Map of Cabo Verde | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N 24 00 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 176
Comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 965 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

Climate: temperate; warm dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic

Terrain: steep rugged rocky volcanic

Elevation

Natural resources: salt basalt rock limestone kaolin fish clay gypsum

Land use

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 0.3 km³ (1990)

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

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


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Population: 523,568 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 171
Growth rate: 1.428% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 85
Below poverty line: 30% (2000)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Creole (mulatto) 71% African 28% European 1%

Languages: Portuguese (official) Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.428% (2012 est.)
Rank: 85

Birth rate: 21.21 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 80

Death rate: 6.28 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 156

Net migration rate: -0.66 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 145

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 77

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 144

Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 86

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.572 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 2.07 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (2001 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 163
People living with hivaids: 775 (2001)
People living with hivaids rank: 147
Deaths: 225 (as of 2001)
Deaths rank: 100

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 32

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital

Administrative divisions: 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day 5 July (1975)

Constitution: 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: civil law system of Portugal

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia; Court of Audit; Military Courts; Fiscal and Customs Courts

Political parties and leaders: African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES chairman]; Democratic and Independent Cape 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 [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]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AOSIS AU CD CPLP ECOWAS FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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 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)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is service oriented with commerce transport tourism and public services accounting for about three-fourths of GDP. This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought and poor soil for agriculture on several of the islands. Although about 40% of the population lives in rural areas the share of food production in GDP is low. 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 its large pool of emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Despite the lack of resources sound economic management has produced steadily improving incomes. Continued economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy and mitigate high unemployment. 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 became a member of the WTO in July 2008.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 191

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 66

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 163

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: bananas corn beans sweet potatoes sugarcane coffee peanuts; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2010 est.)
Rank: 80

Labor force: 196,100 (2007)
Rank: 171

Unemployment rate: 21% (2000 est.)
Rank: 164

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30% (2000)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -9.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 201

Taxes and other revenues: 28.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 105

Public debt: 77.5% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 24

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 48

Central bank discount rate: 7.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 37

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.8% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 93

Stock of narrow money: $443.1 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 160

Stock of broad money: $1.322 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 160

Stock of domestic credit: $1.353 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 148

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$287.8 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 84

Exports: $211 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 185
Commodities: fuel shoes garments fish hides
Partners: Spain 64.4% Portugal 18.5% (2011)

Imports: $1.06 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 176
Commodities: foodstuffs industrial products transport equipment fuels
Partners: Portugal 36.8% Netherlands 25.3% Spain 7% Italy 5.2% China 5.2% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $339 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 150

Debt external: $824.2 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 164

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 277 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 175
Consumption: 257.6 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 180
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 184
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 176
Installed generating capacity: 89,800 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 171
Generation sources fossil fuels: 96.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 65
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 73
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 165
Generation sources other renewable sources: 3.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 46

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 123
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 100
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 174
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 121

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 137
Products consumption: 2,608 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 187
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 169
Products imports: 2,407 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 177

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 118
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 135
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 183
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 183
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 127

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 271,400 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 194

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 74,500 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 155
Mobile cellular: 396,400 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 170

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 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)

Internet
Country code: .cv
Hosts: 38 (2012)
Hosts rank: 217
Users: 150,000 (2009)
Users rank: 148

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 160

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (2012)
Rank: 158

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 178

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 104

Ports and terminals: Porto Grande


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: 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)