The city of Praia is the capital of Cape Verde, an archipelago country in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal. It is located south of the island of Santiago. It is also the seat of the municipality of the same name. Praia is the largest city in Cape Verde. It has a commercial port, through which coffee, sugar cane and tropical fruits are exported. It also has an important fishing industry.

As the capital city, it shelters in the zone called Plateau, a promontory by the sea, public buildings and other important constructions, such as the Presidential Palace, built in the end of the XIX century to be the residence of the Portuguese governor. Other buildings include the old City Hall, a building with a classical façade and a square central tower, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, also in the classical style, the Ethnographic Museum, and the Monument to Diogo Gomes, a Portuguese navigator and discoverer of Santiago Island in 1460.