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Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30,221,532 km² (11,668,545 sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area, and 20.4% of the total land area. With more than 900,000,000 people (as of 2005) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. There are 46 countries including Madagascar, and 53 including all the island groups. |
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| Santo Antão (Portuguese for "Saint Anthony"), or Sontonton in Cape Verdean Creole, is the westernmost and largest of the Barlavento islands of Cape Verde. The nearest main island is São Vicente to the southeast, separated by a channel named Canal de São Vicente. It is the westernmost large island in Cape Verde and the continent of Africa, and the second largest in Cape Verde. The island, entirely made up of volcanic material, was discovered in 1462 by Diogo Afonso, but was not given its current name until around the 1500s. First inhabited in 1548, it is divided into north and south by a mountain range long considered impenetrable but now crossed by a road. The island's main town is Ribeira Grande on the north coast, home to an airport, while its ferry port is Porto Novo on the south coast. A part of the island in the southeast has an arid climate, while the northwest receives relatively normal precipitation. Its valleys are suffering heavy erosion. Many of its volcanoes are young, especially its calderas. Its mountains are composed of basalt.
The tallest mountain is Topo de Coroa, reaching a height of 1,979 m. The second tallest is Pico da Cruz at 1,585 m.
Fishing and paper production are the main industries on the island. The main sources of agriculture are sugar cane, yams, cassava, bananas, mangoes, and grain, as well as fishing. The main product on the island is a kind of rum and is known as grogue. Tourism is becoming one of the most dominant industries on the island. The island is the most touristic island in Cape Verde. The island is very pretty and people are very polite and are well-educated. Bathing and fishing are in the area of Tarrafal de Monte Trigo.
Since 1999, vulcanologists have observed continuous rising of the water temperature of the sea in the area of Ponta do Sol which may indicate the risk of a new eruption in the area.
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