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Pedra de Lume

Coordinates: 16°45′47″N 22°53′42″W / 16.763°N 22.895°W / 16.763; -22.895
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Pedra de Lume
Settlement
Pedra de Lume is located in Cape Verde
Pedra de Lume
Pedra de Lume
Coordinates: 16°45′47″N 22°53′42″W / 16.763°N 22.895°W / 16.763; -22.895
CountryCape Verde
IslandSal
MunicipalitySal
Civil parishNossa Senhora das Dores
Elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total
329
ID41102

Pedra de Lume is a village in the northeastern part of the island of Sal, Cape Verde. The village is situated on the east coast, about 5 km east of the island capital Espargos. It has a small port and a lighthouse, Farol de Pedra de Lume.

Salt ponds

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Pedra de Lume has been famous for its salt evaporation ponds (salinas),[2] exploitation of which began in the 18th century. According to geologists, the waters in the lake rise from deep in the earth rather than from lateral infiltration from the ocean.[3] The salinas are situated in the crater of an extinct volcano. Together with the mountain Cagarral, the salinas and the crater form a protected landscape, covering 8.02 km2 (3.10 sq mi).[4][5]

The crater lake
The port of Pedra de Lume

History

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Share of the Salins du Cap Vert, issued 18. May 1925

Pedra de Lume was founded by Manuel António Martins, who started the exploitation of the salt ponds in 1796.[6] A tunnel to the salt ponds was constructed in 1804, and a port in 1805.[7] Salt production flourished in most of the 19th century, but went into decline after 1887, when Brazil, the main export destination, imposed a ban on imported salt.[6] Salt production was revived by the French company Salins du Cap Vert, that installed an 1100 m aerial tramway for salt transport in 1921. Current production is small, and mainly intended for beauty products and thalassotherapy.[6]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2010 Census results". Instituto Nacional de Estatística Cabo Verde (in Portuguese). 24 November 2016.
  2. ^ José Joaquim Lopes de Lima, Francisco Maria Bordalo (1844). Ensaios sobre a statistica das possessões portuguezas na Africa occidental e oriental; na Asia occidental; na China, e na Oceania: escriptos de Ordem do Governo de sua Magestade Fidelissima a Senhora D. Maria II por José Joaquim Lopes de Lima ... Imprensa Nacional. p. 182.
  3. ^ Ray Almeida. "A History of Ilha do Sal". Archived from the original on 6 February 2016.
  4. ^ Resolução nº 36/2016, Estratégia e Plano Nacional de Negócios das Áreas Protegidas
  5. ^ Paisagens Protegidas, Áreas protegidas Cabo Verde
  6. ^ a b c Salines de Pedra de Lume, UNESCO World Heritage tentative list (in French)
  7. ^ História da Ilha do Sal, Câmara Municipal do Sal

Video

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  • Short BBC documentary on the salt evaporation ponds [1]
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Media related to Pedra de Lume at Wikimedia Commons