Santa Maria salt ponds

{{Infobox protected area

| name = Salt ponds of Santa Maria

| alt_name =

| photo = Cabo Verde Sal Santa Maria salinas.jpg

| photo_caption = Saline marsh of Santa Maria

| created =

| area = {{convert|69|hectare}}

| length =

| width =

| elevation =

| iucn_category =

| location = north of Santa Maria, Sal, Cape Verde

}}

The salt ponds of Santa Maria (Portuguese: Salinas de Santa Maria) are a complex of salt evaporation ponds north of the city Santa Maria in the southernmost part of the island of Sal, Cape Verde. It is one of two on the island, the other is near Pedra de Lume. The salt ponds are a protected area as a protected landscape, covering 69 hectares.[http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/cvi154186.pdf Resolução nº 36/2016], Estratégia e Plano Nacional de Negócios das Áreas Protegidas[http://www.areasprotegidas.gov.cv/images/Paisagens%20Protegidas_pdf.pdf Paisagens Protegidas], Áreas protegidas Cabo Verde

File:Santa Maria - Saline am Ortsrand 02.JPG

Santa Maria was founded in 1830 for the production of salt. Up to 30,000 tons of salt were shipped from Santa Maria each year.{{cite web|url=http://www1.umassd.edu/SpecialPrograms/caboverde/salhist.html|title=A History of Ilha do Sal|author=Ray Almeida|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160206120818/http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/salhist.html |archive-date= 6 February 2016 |url-status= dead}} Most of the product was exported to Brazil, which was halted in 1887 when Brazil imposed a high tax on imported salt to protect its own salt production. The town went into a deep decline, only to recover in 1920 when a Portuguese investor resumed salt production. In 1927, salt started to be exported to the Belgian Congo which remained until the nation became independent in 1961 and nationalized its salt production. Salt production started to decline and was ceased in 1984.