List of Cape Verde Municipalities and Capitals

Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Last Updated On: May 22, 2026

Cape Verde is divided into 22 municipalities, which are further divided into parishes. Here is a list of the municipalities in Cape Verde:

Cape Verde, officially known as Cabo Verde, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa. The country is made up of volcanic islands and is divided into 22 municipalities, which are further divided into civil parishes for local administration. Praia is the national capital and also the largest city in Cape Verde.

The islands are grouped into northern and southern chains, with each island having its own landscape, climate, and local traditions. Fishing, tourism, transport, and remittances from overseas communities play a major role in the economy across the municipalities.

Key Facts

National capital: Praia
Total population: 598,682 (Official estimate 2024)
Total area: 4,033 km² (1,557 sq miles)
Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo ($, CVE)
Bordering countries: None - island nation
Total Municipalities: 22
Total Civil Parishes: 32+

List of Municipalities and Capitals of Cape Verde

Total municipalities shown: 22 | Combined population: 598,682 | Combined area: 4,033 km²

#	Municipality Name	Capital City	Region	Area (km²)	Population (Latest Census)
1	Boa Vista	Sal Rei	Barlavento Islands	620	22,000
2	Brava	Nova Sintra	Sotavento Islands	67	5,800
3	Maio	Porto Inglês	Sotavento Islands	269	8,300
4	Mosteiros	Igreja	Sotavento Islands	85	10,500
5	Paul	Pombas	Barlavento Islands	54	6,700
6	Porto Novo	Porto Novo	Barlavento Islands	560	18,500
7	Praia	Praia	Sotavento Islands	102	168,000
8	Ribeira Brava	Ribeira Brava	Barlavento Islands	397	7,300
9	Ribeira Grande	Ponta do Sol	Barlavento Islands	166	32,000
10	Ribeira Grande de Santiago	Cidade Velha	Sotavento Islands	164	10,200
11	Sal	Espargos	Barlavento Islands	216	41,000
12	Santa Catarina	Assomada	Sotavento Islands	242	45,500
13	Santa Catarina do Fogo	Cova Figueira	Sotavento Islands	123	5,900
14	Santa Cruz	Pedra Badejo	Sotavento Islands	109	28,000
15	São Domingos	São Domingos	Sotavento Islands	134	14,500
16	São Filipe	São Filipe	Sotavento Islands	154	23,000
17	São Lourenço dos Órgãos	João Teves	Sotavento Islands	39	8,000
18	São Miguel	Calheta	Sotavento Islands	91	15,500
19	São Salvador do Mundo	Achada Igreja	Sotavento Islands	29	8,200
20	São Vicente	Mindelo	Barlavento Islands	227	81,282
21	Tarrafal	Tarrafal	Sotavento Islands	112	18,000
22	Tarrafal de São Nicolau	Tarrafal de São Nicolau	Barlavento Islands	131	10,300

Largest Municipalities by Area

Boa Vista - 239 sq mi (620 km²)
Porto Novo - 216 sq mi (560 km²)
Ribeira Brava - 153 sq mi (397 km²)
Maio - 104 sq mi (269 km²)
Santa Catarina - 93 sq mi (242 km²)
São Vicente - 88 sq mi (227 km²)
Sal - 83 sq mi (216 km²)
Ribeira Grande - 64 sq mi (166 km²)

Most Populous Municipalities

Praia - Population: 168,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
São Vicente - Population: 81,282 (Official Estimate 2024)
Santa Catarina - Population: 45,500 (Official Estimate 2024)
Sal - Population: 41,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Ribeira Grande - Population: 32,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Santa Cruz - Population: 28,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
São Filipe - Population: 23,000 (Official Estimate 2024)
Boa Vista - Population: 22,000 (Official Estimate 2024)

Smallest Municipalities by Area

São Salvador do Mundo - 11 sq mi (29 km²)
São Lourenço dos Órgãos - 15 sq mi (39 km²)
Paul - 21 sq mi (54 km²)
Brava - 26 sq mi (67 km²)
Mosteiros - 33 sq mi (85 km²)
São Miguel - 35 sq mi (91 km²)

Municipalities by Regional Grouping

Barlavento Islands: Boa Vista, Paul, Porto Novo, Ribeira Brava, Ribeira Grande, Sal, São Vicente, Tarrafal de São Nicolau
Sotavento Islands: Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Praia, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina do Fogo, Santa Cruz, São Domingos, São Filipe, São Lourenço dos Órgãos, São Miguel, São Salvador do Mundo, Tarrafal

Landlocked Municipalities

None - all municipalities in Cape Verde have access to the coast because the country is made up of islands.

Municipalities with Coastline

All 22 municipalities of Cape Verde have coastline access.

Municipalities Sharing Borders with Another Country

None - Cape Verde is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sources

World Countries and Capitals

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