Background: The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a trading center for African slaves. Most Cape Verdeans descend from both groups. Independence was achieved in 1975.

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N 24 00 W

Map reference: World

Area
Total: 4,033 km²
Land: 4,033 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 965 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Terrain: steep rugged rocky volcanic

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)

Natural resources: salt basalt rock pozzuolana (a siliceous volcanic ash used to produce hydraulic cement) limestone kaolin fish

Land use
Arable land: 11%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 6%
Forests and woodland: 0%
Other: 83% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1500 to 2000 hectares (1999)

Natural hazards: prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; 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

Population: 405,163 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.92% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Cape Verdean
Adjective: Cape Verdean

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

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.79% (male 87,458; female 85,895)
15-64 years: 50.76% (male 97,812; female 107,834)
65 years and over: 6.45% (male 10,204; female 15,960) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.92% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 28.71 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.19 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -12.37 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing of livestock and improper land use such as the cultivation of crops on steep slopes has led to soil erosion; demand for wood used as fuel has resulted in deforestation; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male/female
Total population: 0.93 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 53.22 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.21 years
Male: 65.93 years
Female: 72.6 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 71.6%
Male: 81.4%
Female: 63.8% (1995 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: Praia

Administrative divisions: 14 districts (concelhos singular - concelho); Boa Vista Brava Fogo Maio Paul Praia Porto Novo Ribeira Grande Sal Santa Catarina Santa Cruz Sao Nicolau Sao Vicente Tarrafal; note - there may be a new administrative structure of 16 districts (Boa Vista Brava Maio Mosteiros Paul Praia Porto Novo Ribeira Grande Sal Santa Catarina Santa Cruz Sao Domingos Sao Nicolau Sao Filipe Sao Vicente Tarrafal)

Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day 5 July (1975)

Constitution: new constitution came into force 25 September 1992; underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995 substantially increasing the powers of the president

Legal system: derived from the legal system of Portugal

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Pedro PIRES (since 22 March 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 1991)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister from among the members of the National Assembly
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 11 and 25 February 2001 (next to be held NA February 2006); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
Election results: Pedro PIRES elected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 49.43%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 49.42%; note: the election was won by only twelve votes

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA December 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD 39.8%, ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 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 NEVES chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD PTS and UCID); Democratic Renovation Party or PRD [Jacinto SANTOS president]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Antonio Gualberto do ROSARIO president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Dr. Oresimo SILVEIRA president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM president]; Union for an Independent Democratic Cape Verde or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO president]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ITU NAM OAU OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNTAET UPU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinand Amilcar Spencer LOPES
In the us chancery: 3,415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 965-6,820
In the us fax: [1] (202) 965-1207
In the us consulates general: Boston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael D. METELITS
From the us embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo 81, Praia
From the us mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia
From the us telephone: [238] 61 56 16
From the us fax: [238] 61 13 55

Flag description: three horizontal bands of light blue (top double width) white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third) and light blue; a circle of 10 yellow five-pointed stars is centered on the hoist end of the red stripe and extends into the upper and lower blue bands

Economy overview: Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented with commerce transport and public services accounting for almost 70% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas the share of agriculture in GDP in 1998 was only 13% of which fishing accounts for 1.5%. About 90% 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 constitute a supplement to GDP of more than 20%. Economic reforms launched by the new democratic government in 1991 are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Prospects for 2001 depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows remittances and the momentum of the government's development program.

Real gdp growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1700 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 13%
Industry: 19%
Services: 68% (1998)

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%

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: 24% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $188 million
Expenditures: $228 million, including capital expenditures of $116 million (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4% (2000)

Exports: $40 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: fuel shoes garments fish bananas hides
Partners: Portugal UK Germany Spain France Malaysia

Imports: $250 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs industrial products transport equipment fuels
Partners: Portugal Netherlands France UK Spain US

Debt external: $260 million (2000)

Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos per US dollar - 123.080 (December 2000) 115.877 (2000) 102.700 (1999) 98.158 (1998) 93.177 (1997) 82.591 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 40 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 37.2 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 45,644 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 19,729 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: effective system, being improved
Domestic: interisland microwave radio relay system with both analog and digital exchanges; work is in progress on a submarine fiber-optic cable system which was scheduled for completion in 1998
International: 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .cv
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 5,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $4 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 1.8% (FY96)

Airports: 8 (2000)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7 (2000)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,523 GRT/11,798 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.)

Disputes international: none