Fortress
Forte de São José
🇨🇻 Cape Verde · 19th century
Forte de São José (Portuguese for the Fort of Saint Joseph) is a fort located in the city of Porto Inglês in the southern part of Maio Island, Cape Verde. It was built by the Portuguese around 1743, in order to protect the town of Porto Inglês from pirate attacks. Today, the fort is one of the tourist attractions of the town.
A lighthouse was built in the fort in 1887. It is a stone tower painted white. The light is solar powered. It is 18 meters tall, sits at 4 meters above sea level and its focal height is 22 meters, its range is 17 km (9 nautical miles). Its characteristic is Fl (3) R 12s.
Text adapted from “Forte de São José (Maio)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Forte de São José ranks #6,597 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 3 mapped in Cape Verde. Founded 1887 — one of 607 atlas entries founded in the 19th century. See how Cape Verde compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Forte de São José?
Forte de São José stands in Cape Verde, at 15.13641°, -23.21242°.
When was Forte de São José built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1887. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Forte de São José?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #6,597 of 8,134 worldwide, and #3 in Cape Verde. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Forte de São José?
Fort Real de São Filipe, about 48 km away.
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