Santiago or Santiagu in Cape Verdean Creole, is the largest island of Cape Verde

Cape Verde

The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...

, its most important agricultural centre and home to half the nation’s population. At the time of Darwin's voyage it was called St. Jago.

Santiago is located between the islands of Maio

Maio, Cape Verde

Maio is the easternmost of the Sotavento islands of Cape Verde. Maio is located south of the islands of Boa Vista and east of Santiago. The island is also known for its large forest, which is unusual for Cape Verde.-Geography:The island covers an area of 269 km²...

 (40 km west) and Fogo

Fogo, Cape Verde

Fogo is an island in the Sotavento group of Cape Verde. It is the most prominent of the group, rising to nearly 3,000 m above sea level at Pico do Fogo.-Geography:...

 (50 km east) and is one of the Sotavento. It was the first of the islands to be settled, the town of Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha , or simplyCidadi in Cape Verdean Creole, is a city located 15 km from Praia on the island of Santiago. It is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and used to serve as the capital of Cape Verde...

 being founded as Riberia Grande in 1462.