Cabo Verde

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

• 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 as shown in this population distribution map

• 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

• strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes;
• important communications station;
• important sea and air refueling site;
• one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia;
• the others are Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), and Madeira (Portugal)

noun:

Cabo Verdean(s)

adjective:

Cabo Verdean

total:

28.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

27.9 years

female:

29.6 years

• 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 as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

22.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

26.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

18.4 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

74.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

72 years

female:

76.7 years

total:

4.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

2.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

11.4% (2020 est.)

male:

17.3% (2020 est.)

female:

5.4% (2020 est.)

• deforestation due to demand for firewood;
• water shortages;
• prolonged droughts and improper use of land (overgrazing, crop cultivation on hillsides lead to desertification and erosion);
• environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles;
• illegal beach sand extraction;
• overfishing

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

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

urban population:

68% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.83% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

31.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.13 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

1.6 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

30 million cubic meters (2020 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)

etymology:

the earlier Portuguese name was Villa de Praia ("Village of the Beach"); it became just Praia in 1974 (prior to full independence in 1975)

• 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

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 Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 9 November 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Jose 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 17 October 2021 (next to be held in October 2026);
• prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president

election results:

• 2020: Jose Maria Pereira NEVES elected president;
• percent of vote - Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (PAICV) 51.7%, Carlos VEIGA (MPD) 42.4%, Casimiro DE PINA (independent) 1.8%, Fernando Rocha DELGADO (independent) 1.4%, Helio SANCHES (independent) 1.14%, Gilson ALVES (independent) 0.8%, Joaquim MONTEIRO (independent) 3.4%

; 2016: Jorge Carlos FONSECA reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74.1%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 22.5%, other 3.4%

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 18 April 2021 (next to be held in April 2026)

election results:

• percent of vote by party MPD 50.2%, PAICV 39.6%, UCID 9.0%, other 1.2%;
• seats by party - MPD 38, PAICV 30, UCID 4;
• composition - men 44, women 28, percentage women 38.9%

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
• Democratic and Independent Cabo Verdean Union or UCID
• Democratic Christian Party or PDC
• Democratic Renewal Party or PRD
• Movement for Democracy or MPD
• Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD
• Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS
• Social Democratic Party or PSD

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jose Luis do Livramento MONTEIRO ALVES DE BRITO (since 23 December 2020)

chancery:

3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 965-6820

FAX:

[1] (202) 965-1207

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.embcv-usa.gov.cv/

consulate(s) general:

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jennifer ADAMS (since 10 September 2024)

embassy:

Rua Abilio Macedo 6, Praia

mailing address:

2460 Praia Place, Washington DC 20521-2460

telephone:

[238] 260-8900

FAX:

[238] 261-1355

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://cv.usembassy.gov/

• 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

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Cidade Velha; Historic Center of Ribeira Grande

• stable, middle-income, developing island economy;
• strong GDP growth led by tourism sector recovery;
• sustained poverty reduction through PEDS II development plan;
• high reliance on foreign remittances and aid to finance external debt

agriculture:

4.5% (2023 est.)

industry:

10.7% (2023 est.)

services:

70.6% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

28.7% (2023 est.)

male:

24.9% (2023 est.)

female:

34.1% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2.2% (2015 est.)

highest 10%:

32.3% (2015 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

general assessment:

• LTE reaches almost 40% of the population;
• regulator awards commercial 4G licenses and starts 5G pilot;
• govt. extends USD 25 million for submarine fiber-optic cable project linking Africa to Portugal and Brazil (2020)

domestic:

9 per 100 fixed-line teledensity and nearly 100 per 100 mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 238;
• landing points for the Atlantis-2, EllaLink, Cabo Verde Telecom Domestic Submarine Cable Phase 1, 2, 3 and WACS fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links to South America, Africa, and Europe;
• HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

• 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

140,429 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,728,152 (2015) mt-km

total:

1,350 km

paved:

932 km

unpaved:

418 km (2013)

total ports:

2 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

1

very small:

1

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Porto da Praia, Porto Grande

• 18-35 years of age for male and female selective compulsory military service;
• 24-month conscript service obligation;
• 17 years of age for voluntary service (with parental consent) (2024)

• the FACV is responsible for territorial defense;
• it also has an internal security role in collaboration with the police if required;
• its duties include monitoring and patrolling the country's air and maritime spaces, participating in training exercises, conducting search and rescue, countering narcotics and other forms of illicit trafficking, and supporting the police and civil society (2024)

• narcotraffickers transit cocaine, cannabis, and other drugs to Africa and Europe;
• domestic trafficking contributes to increased consumption of illicit substances;