Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
215km²
Area
74km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
405m
Highest point
Monte Grande (Sal), Cape Verde
35,267
People
27°C
Warmest sea
October
605km
To the mainland
When to go to Sal
Best for the beach from June to July and from October to December.
The sea is warmest in October (27 °C) and coolest in March (22 °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
Sal is an island in Cape Verde. It covers 215 km², with 74 km of coastline. Its highest point, Monte Grande (Sal), Cape Verde, rises to 405 m. About 35,267 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 605 km away.
Getting there
- Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- 605 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to July and from October to Decemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Sal.
- 10beachesPraia da Fontona, Praia de Fiura, Costa da Fragata and 7 more
- 4viewpointsMonte Curral, view point and 2 more
- 4lighthousesfaro pequeno, Farol de Fiúra, Faról and 1 more
- 5named peaksRocha de Salina, Rocha de Poi, Morrinho do Carvão and 2 more
- 7volcanoesMonte Grande, Monte Leste, Morro Vermelho da Rocha da Salina and 4 more
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesFaró antigo de Farol, Salinas Velhas
- 1waymarked walking routesPedra de Lume Crater Walk
- 25hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 87restaurants, 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
Sal in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Sal, each with its own numbers.
14beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
26.6°C
Praia do Tomé
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
14 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Buraconacove26.5°C
- Praia do Tomé26.6°C
- Praia da Pambaiã26.6°C
- Cascalho Beach26.6°C
- Canoa Beach26.6°C
- Monte Grande Beach26.5°C
- Praia do Urbano26.5°C
- Praia do Monte Grande26.5°C
6 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 30 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 84 %0–50 m
- 15 %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
- Espargos24,500 people
- Chão de Matias4,624 people
- São Paulo3,198 people
- Hortelã de Cima2,561 people
- Hortelã de Baixo1,634 people
- Alto Santo Cruz1,600 people
- África 701,462 people
- Ribeira Funda1,405 people
- Bairro Novo I1,359 people
- Imobiliária Fundiária e Habitat1,288 people
- Bairro Novo II1,268 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 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Night low (°C) | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 23 |
| Sea (°C) | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Rain (mm) | 23 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 34 | 50 | 26 | 27 | 33 |
| Wet days | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Sun h/day | 7.9 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 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 | −0.4 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | +0.4 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +0.5 | ±0.0 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.8 | +1.8 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +1.2 | +2.2 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.9 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Boa Vista
Cape Verde634 km²387 m72 km away
São NicolauCape Verde346 km²1,312 m143 km away
MaioCape Verde274 km²437 m169 km away
São VicenteCape Verde226 km²750 m217 km away
Santa LuziaCape Verde35 km²397 m193 km away
Santo AntãoCape Verde787 km²1,979 m241 km away
FogoCape Verde472 km²2,829 m250 km away
BravaCape Verde63 km²976 m281 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q111989) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| 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.
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