Cabo Verde

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

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

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.58 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Cape Verdean(s)

adjective:

Cape Verdean

conventional long form:

Republic of Cape Verde

conventional short form:

Cape Verde

local long form:

Republica de Cabo Verde

local short form:

Cabo Verde

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

• 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)

chief of state:

President Pedro Verona Rodriques 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%

• African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman];
• 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 [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]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Fatima Lima VEIGA

chancery:

3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 965-6820

FAX:

[1] (202) 965-1207

consulate(s) general:

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marianne M. MYLES

embassy:

Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia

mailing address:

C. P. 201, Praia

telephone:

[238] 2-60-89-00

FAX:

[238] 2-61-13-55

• 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

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

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)

total:

1,350 km

country comparison to the world: 178

paved:

932 km

unpaved:

418 km (2000)

males age 16-49:

103,650

females age 16-49:

103,553 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

84,967

females age 16-49:

90,154 (2009 est.)

male:

5,471

female:

5,349 (2009 est.)

• 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)