a of 75
sq. m. It was originally named _Lana_, or _Lhana_ ("plain"), from the
flatness of the greater part of its surface. It derives its modern
name from a natural salt-spring, but most of the salt produced here is
now obtained from artificial salt-pans. Towards the close of the 17th
century it was inhabited only by a few shepherds, and by slaves
employed in the salt-works. In 1705 it was entirely abandoned, owing
to drought and consequent famine; and only in 1808 was the manufacture
of salt resumed. A railway, the first built in Portuguese territory,
was opened in 1835. The hostile Brazilian tariffs of 1889 for a time
nearly destroyed the salt trade. Whales, turtles and fish are
abundant, and dairy-farming is a prosperous industry. There are many
small harbours, which render every part of the island easily
accessible.

_Boa Vista_ (2600), the most easterly island of the archipelago, has
an area of 235 sq. m. It was named Sao Christovao by its discoverers
in the 15th century. Its modern name, meaning "fair view," is
singularly inappropriate, for with the exception of a few coco-nut
trees there is no wood, and in the dry season the island seems nothing
but an arid waste. The little vegetation that then exists is in the
bottom of ravines, where corn, beans and cotton are cultivated. The
springs of good water are few. The coast is indented by numerous
shallow bays, the largest of which is the harbour of the capital,
Porto Sal-Rei, on the western side (pop. about 1000). A chain of
heights, flanked by inferior ranges, traverses the middle of Boa
Vista, culminating in Monte Gallego (1250 ft.), towards the east. In
the north-western angle of the island there is a low tract of loose
sand, which is inundated with water during the rainy season; and here
are some extensive salt-pans, where the sea-water is evaporated by the
heat of the sun. Salt and orchil are exported. A good deal of fish is
taken on the coast and supplies the impoverished islanders with much
of their food.

_Maio_ (1000) has an area of 70 sq. m., and resembles Sal and Boa
Vista in climate and configuration, although it belongs to the
Sotavento group. Its best harbour is that of Nossa Senhora da Luz, on
the south-west coast, and is commonly known as Porto Inglez or English
Road, from the fact that it was occupied until the end of the 18th
century by the British, who based their claim on