Due to the aridity of the south coast of Santo Antão, settlement began relatively late. The city was initially a fishing village called
Porto dos Carvoeiros. From only 30 dispersed buildings in 1901, it started growing in the 1910s. The port was inaugurated in 1962, and modernized in 2012-14. Before 1962, ships had to
anchor in the bay of Alto Peixinho, and goods and passengers had to be brought ashore with small boats. The seat of the
Porto Novo municipality created in 1962, it gradually became the largest urban settlement of the island. In 2005 the town of Porto Novo became a city. ==Climate==