São Nicolau is one of the Windward islands of Cape Verde. It is a mountainous island, resulting from an extremely volcanic past.

Gordo Mountain has 1304 meters and is the highest point of the island, having two convergent mountains: one in the north / south direction and the other in the east / west direction.

The island’s economy is based mainly on agriculture, and the island itself is subject to droughts. Nonetheless its agricultural potential, the island’s first export product was coffee which was progressively replaced by sugar cane.

Populated for the first time in the sixteenth century, it is known for its mountains and the main village “Ribeira Brava”, seat of the diocese of Cape Verde for quite some time. Its other village is the “Tarrafal” port.

“Ribeira Brava” is a village with narrow streets and where, for its architecture and symbolism, the Church and Seminary-College stand out, the latter opened in 1866. Recognised as the birthplace of the literary movement "Clarity", a landmark in Cape Verde's literature, it is distinguished as an important cultural focus that came to influence several generations of Cape Verdean intellectuals.

Fishing is a major activity on the island and the basis for the installation of a fish canning industry in “Tarrafal”, a fishing village located in the far east of the island which was quickly developed and became a town in early nineties.

Its remarkable growth left the population craving for autonomy, achieved with the promotion of “Tarrafal” region to the status of municipality in 2005, by the law 67/VI/2005, after detaching part of the territory of São Nicolau’s municipality, now renamed as Municipality of “Ribeira Brava”.