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

slightly larger than Rhode Island

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

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

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

516,100 (July 2011 est.)

21.47 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

6.34 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

PRAIA (capital) 125,000 (2009)

2.49 children born/woman (2011 est.)

urban: 85% of population

rural: 82% of population

total: 84% of population

urban: 15% of population

rural: 17% of population

total: 16% of population (2008)

urban: 65% of population

rural: 38% of population

total: 54% of population

urban: 35% of population

rural: 62% of population

total: 46% of population (2008)

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

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

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

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)

civil law system of Portugal

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia; Court of Audit; Military Courts; Fiscal and Customs Courts

African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Jorge SANTOS]; 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]

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, 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

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 is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side; blue stands for the sea and the sky, the circle of stars represents the 10 major islands united into a nation, the stripes symbolize the road to formation of the country through peace (white) and effort (red)

This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought and poor soil for agriculture on several of the islands. The economy is service oriented with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for about three-fourths of GDP. Although about 40% 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 its large pool of emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Despite the lack of resources, sound economic management has produced steadily improving incomes. Continued 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. Cape Verde became a member of the WTO in July 2008.

$1.908 billion (2010 est.)

$1.81 billion (2009 est.)

$1.747 billion (2008 est.)

$1.651 billion (2010 est.)

36.9% of GDP (2010 est.)

7.5% (31 December 2009)

7.5% (31 December 2008)

10.98% (31 December 2009 est.)

9.99% (31 December 2008 est.)

$585 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$628.4 million (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.314 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.399 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.179 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.256 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

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

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

250 million kWh (2007 est.)

232.5 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

2,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

1,619 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$-286 million (2010 est.)

$-319 million (2009 est.)

$114 million (2010 est.)

$105 million (2009 est.)

fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides

Spain 53.98%, Portugal 22.23%, Morocco 7.13% (2009)

$858 million (2010 est.)

$835 million (2009 est.)

foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels

Portugal 44.86%, Netherlands 15.51%, Spain 6.1%, Italy 4.46%, Brazil 4.21% (2009)

$296 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$284 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar -

state-run TV and radio broadcast network plus a growing number of private broadcasters; Portuguese public TV and radio services for Africa are available; transmissions of a few international broadcasters are obtainable (2007)

Armed Forces: Army (also called the National Guard), Cape Verde Coast Guard (Guardia Costeira de Cabo Verde, GCCV; includes Air Force (Forca Aerea Caboverdaine), naval infantry) (2011)

18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)

used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine destined for Western Europe, particularly because of Lusophone links to Brazil, Portugal, and Guinea-Bissau; has taken steps to deter drug money laundering, including a 2002 anti-money laundering reform that criminalizes laundering the proceeds of narcotics trafficking and other crimes and the establishment in 2008 of a Financial Intelligence Unit (2008)