Editing São Vicente, Cape Verde (section)

== Economy ==
[[File:Ilheu dos Passaros.jpg|thumb|right|Landscape view of ''Ilhéu dos Pássaros'', Cape Verde]]
The economy of the island was always based almost exclusively on [[commerce]] and services. Due to lack of rain, [[agriculture]] is at a subsistence level. Fishing has some relevance, but conditions prevent it from being more important, not only for the catch—[[lobster]]—but also for the associated industries: [[conserves]], drying and salting of fish, and [[naval construction]].

[[Porto Grande Bay|Porto Grande]] is the main port of Cape Verde, through which passes much of the country's imports. It has a terminal of containers, silos, and refrigeration units that make handling load overflow possible. There is also a modern seawater [[desalination]] plant, which provides water for public consumption and for naval shipyards.

In the [[industrial sector]], the island presents an abundance of manpower, even though unskilled, resulting from the exodus of inhabitants of other islands to São Vicente. About 27% of the employed population is unskilled. Highly qualified employees—company executives, public administrators, and managers and directors—make up less than 2% of employees. It is distinguished, however, by a bigger participation of women in decision-making positions than the national average.

According to the 2010 census, the island of São Vicente has the largest unemployment rate of the country—14.8%—while the national average is 10.7%.<ref name=resumo/> Unemployment affects women more than men. The industrial park of the island—the Industrial Zone of the [[Lazareto]]—concentrates diverse types of manufacturing, essentially due to foreign investment, in the activities of footwear, confections, and fish processing.

The National Center of Workmanship of Mindelo supports local craftsmen in the production and commercialization of ceramic parts, articles made of [[coconut]] rinds, and necklaces of shells and [[rock (geology)|rock]]s.

Many sports are practised in São Vicente, and many have spread to the remaining islands. The island is suitable for [[windsurfing]]; the beach of São Pedro is considered one of the best for windsurfing, as shown by the many world-class champions of the sport. [[Cycling]], walking trails and [[horseback riding]] are ways to explore the island. São Vicente has an excellent 18-hole [[golf]] course. For these reasons, [[tourism]] has excellent growth potential on São Vicente and in the rest of the Cape Verde archipelago. Travel between the diverse localities of the island is provided by a system of public transportation operated by five private companies: Transcor.SA, Morabeza Transport, Transport Joy, Friendship, Sotral and Automindelo. However, especially for places farthest from the city of the Mindelo, namely Baía das Gatas, [[Calhau]], and São Pedro, van and bus leasing are the usual forms of transportation.