Timeline of Santo Antão, Cape Verde

Prehistoric and precolonial era

About 119 to 118 million years ago: Seamount formed during the Aptian era

About 7.5 million years ago: the Old Volcanic Complex formed during the Tortonian era

Around 2 to 1 million years ago: Bordeira Group of rock formation formed

Around 1.4 million to 700,000 years ago: Cova Group of rock formation formed

Around 400,000 years ago: the Proto-Coroa formation formed

Around 300,000 years ago: Àgua Nova Group of rock formation formed

Around 200,000 years ago: Last eruption occurred at Topo da Coroa, the type was a Plinian, it later formed the Coroa and Young Tarrafal rock formations

Around 100,000 years ago: Lagoa formation formed

Up to about 5,000 years ago: The island was larger and compromised an estimate size of 800 km2 of land, it separated São Vicente between 500 meters to 1 kilometer. Flooding took place and the São Vicente Channel was widened up to 10 km about 8,000 to 6,000 years ago and later to its current 12 km length.

Around 4,000 BC: Topo da Coroa's elevation dropped below 2,000 meters above sea level after sea level rose

1335 BC - March 13: An annular solar took place in the mid morning hours north of the island

847 BC - December 8: A total solar eclipse took place in mid morning in parts of the island, the remainder was visibly partial

618 BC - March 6:, an annular solar eclipse was seen in the island

336 BC - July 4: A total solar eclipse took place early morning in the island

504 AD - June 2: A total solar eclipse took place before sunset in a part of the island

592 - March 23: A total solar eclipse started in the middle of the island

667 - March 5: A total solar eclipse took place in a small part of the north of the island

786 - April 3: A total solar eclipse took place in the island

1235 - August 15: An annular solar eclipse took place around the northwesternmost part of the island

1260 - October 15: A total solar eclipse took place in the island

1308 - September 24: An annular solar eclipse took place in much of the island

Colonial era

1462 - January 17: The island was discovered by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Afonso, it was discovered after São Nicolau and before São Vicente and Santa Luzia

1494 - The old Treaty of Tordesillas which was put on June 7, 1494 between Portugal and the Kingdom of Castile that determined the division of the areas of influences of the Iberian countries it marked the line of discovered and then undiscovered lands with an imaginary line located 370 leagues (1,770 km) west of the island, marked at the westernmost point west of Monte Trigo

1548

January: First settlement (either Fontainhas or Ponta do Sol) established on the island, first time the island was populated

January 13: Gonçalo de Sousa was the only capitain of the island for some years

1593 - May 30: A total solar eclipse took place before noon, the maximum eclipse was seen in the Barlavento islands except for most of São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista, the remainder saw it as partial, it was the first total eclipse (umbral part) seen by people in Cape Verde

Mid-17th century - People from Santiago, Fogo along with people from northern Portugal inhabited the area around today's Ribeira Grande, a settlement would be founded there

1661 - March 30: A total solar eclipse took place about 10 miles (20-30 km) north of the island, it was visibly partial in the island

18th century - Jewish people inhabited a part of the island and founded Sinagoga

1706 - May 12: A total solar eclipse took place about 150 miles (250 km) northwest of the island, it was visibly partial in the island

1722 - December 8: An annular solar took place more than 140 miles (230 km) north of the island, it was visibly partial in the island, the greatest eclipse took place aboute 150 miles (250 km) north of the island

1724 - The British possessed and ruled the island. It was soon returned to the Portuguese

1726 - September 25: A total solar eclipse took place about 140 miles (230 km) north of the island, it was visibly partial in the island

1732 - Ribeira Grande elevated to a town

1804 - February 11: a Hybrid solar eclipse took place on the island

1832 - Approximate population: 24,000

Mid 19th century - Sugar became the island's main crop

1859 - Along with São Nicolau, slavery was abolished and was both the second in Cape Verde to do so

Late 19th century - Municipality of Santo Antão formed after the merger of Ribeira Grande and Paul municipalities

1886 - Farol de Ponto Tumbo (then Fontes Pereira de Melo) completed

1890 - Population: 24,547

1900 - Approximate population: 25,000

1930 - Population: 23,973

1940 - Population: 35,976

1941 - Famine struck the island (see Famine in Cape Verde)

1942 - Famine ended

1946 - Another famine struck the island

1949 - Another famine ended

1950 - Population: 28,379

1956 - Sporting Clube do Porto Novo established, the first football (soccer) and sports club on the island

1960 - Population: 33,953

1962 - the port at Porto Novo completed, the village name of Carvoeiros changed its name to Porto Novo

Mid-1960s - Estrada da Corda linking Porto Novo and Ribeira Grande opened and runs through the valley and ridges of Ribeira Grande and Ribeira de la Torre and the eastern crater with curves dominating much of the length

1970 - Population: 44,623

1971 - Unilateral division of the Municipality of Santo Antão into three municipalities

1973 - June 30: a total solar eclipse took place about over 10 km northwest of the island

1974 - April: the Carnation Revolution took place in Portugal, the Estado Novo regime collapsed, Cape Verde became an autonomous province

After independence in 1975-1999

1975 - July 5: Cape Verde declared independence from Portugal and became and independent nation

1980 - Population: 43,321

1981

February 14: Associação Académica do Porto Novo football (soccer) club established

September 25: CS Marítimo football (soccer) club established

November: Paulense Desportivo Clube football (soccer) club established

1984 - February 4: FC Esperança football (soccer) club established, in 1996, they would be known as Os Sanjoanenses, after the patron saint of Porto Novo

1990

Municipality of Santo Antão abolished, broken into three municipalities, Paul, Porto Novo and Ribeira Grande

Population: 43,845

1994 - GDRC Fiorentina football (soccer) club in Porto Novo established

1997

Santo Antão Island League competitions split into two, the North and the South Zones, the island competition would only contain a single final match for a year.

Porto Novo Cup established

1999

January/February: Continuation of full competition of the Santo Antão Island League.

7 August: A domestic TACV Flight 5002 from São Pedro Airport to Agostinho Neto Airport crashed into a mountain on Santo Antão island at an altitude of 1370 metres, killing the 16 passengers and 2 crew members on board.

21st century

2000 - Population: 47,170, the highest population recorded on the island

2002 - September: Full breakup of the Island/Regional League into the North and South Zones.

2003 - December 9: Along with Barlavento, the island became part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mindelo

2004 - Start of construction of the road linking Porto Novo and Paul through the easternmost point of the island

2005 - August 14: Clube Desportivo São Pedro Apóstolo, based in the parish that includes Chã de Igreja and Garça de Cima founded

Late 2000s - Agostinho Neto Airport closed

2007 - The first Porto Novo Super Cup (commonly knoiwn as Santo Antão Super Cup today) took place

2008 - January 9: Resumption of food exports to Sal and Boa Vista islands due to the agricultural pest, the Cape Verdean millipede (Spinotarsus caboverdus)

2009

Early-May: ,The Porto Novo-Janela Road forming a part of what became the Ribeira Grande-Paul-Porto Novo Road or the East Island (Estrada Litoral) Road running through the island's easternmost point completed bypassing the difficult Estrada da Corda, its length is 23 km long and features the first two road tunnels in Cape Verde, the Farol and Santa Bárbara tunnels which are 240 and 340 meters wide, it is separated roughly 1 km apart, the next tunnel would be at the Pedra Badejo Bypass

Estádio Municipal do Porto Novo completed, its location is next to the former stadium

2010

Population: 44,104

Plans to revive the airport and surveying the area to locate it in a new safe location without crosswinds, its location around Porto Sul, 7 kilometers from Porto Novo

The road between Porto Novo and Norte widened to four lanes up to the Pozzolano brick factory which was also opened on the date

2011 - A snail species Echiniscus clavispinosus was discovered on the island

2012

Enlargement of the port at Porto Novo

Very last operations at Agostinho Neto Airport

2013 - Tarrafal FC de Monte Trigo football (soccer) club established

2014 - November 16: Canto de Cagarra Dam (Barragem de Canto de Cagarra) dam completed, the only large dam on the island.

2015

early September: Hurricane Fred ruined carrot, cabbage, and tomato plantations were destroyed in the village of Alto Mira west of Porto Novo, rainfalls filled up Canto de Cagarra approximately south of Ribeira Grande.

December: First Santo Antão Super Cup took place

2016 - January: First Santo Antão Cup took place featuring all clubs from the two zones, the two zone's cup competition also competes with a single island cup.