The small islet of Sal Rei, which is mainly
sandy and grassy, lies in the harbor. Mountains are to the north and northeast
and further north are Ponta do Sol and Cabo Santa Maria. A plain
covers much of the area around Sal as well as Praia da Chave and
serves a beach town. Land on Boa Vista is dry, rocky, and uncultivatived, with
a few farms subsisting in the area around Sal Rei. Forests cover the northern
part of the island, and the dry island desert dominates the rest of the area
around Maio. A small saline marsh lies to the northwest.
