"The island of Sal, belonging to the group of islands known as "Barlovento", was discovered in 1460 by the Portuguese. Sal remained uninhabited until the late eighteenth century because of extreme aridity and was used sporadically for grazing, fishing and salt extraction.
The saline is located in the northeastern part of the island comprising an area of 40 hectares. The peculiarity of the site is its formation in the crater of an extinct volcano at 39 meters above sea level and 1500 meters of a protected bay. In the past, the crater was in contact with the sea at its north side by natural channels allowing the infiltration of water. Due to the evaporation of this water, a deposit of rock salt estimated at more than fifty million tons has formed.
The island has been highly coveted by European vessels for salting meat and fish, as part of European expansion and transoceanic voyages. Indeed, the extraction of salt was the determining factor for the permanent occupation of the island having as inspiration the rich merchant Manuel António Martins, who around 1796, with families from the island of Boavista and slaves from the west coast, settled in the town of Pedra de Lume."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
Ilha do Sal/Salinas Pedra de Lume. Thanks to Gilles of Belgium who was visiting Cape Verde.
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