as Povoação Velha established, it would be populated to around 50 inhabitants
1620 - Saltpans attracted English captains, slaves mined the salt, Sal Rei was later founded
1650 - Population: around 1 500
1680 - Chapel built around Estância
1720 - Population: around 2 000
1752 - May 13: A total solar eclipse took place before sunset and the umbral part included the southernmost part of the island while the remainder was visibly partial
1792 - September 16: An annular solar eclipse started in the morning with the umbral portion about 30-40 miles (40-50 km) east of the island, the island saw it as partial
1800
Population: around 2 500 to 3 000
Chapel of Santo António (Saint Anthony) built
1810 - Island capital moved from Povoação da Boa Vista to Rabil for its paper production
1815 - Sal Rei sacked by pirates
1817 - Sal Rei sacked for the second time, the fortress started construction to protect the town and the island
1818 - A pirate ship from South America seized the fort, likely one of the last pirate raids in any of the Cape Verde islands.
1820 - Forte Duque de Bragança (today, commonly known as Forte de Sal Rei) built on Ilhéu de Sal Rei completed
Mid 1850s - Population: around 4 000
1828 - Our Lady of Conception Church (Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) built near Rocha Estância.
1843
The Anglo-Portuguese Commission on the Abolition of Slavery' took place, it would be abolished 44 years later.
June: USS Columbus along with William Harwar Parker visited Gata in the northeastern part of the island, one of the first American ships to visit Cape Verde
1845
Yellow fever epidemic struck the island
The ship Eclair visited
1846 - Yellow fever epidemic ends
1848 - December: USS Yorktown visited Gata in the northeast of the island, William Harwar Parker again visited the area for his patrol against slavery
1865 - October 19: an annular solar eclipse took place in the island
1878 - Slavery abolished in the island of Boa Vista
1900 - Population: around 3 000
1928 - Airfield opened, the first in Cape Verde
1930 - Population 2 454
1935 - The Municipality solely includes the island along with its nearby islets.
1940 - Population: 2 779
1941 - Famine struck the island of Boa Vista again, as a result, several villages including Curral Velho would be later abandoned
1950 - Population: 2 985
1952 - August 28: Sal-Rei FC established
1956 - Sporting Clube da Boa Vista football (soccer) club established
1960 - Population: 3 263
1968 - September 1: The cargo ship Cabo Santa Maria was wrecked and ran aground at Praia de Atalanta in the north of the island, its ruins now rusty can still be seen today.
1970 - Population: 3 569
1975 - July 5: Cape Verde declared independence from Portugal and became and independent nation
1976
April 5: Onze Estrelas football (soccer) club established
April 11: África Show football (soccer) club founded
1977 - July 3: Académica Operária football (soccer) club founded
1978 - Boa Vista Island League established
1980 - Population: 3 372
Around the 1980s: the village of Espingueira became abandoned
1990
Population: 3 452
Ilhéu do Baluarte became an integral nature reserve
2000 - Population: 4 209
2002 - The island's aerodrome became an airport
2003 - Hotels and villas established west of Rabil
2005 - July 18: Ilhéu de Curral Velho and adjacent coast Important Bird Area became a Ramsar site
2007 - Rabil Airport (now Aristides Pereira International Airport) became enlarged with a 2,100 meter runway and paved.
2008
Windmills started construction in the northwestern extremity of the island
Hotels and villas spread north of Sal Rei
February 9: Estadio Municipal Arsénio Ramos completed and opened
2009 - Sal Rei Perimeter Road opened
Around 2009 - Rabil - Curral Velho paved road completed
2010
Population - 8 554
February 9: Tourists in the beaches of Varandinha and Santa Mónica used four wheel motorcycles, the ATVs nearby, it infuriated farmars and revolted by protesters on February 9, 2010.
Around five hotels and villas built west of Rabil
Villas built in the area of Curral Velho
2011
Onze Estrelas participated in the Boa Vista Island League for the first time
Enlargement of the island's only port
2011 or 2012
Sal-Bofareira-Norte Road completed
Boa Vista may have reached the population at 10,000
2014
May 9: the municipality became twinned with the town of Zocca
Enlargement of the island's port completed
2015 - August 31: Hurricane Fred struck the island, Povoação Velha was without electricity for five days
Timeline of Boa Vista, Cape Verde Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
