Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
274km²
Area
89km
Coastline
437m
Highest point
Monte Penoso
6,812
People
27°C
Warmest sea
October
600km
To the mainland
When to go to Maio
Best for the beach from April to July and in December.
The sea is warmest in October (27 °C) and coolest in February (23 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Cape Verde
Maio is an island in Cape Verde. It covers 274 km², with 89 km of coastline. Its highest point, Monte Penoso, rises to 437 m. About 6,812 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 600 km away.
Getting there
- Maio Airport (MMO)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- 600 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From April to July and Decemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Maio.
- 57beachesPraia de Lagoa, Praia da Vila, Praia de Ponta Preta and 54 more
- 2viewpointsMontinho de Lume, Miradouro de Praia de Ponta Preta
- 21named peaksMonte Penoso, Monte Forte, Monte Batalha and 18 more
- 2castles and fortsForte de São José
- 29hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 20restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Maio in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Maio, each with its own numbers.
5beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
27.3°C
Praia de Soca
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
5 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Praia de Soca27.3°C
- Prainha27.2°C
- Praia Real27.2°C
- Praiona27.2°C
- Calheta Brancacove27.2°C
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 44 m above the sea. 99 % of it is below 200 m.
- 66 %0–50 m
- 32 %50–200 m
- 1 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Vila do Maio4,472 people
- Calheta1,081 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| Sea (°C) | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 25 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 85 | 49 | 36 | 29 |
| Wet days | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Sun h/day | 7.9 | 8.2 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 25 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.5 |
| 2021 | +0.4 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.8 | +1.7 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.1 |
| 2024 | +1.3 | +2.4 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +1.0 |
| 2025 | +0.7 | −0.2 | −0.6 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Boa Vista
Cape Verde634 km²387 m104 km away
FogoCape Verde472 km²2,829 m132 km away
SalCape Verde215 km²405 m169 km away
BravaCape Verde63 km²976 m171 km away
São NicolauCape Verde346 km²1,312 m195 km away
São VicenteCape Verde226 km²750 m264 km away
Santa LuziaCape Verde35 km²397 m240 km away
Santo AntãoCape Verde787 km²1,979 m297 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q492551) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit