Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande

Ribeira Grande, on the south coast of Santiago island, was where European colonization first took root in the tropics — a Portuguese town that grew on the Atlantic trade before taking the name Cidade Velha in the late 18th century. Its old street pattern survives alongside two churches, a royal fortress above the town, and the ornate 16th-century marble pillory still standing in its central square. In 2009 it became Cape Verde's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.