It is the seat of the Tarrafal de São Nicolau Municipality, and the main port of the island.

It is situated on the west coast, 9 km southwest of Ribeira Brava.

The city is divided into neighborhoods (bairros) including: Before the 19th century, the roadstead of Tarrafal was little used because it was far from the main settlement of the island, Ribeira Brava.

[4] It became an anchorage for whaling ships in the 19th century, and fish processing infrastructure was built, leading to further growth of the settlement.

The total length of the quays is 137 m, and the maximum depth is 7 m.[5] There are ferry connections from Tarrafal to the islands of São Vicente (Mindelo) and Santiago (Praia).