| Ribeira do Calhau R’bera d Kaiau |
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| Origin | central São Vicente |
| Length | approximately 15 km |
| Mouth elevation | Atlantic Ocean |
| Basin area | Atlantic Ocean |
Ribeira do Calhau (in Cape Verdean Creole, written in ALUPEC: R’bera d Kaiau) is a ribeira (stream) that flows in the eastern part of the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde. The stream flows from west to east and is almost entirely dry except on rainy days. It is one of the longest streams on the island and its total length is approximately 15 km.
The stream starts from near Madeiral in the Calhau Valley which contains farmlands that extend from 400 to 800 m away with mountains surrounding the northern parts. Trees and some forests dominate within the stream. At 3 km from the Atlantic, it enters the desert terrain of the island and into a small plain where no farlmands dominate. The stream empties into the Atlantic nearly 1 km south of the village of Calhau and north of another village named Topim.
The stream begins just in the central part of a small mountain range located in the central part of the island. It flows in the forested part of the island that are filled with pine trees and some other types. The stream flows into the valley with steep cliffs and farmlands with a couple of forests and the road linking Porto Novo and Ribeira Grande runs in the east side of the stream and portions on the west side. The stream flows near several villages and several mountains, an abandoned mining pit lies near Eito, it flows into the town of Ribeira Grande and empties around 500 m north of the town centre.
The stream during sunny days are mainly dry during the summer and wet and flowing during the winter months. One of the areas in the western and the central parts are used for trading areas especially agriculture.
Several streams in the western and the central parts empties into the Ribeira do Calhau.
| The island of São Vicente and the surrounding islands |
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