Cabo Verde

republicIndependence 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Cabo Verde as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 64 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPraia

Area4,030 km2

Populationas each edition published it

386,501 people July 1991 · 374,984 in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.03% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 62.18 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.6 children per woman 1991 · 6.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

63 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 65 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $800 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 4% in 1993

Corrected. Source files these entries under Canada. Cape Verde and Canada shared the code ca in the text editions. All corrections

Geography

11 fields

Total area

4,030km2

land area: 4,030 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Coastline

965km

land boundaries: noneMaritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic

Natural resources

salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish

Land use

arable land 9%;
permanent crops NEGL%;
meadows and pastures 6%;
forest and woodland NEGL%;
other 85%;
includes irrigated 1%

Environment

subject to prolonged droughts;
harmattan wind can obscure visibility;
volcanically and seismically active;
deforestation;
overgrazing

Note

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

People

14 fields

Population

386,501

(July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

48Death

Ethnic divisions

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

Labor force

102,000

(1985 est.); agriculture (mostly subsistence) 57%, services 29%, industry 14% (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)

Literacy

66%

(male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

Nationality

noun--Cape Verdean(s); adjective--Cape Verdean

Religion

Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs

Language

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

Organized labor

Trade Unions of Cape Verde Unity Center (UNTC-CS)

Government

Republic

15 fields

People's National Assembly, 79 seats, elected 13 January 1991one dot, one seat

MPD 56PAICV 23

Administrative divisions

14 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho);
Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

Constitution

7 September 1980; amended 12 February 1981, NA December 1988, and 28 September 1990 (legalized opposition parties)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy minister, secretaries of state, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular)

Judicial branch

Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justia) Chief of State--President Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (since 22 March 1991);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA (since 13 January 1991) Movement for Democracy (MPD), Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA, founder and chairman;
African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held 17 February 1991 (next to be held February 1996);
results--Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (MPD) received 72.6% of vote;
People's National Assembly--last held 13 January 1991 (next to be held January 1996);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(79 total) MPD 56, PAICV 23;
note--this multiparty Assembly election ended 15 years of single-party rule

Member of

ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Luis de Matos Monteiro da FONSECA;
Chancery at 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007;
telephone (202) 965-6820;
there is a Cape Verdean Consulate General in Boston;
US--Ambassador Francis T. (Terry) McNAMARA;
Embassy at Rua Hojl Ya Yenna 81, Praia (mailing address is C. P. 201, Praia);
telephone [238] 614-363 or 614-253

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side;
in the upper portion of the red band is a black five-pointed star framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell;
uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
similar to the flag of Guinea-Bissau which is longer and has an unadorned black star centered in the red band

Economy

Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birthrate.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$262million

per capita $740; real growth rate 3.2% (1988 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

8.2%

(1988 est.)

Unemployment rate

25%

(1988)

External debt

$150million

(December 1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$98.3 millionExpenditures

$138.4 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)

Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birthrate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for 65% of GDP during the period 1985-88. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 16%;

the fishing sector accounts for 4%. About 90% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. In 1988 fishing represented only 3.5% of GDP. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by remittances from emigrants and foreign aid.

Exports

$10.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--fish, bananas, salt;
partners--Portugal, Angola, Algeria, France, Italy

Imports

$107.8 million (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--petroleum, foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products;
partners--Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, France, Brazil, FRG

Industrial production

growth rate 18% (1988 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP

Electricity

13,000 kW capacity; 15 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1990)

Industry

fish processing, salt mining, clothing factories, ship repair, construction materials, food and beverage production

Agriculture

accounts for 16% of GDP;
largely subsistence farming;
bananas are the only export crop;
other crops--corn, beans, sweet potatoes, coffee;
growth potential of agricultural sector limited by poor soils and limited rainfall;
annual food imports required;
fish catch provides for both domestic consumption and small exports

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-89), $88 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $590 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $36 million

Currency

Cape Verdean escudo (plural--escudos); 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1--64.10 (November 1990), 74.86 (December 1989), 72.01 (1988), 72.5 (1987), 76.56 (1986), 85.38 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

5 fields

Airports, 6 total, 6 usable

permanent-surface runways

6runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

1runways 1,220-2,439 m

Ports

Mindelo and Praia

Merchant marine

7 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,708 GRT/19,000 DWT

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft (4 owned, 1 leased)

Telecommunications

interisland radio relay system, high-frequency radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau;
1,740 telephones;
stations--5 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV;
2 coaxial submarine cables;
1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station