Cabo Verde

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

agricultural land:

18.6%;

• arable land 11.7%;
• permanent crops 0.7%;
• permanent pasture 6.2%

forest:

21%

other:

60.4% (2011 est.)

• among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable;
• islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled to exploit their extensive salt deposits;
• the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged the soil fertility and vegetation;
• approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia;
• Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population

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

volcanism:

Fogo (2,829 m), which last erupted in 1995, is Cabo Verde's only active volcano

• soil erosion;
• deforestation due to demand for firewood;
• 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

noun:

Cabo Verdean(s)

adjective:

Cabo Verdean

• among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable;
• islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled to exploit their extensive salt deposits;
• the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations, but agriculture and livestock grazing have damaged the soil fertility and vegetation;
• approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia;
• Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.75 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.61 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Cabo Verde

conventional short form:

Cabo Verde

local long form:

Republica de Cabo Verde

local short form:

Cabo Verde

etymology:

the name derives from Cap-Vert (Green Cape) on the Senegalese coast, the westernmost point of Africa and the nearest mainland to the islands

name:

Praia

geographic coordinates:

14 55 N, 23 31 W

time difference:

UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 22 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho);
• Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Porto Novo, Praia, Ribeira Brava, Ribeira Grande, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina do Fogo, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Lourenco dos Orgaos, Sao Miguel, Sao Salvador do Mundo, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal, Tarrafal de Sao Nicolau

history:

previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992

amendments:

• proposals require support of at least four-fifths of the active National Assembly membership;
• amendment drafts require sponsorship of at least one-third of the active Assembly membership;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership;
• constitutional sections including those on national independence, form of government, political pluralism, suffrage, and human rights and liberties cannot be amended;
• revised 1995, 1999, 2010 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Cabo Verde

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Jorge Carlos FONSECA (since 9 September 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ulisses CORREIA E. SILVA (since 22 April 2016)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 2 October 2016 (next to be held in 2021);
• prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president

election results:

Jorge Carlos FONSECA reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 23%, other 3%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021)

election results:

percent of vote by party MPD 54.5%, PAICV 38.2%, UCID 6.96%, Other 0.4%; seats by party - MPD 40, PAICV 29, UCID 3

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 7 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and administrative sections)

judge selection and term of office:

• judge appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Superior Judicial Council (SJC), a 16-member independent body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general, 8 private citizens, 2 judges, 2 prosecutors, the senior legal inspector of the Attorney General's office, and a representative of the Ministry of Justice;
• chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court of Justice and in consultation with the SJC;
• judges appointed for life

subordinate courts:

appeals courts, first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts

• African Party for Independence of Cabo Verde or PAICV [Janira Hopffer ALMADA]
• Democratic and Independent Cabo 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 [Ulisses CORREIA E SILVA]
• Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO]
• Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Anibal MEDINA]
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Carlos VEIGA (since 18 January 2017)

chancery:

3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 965-6820

FAX:

[1] (202) 965-1207

consulate(s) general:

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador Donald L. HEFLIN (since 5 February 2015)

embassy:

Rua Abilio Macedo 6, 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 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)

name:

"Cantico da Liberdade" (Song of Freedom)

lyrics/music:

Amilcar Spencer LOPES/Adalberto Higino Tavares SILVA

note: adopted 1996

lowest 10%:

1.9%

highest 10%:

40.6% (2000)

general assessment:

effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995

domestic:

• major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom;
• 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) (2015)

• 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 available (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

2; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

567,182

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,728,152 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,350 km

paved:

932 km

unpaved:

418 km (2013)

country comparison to the world: 180

• 18-35 years of age for male and female selective compulsory military service;
• 2-years conscript service obligation;
• 17 years of age for voluntary service (with parental consent) (2013)

• 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