Cape Verde

Cape Verde /ˌkeɪp ˈvɜːrd/ or Cabo Verde /kɑːboʊ ˈvɜːrdeɪ/, /kæ-/ (Portuguese: Cabo Verde, pronounced: [ˈkabu ˈveɾdɨ]), officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country spanning an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. Located 570 kilometres (350 mi) off the coast of Western Africa, the islands cover a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).

The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Ideally located for the Atlantic slave trade, the islands grew prosperous throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants, privateers, and pirates. The end of slavery in the 19th century led to economic decline and emigration, although Cape Verde gradually recovered as an important commercial center and stopover for shipping routes. Incorporated as an overseas department of Portugal in 1951, the islands continued to agitate for independence, which was peacefully achieved in 1975.

Sal, Cape Verde

Sal (Portuguese for “salt” — from the mines at Pedra de Lume) is an island in Cape Verde. It belongs to the northern group of islands, called Barlavento ("windwards"), and comprises a single administrative division, the Sal municipality. The island is home to Amílcar Cabral International Airport, the main airport of Cape Verde.

History

The island was discovered on December 3, 1460 and named Llana until salt deposits were found. Sal is the geologically oldest island in Cape Verde, formed 50 million years ago during the eruption of a volcano which is now inactive.

Geography

The island is 35 km long by 12 km wide. It is one of the three sandy eastern islands (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio) of the archipelago, with white sandy beaches and fairly flat. The highest elevation of 408 m is at Monte Grande. Serra Negra has a height of 92 m.

Climate

Sal Island has on average 350 days of sunshine a year. Winds mainly blow from the northeast. However,some days do also have clouds, but they tend to be scattered and seldom bring rain. The 'rainy season' is from July to mid-October, although rainfall is still low.

RIU Hotels

RIU Hotels & Resorts was founded in Mallorca, Spain, in 1953 as a small summer business for the Riu family, and is currently owned by TUI and run by the third generation of the family. The company's business is focused on the holiday hotel sector and over 70% of its establishments offer an all inclusive service.

With the opening of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU extended its range of products with its own line of city hotels called Riu Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts has 105 hotels in 19 countries, and employs 27,813 people. Last year (2014) its hotels welcomed a total of 4 million guests. Nowadays RIU is the 30th biggest hotel chain in the world, and one of the most important at the Caribbean and the third in Spain.

History

RIU Hotels & Resorts is a Spanish hotel chain founded by the Riu family as a small holiday firm in 1953, the first hotel being Riu San Francisco in Mallorca. The RIU Hotels & Resorts chain is still owned by the Riu family's third generation.

In 2010, RIU Hotels & Resorts launched their new line of Riu Plaza city hotels. These are located in the centre of large cities and cater for both business travellers and tourists. RIU has hotels in Spain, Portugal, Dominican Republic, United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Aruba, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Bulgaria, Germany, Costa Rica, Panama, Cape Verde, Mauritius, St. Martin and Sri Lanka (2016).

Santa Maria

Santa María (with diacritic over the "i") or Santa Maria may refer to:

People

Churches

Bikini Beach

Bikini Beach is a 1964 American teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in the series of seven films produced by American International Pictures (AIP).

Plot

School is out and the teenagers head for the beach. All is well until millionaire Harvey Huntington Honeywagon III (Wynn) comes around, convinced that the beachgoers are so senselessly obsessed with sex that their mentality is below that of a primate – especially Honeywagon's wunderkind pet chimp Clyde, who can surf, drive, and watusi better than anyone on the beach. With the teenagers demoralized and discredited, Honeywagon plans to turn Bikini Beach into a senior citizens retirement home.

Meanwhile, foppish British rocker and drag racer Peter Royce Bentley, better known as "The Potato Bug" (played by Frankie Avalon in a dual role), has taken up residence on Bikini Beach. Annoyed by Frankie's reluctance to start their relationship towards marriage, Dee Dee becomes receptive to Potato Bug's advances. In a jealous rage, Frankie challenges The Potato Bug to a drag race, in hopes of winning Dee Dee back.