Cabo Verde

Republic of Cape VerdeRepublica de Cabo Verde

republicIndependence 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Cabo Verde as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 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, UTC-1

Position16 00 N, 24 00 W

Area4,033 sq km

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

Populationas each edition published it

420,979 people July 2006 est. · 374,984 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.64% 2006 est. · 3.03% in 1993

Median ageyears

19.8 years 2006 est. · 18.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

70.73 years 2006 est. · 62.18 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.38 children per woman 2006 est. · 6.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

46.52 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 65 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$6,200 2005 est. · $800 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5.5% 2005 est. · 4% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

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.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 4,033 sq km

arable land 11.41%permanent crops 0.74%other 87.85% (2005)irrigated 30 sq km (2003)

Area

4,033sq km

land: 4,033 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly larger than Rhode Island

Coastline

965km

land boundaries: 0 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselinesterritorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Highest point

2,829m

Mt. Fogo · (a volcano on Fogo Island)lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Climate

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

Terrain

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Natural resources

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

Natural hazards

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

Environment - current issues

soil erosion;
deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel;
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

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

10,542

65 and over6.7%

17,844

113,450

15-6455.3%

119,423

80,594

0-1437.9%

79,126

MaleFemale

Population

420,979

(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 0.64% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth

24.87Death

6.55Net migration

-11.91

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)70.73

67.41 · 74.15Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)46.52

51.63 · 41.26

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)76.6%

85.8% · 69.2%Median age years (2006 est.)19.8

19 · 20.7

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.035%

(2001 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.38 children born/woman (2006 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

Religions

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

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001); Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51.2%

Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8%election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held February 2011)

National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional, 72 seats, elected 22 January 2006one dot, one seat

PAICV 41MPD 29ADM 2

Percent of vote

PAICV 52.3%MPD 44%UCID 2.7%

Country name

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

Government type

republic

Capital

name:: Praia
geographic coordinates:: 14 55 N, 23 31 W
time difference:: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

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

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;
a 1999 revision created 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 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 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%

Legislative branch

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, 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 [Victor FIDALGO, president];
Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO];
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 [Isaias RODRIGUES, president];
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

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

This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought.

39 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$2.99billion

(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $1.128 billion (2005 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$6,200

(2005 est.)

Real growth rate

5.5%

(2005 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

0.4%

(2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)

agriculture 12.1%industry 21.9%services 66% (2004 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

33.2%

Portugal

41.5%

38.2%

Spain

5.5%

9.2%

Italy

Netherlands

7.3%

5.4%

Morocco

France

4.8%

Belgium

4.7%

Brazil

4.3%

Exports $73.35 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)Imports $500 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues

$328.1 millionExpenditures

$393.1 million (2005 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

Electricity production

44.15 million (2003)Electricity consumption

41.06 million (2003)

Economy - overview

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 agriculture in GDP in 2004 was only 12%, of which fishing accounted 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 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.

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

81,700

(2005)

Internet users

234

(2006)

Fixed lines

71,400

(2005) · country code .cv

Telephone system

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
international:: country code - 238;
2 coaxial submarine cables;
HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Transportation

5 fields

Merchant marine, 7 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,300 GRT/7,726 DWT

cargo 2chemical tanker 1passenger/cargo 4foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2006)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

over 3,047 m

11,524 to 2,437 m

1914 to 1,523 m

4under 914 m

Airports

7 (2006)

Roadways

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

Ports and terminals

Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal

Military

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing)

4 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.7%

(2005 est.)

Military branches

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49:: 84,641
females age 18-49:: 87,310 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:: 65,614
females age 18-49:: 73,662 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cape Verde.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cabo-verde/2006.

How to cite ← 2005 edition 2007 edition →

Introduction

Geography

People

Government

Economy

Communications

Transportation

Military

Transnational Issues

Cite this entry