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
Area
total
4,033 sq km
land
4,033 sq km
water
0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
965 km
Maritime claims
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate
temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
Terrain
steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)
Natural resources
salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum
Land use
arable land
11.41%
permanent crops
0.74%
other
87.85% (2005)
Irrigated land
30 sq km (2003)
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; water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing
Environment - international agreements
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
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
Population
423,613 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
36.9% (male 78,971/female 77,524)
15-64 years
56.4% (male 116,751/female 122,065)
65 years and over
6.7% (male 10,423/female 17,879) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
20.2 years
male
19.4 years
female
21.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.606% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
24.4 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-11.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.019 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.956 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.583 male(s)/female
total population
0.948 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
45.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male
50.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female
40.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
71.02 years
male
67.69 years
female
74.44 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.28 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.035% (2001 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
Ethnic groups
Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Religions
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Languages
Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
76.6%
male
85.8%
female
69.2% (2003 est.)
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)
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)
Legal system
based on the legal system of Portugal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 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%
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, UCID 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]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO]; Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES]; 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]
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
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
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 food production 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. Cape Verde has been exploring European Union membership in recent years.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$3.129 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.128 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
5.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$6,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
12.1%
industry
21.9%
services
66% (2004 est.)
Labor force
120,600 (1990)
Unemployment rate
21% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line
30% (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.7% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
25.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$324.6 million
expenditures
$370.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish
Industries
food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
44 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
40.92 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption
1,150 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance
-$44.43 million (2006 est.)
Exports
$96.71 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides
Exports - partners
Spain 45.2%, Portugal 22.9%, Netherlands 13.3%, Morocco 4.9% (2006)
Imports
$495.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners
Portugal 40.8%, Netherlands 10.5%, Spain 6.2%, Italy 5.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.2%, Brazil 5.1% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$166.4 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$325 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient
$136 million (1999)
Currency (code)
Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)
Currency code
CVE
Exchange rates
Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003), 117.168 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
71,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
81,700 (2005)
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) (2001)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 22 (plus 12 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2001)
used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
