Cape Verde

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The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents. Independence was achieved in 1975.

Contents 1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography

Location 

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal

Geographic coordinates 

16 00 N, 24 00 W

Map references 

Political Map of the World

Area 

total: 4,033 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 4,033 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

965 km

Maritime claims 

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM

Climate 

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic

Terrain 

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)

Natural resources 

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish

Land use 

arable land: 9.68%
permanent crops: 0.5%
other: 89.82% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

30 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active

Environment - current issues 

soil erosion; demand for wood used as fuel has resulted in deforestation; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note 

strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site

People

Population 

408,760 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 86,466; female 84,918)
15-64 years: 51.5% (male 100,684; female 109,841)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 10,363; female 16,488) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.85% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

27.81 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.01 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-12.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

51.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 69.52 years
female: 72.91 years (2002 est.)
male: 66.23 years

Total fertility rate 

3.91 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.04% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

775 (2001)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

225 (as of 2001)

Nationality 

noun: Cape Verdean(s)
adjective: Cape Verdean

Ethnic groups 

Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Religions 

Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)

Languages 

Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.6%
male: 81.4%
female: 63.8% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde
conventional short form: Cape Verde
local short form: Cabo Verde
local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde

Government type 

republic

Capital 

Praia

Administrative divisions 

17 districts (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Calheta, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Nicolau, Sao Filipe, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

Independence 

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

Constitution 

new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president, and a further revision in 1999, to create the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)

Legal system 

derived from the legal system of Portugal

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

chief of state: President Pedro 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; election last held 11 and 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA February 2006); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
election results: Pedro PIRES elected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 49.43%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 49.42%; note - the election was won by only twelve votes

Legislative branch 

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA December 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD 39.8%, ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 2

Judicial branch 

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia

Political parties and leaders 

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, chairman]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Jacinto SANTOS, president]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Anibal MEDINA, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Jose BRITO
consulate(s) general: Boston
FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207
telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820
chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald C. JOHNSON
embassy: Rua Abilio m. Macedo 81, Praia
mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia
telephone: [238] 61 56 16, 61 56 17
FAX: [238] 61 13 55

Flag description 

three horizontal bands of light blue (top, double width), white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third), and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and lower blue bands

Economy

Economy - overview 

Cape Verde 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, and public services accounting for 70% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of agriculture in GDP in 2001 was only 11%, of which fishing accounts for 1.5%. 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, launched by the new democratic government in 1991, are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Prospects for 2002 depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $600 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

3% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 11%
industry: 17%
services: 72% (2001)

Population below poverty line 

30% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

3% (2001)

Labor force 

NA

Unemployment rate 

21% (2000 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $112 million
expenditures: $198 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)

Industries 

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair

Industrial production growth rate 

NA%

Electricity - production 

41 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

38.13 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish

Exports 

$27.3 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities 

fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides

Exports - partners 

Portugal 45%, UK 20%, Germany 20%, Guinea-Bissau 5% (1999)

Imports 

$218 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities 

foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners 

Portugal 52%, Germany 7%, France 4%, UK 3% (1999)

Debt - external 

$301 million (2000)

Economic aid - recipient 

$136 million (1999)

Currency 

Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)

Currency code 

CVE

Exchange rates 

Cape Verdean escudos per US dollar - 123.556 (January 2002), 115.877 (2000), 102.700 (1999), 98.158 (1998), 93.177 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

60,935 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

28,119 (2002)

Telephone system 

general assessment: effective system, being improved
domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine fiber-optic cable system which is scheduled for completion in 2003
international: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 0, FM 15 (and 17 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2002)

Radios 

100,000 (2002 est.)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (and 7 repeaters) (2002)

Televisions 

15,000 (2002 est.)

Internet country code 

.cv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

1 (2002)

Internet users 

12,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: 1,100 km
paved: 858 km
unpaved: 242 km (1996)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal

Merchant marine 

total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,395 GRT/6,614 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 1
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)

Airports 

9
note: 3 airports are reported to be nonoperational (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 6 3
over 3,047 m: 1 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Army, Coast Guard

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 92,486 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 52,215 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$9.3 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

1.6% (FY01)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from Latin America and Asia destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

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