The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
16 00 N, 24 00 W
Political Map of the World
total: 4,033 sq km ; land: 4,033 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
slightly larger than Rhode Island
0 km
965 km
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines ; territorial sea: 12 nm ; contiguous zone: 24 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)
salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum
arable land: 11.41% ; permanent crops: 0.74% ; other: 87.85% (2005)
30 sq km (2003)
0.3 cu km (1990)
Total: 0.02 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) ; Per capita: 39 cu m/yr (2000)
prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active
soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel; water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site
423,613 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 36.9% (male 78,971/female 77,524) ; 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 116,751/female 122,065) ; 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 10,423/female 17,879) (2007 est.)
total: 20.2 years ; male: 19.4 years ; female: 21.1 years (2007 est.)
0.606% (2007 est.)
24.4 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-11.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.956 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.583 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.948 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 45.27 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 50.31 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 40.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 71.02 years ; male: 67.69 years ; female: 74.44 years (2007 est.)
3.28 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.035% (2001 est.)
775 (2001)
225 (as of 2001)
noun: Cape Verdean(s) ; adjective: Cape Verdean
Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 76.6% ; male: 85.8% ; female: 69.2% (2003 est.)


conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde ; conventional short form: Cape Verde ; local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde ; local short form: Cabo Verde
republic
name: Praia ; geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W ; time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
17 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995 substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)
based on the legal system of Portugal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001) ; head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001) ; cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister ; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2011); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president ; election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8%
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) ; election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%, UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, UCID 2
Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia
African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias RODRIGUES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]
NA
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue - equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars, each representing one of the islands, is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side
chief of mission: Ambassador Jose BRITO ; chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 ; telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820 ; FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207 ; consulate(s) general: Boston
chief of mission: Ambassador Roger D. PIERCE ; embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia ; mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia ; telephone: [238] 2-60-89-00 ; FAX: [238] 2-61-13-55





This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for 66% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of food production in GDP is low. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program.
$3.709 billion (2007 est.)
$1.441 billion (2007 est.)
7% (2007 est.)
$7,000 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 9.3% ; industry: 16.9% ; services: 73.9% (2007 est.)
120,600 (1990)

21% (2000 est.)
30% (2000)
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

3% (2007 est.)
36.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $444.7 million ; expenditures: $496 million (2007 est.)

bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish
food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair
9% (2007 est.)
45 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
41.85 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005)
2,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
2,080 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$218 million (2007 est.)
$100.2 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides
Spain 43.3%, Portugal 21.9%, Netherlands 12.8%, Morocco 4.6% (2006)
$727.1 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Portugal 41.2%, Netherlands 10.6%, Spain 6.2%, Italy 5.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.2%, Brazil 4.8% (2006)

$343.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)
$325 million (2002)



Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)
CVE
Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 81.235 (2007), 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003)
calendar year
$160.6 million (2005)
71,600 (2006)
108,900 (2006)
general assessment: effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995 ; domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber-optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998; broadband services launched in 2004 ; international: country code - 238; landing point for the Atlantis-2 fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links to South America, Senegal, and Europe; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
AM 0, FM 22 (plus 12 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2001)
100,000 (2002 est.)
1 (plus 7 repeaters) (2001)
15,000 (2002 est.)
.cv
344 (2007)
1 (2002)
29,000 (2005)

8 (2007)
total: 8 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 4 ; under 914 m: 1 (2007)




total: 1,350 km ; paved: 932 km ; unpaved: 418 km (2000)

total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 13,922 GRT/7,726 DWT ; by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 5 ; foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2007)
Porto Grande

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing) (2007)
18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)
males age 18-49: 84,641 ; females age 18-49: 87,310 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 65,614 ; females age 18-49: 73,662 (2005 est.)

0.7% (2005)

none

used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

