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Cape Verde in Detail

Cabo Verde, also called Cape Verde, country comprising a group of islands that lie 385 miles (620 km) off the west coast of Africa. Praia, on Santiago, is the capital. Cabo Verde is named for the westernmost cape of Africa, Cape Verde (French: Cap Vert), which is located in nearby Senegal and is the nearest point on the continent. The largest port in the islands is located at Mindelo, on São Vicente. Its deepwater harbour accommodates sizable vessels and has been used as a fueling station since the 19th century.

[1] NATURE

Land: Cabo Verde consists of nine inhabited islands, one uninhabited island, and various islets, located between 14°30′ and 17°30′ N and between 22°30′ and 25°30′ W. The archipelago is divided into the Barlavento (Windward) group to the north and the Sotavento (Leeward) group to the south. The Barlavento Islands include Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia (which is uninhabited), São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista, together with the islets of Raso and Branco. The Sotavento Islands include Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava and the three islets called the Rombos—Grande, Luís Carneiro, and Cima.

Relief, drainage, and soils: The terrain of the Cabo Verde islands varies from the geologically older, flatter islands in the east and the newer, more mountainous islands in the west. The eastern islands of Boa Vista, Maio, and Sal, for example, have been heavily eroded by the wind over time and are very sandy and flat. The others are very rocky, jagged, and mountainous. Fogo (“Fire”) Island’s active volcano, Pico, rises 9,281 feet (2,829 metres) and is the highest point of the archipelago. On the northern island of Santo Antão, Tope de Coroa reaches 6,493 feet (1,979 meters).

There are few permanent watercourses in the islands, which generally suffer from seasonal rains, cyclical drought, and chronic water shortages. When precipitation does occur, it is often in the form of torrential downpours that cause significant damage through water erosion, flooding, and the destruction of containment dams.

Cabo Verde’s soils, primarily volcanic or igneous in origin, are generally shallow, coarse, and rocky. Almost a quarter of the land area is rock of volcanic origin; basalt is a common type. More than three-fifths of the land is arid and lacking in humus and thus is suitable only for rough grazing; sand and limestone outcrops are common in these areas. Only a fraction of the total area has proper humus and sufficient water supplies for significant irrigation agriculture. Soil loss through wind and water erosion is a serious challenge. Since independence a nationwide campaign to prevent erosion—e.g., by promoting reforestation—has been under way.

Climate: Generally moderate, the climate is characterized by stable temperatures with extreme aridity. February is the coolest month, with temperatures in the low 70s F (low 20s C). August and September are the hottest and wettest months, with temperatures in the low 80s F (high 20s C). The islands are profoundly affected by the two-season nature of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a belt of converging trade winds and rising air that encircles Earth near the Equator. Winter winds from Europe are cool and dry, but in the summer months the ITCZ front moves to the north and the Guinea Current brings more heat and moisture, which can result in increased precipitation, especially in the higher elevations of the more mountainous islands. Precipitation levels are a function of how far north the ITCZ progresses and how much tropical moisture it carries and are, as a result, unpredictable: years may go by with little or no precipitation. The clashing fronts near Cabo Verde generate hurricanes that travel westward across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean and the eastern coast of the United States.

Plant and animal life: On most of the larger islands, elevations are great enough to generate precipitation on the windward slopes; grasses and some pine plantations are found in these relatively moist locations. The leeward slopes, however, exhibit a characteristic rain-shadow effect that produces desert conditions, and the sparse shrub cover almost disappears. The shrubs remaining in these areas are mostly thorny or bitter; some are toxic. Agriculture is practiced either in a limited way at high elevations or by intense terracing of the sharp-cut valleys. Some xerophilous (desert-type) plants are found rooted in the brackish subsoil of Maio, Sal, and Boa Vista.

The scarcity of water limits the number of land turtles in the archipelago, but two species of sea turtles lay their eggs on the sandy shores of the uninhabited islets. There are many geckos and lizards and several species of skinks, including a rare and endangered giant skink. There are a number of species of butterflies, but none is endemic, and all the species are of African origin.

There are more than 100 known species of birds, of which only a portion, including four species of petrels and two of shearwaters, breed regularly. Other bird species include the greater flamingo, the frigate bird and the buzzard (both nearly extinct), the Egyptian vulture, the Cape Verde Islands kite, and the red-billed tropic bird. Several other birds are represented by local species, of which the kingfisher is among the most conspicuous. The only truly endemic species, however, are the cane warbler and the Raso lark, which is restricted to Raso, one of the smallest uninhabited islets. The rest of the birds are overseas migrants. Remarkably, gulls and terns do not breed on the islands.

Mammals of Cabo Verde include the feral goats found on Fogo, the descendants of domestic goats that were taken to the islands. The islands’ rodent population probably originated with rodents carried on early ships. Monkeys, introduced from the African continent, are also present on the islands. The long-eared bat is the only indigenous mammal.

[2] PEOPLE

Ethnic groups: The overwhelming majority of the population of Cabo Verde is of mixed European and African descent and is often referred to as mestiço or Crioulo. There is also an African minority, which includes the Fulani (Fulbe), the Balante, and the Mandyako peoples. A small population of European origin includes those of Portuguese descent (especially from the Algarve, a historical province, and the Azores islands), as well as those of Italian, French, and English descent. There is also a substantial number that traces its roots to Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th and 16th centuries during the Inquisition and were among the islands’ early settlers, or to other groups of Jews—mainly tradesmen—who arrived in the 19th century from Morocco.

Languages: Although Portuguese is the official language and is used in formal situations, Crioulo, one of the oldest of the Portuguese creole languages, is by far the most widely spoken. The different dialects of Crioulo that exist on the islands may be broadly divided into Sotavento and Barlavento groups. There has been a struggle to legitimate and regularize Crioulo orthography in a dictionary and in schools.

Religion of Cabo Verde: The majority of the population is Roman Catholic, but a flourishing Protestant mission is based in Praia with a publishing venture in Fogo. In practice, Catholicism is often enriched with African elements. The celebration of saints’ days, for example, may be accompanied by drumming, processionals, masks, and dancing in African styles, particularly on Santiago. Although many Cabo Verdeans can trace Jewish ancestry, virtually none are practicing.

Settlement patterns: The proportion of Cabo Verdeans living in rural areas has declined consistently since the mid-20th century. By the early 2000s the majority of the population was urban and concentrated particularly in the centres of Praia and Mindelo. About one-third of the population is rural, living in small villages and individual households in remote fertile valleys or in coastal towns and villages.

Demographic trends: Cabo Verde’s population growth rate is similar to the world average. Both the birth and death rates of the country are among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, but, when compared with global averages, Cabo Verde’s birth rate is slightly higher and the death rate is slightly lower. The emigration of young males seeking employment abroad and one of the lowest birth rates in sub-Saharan Africa have served to limit Cabo Verde’s population growth. Life expectancy on average exceeds the regional average and is very close to the global average. On the whole, the Cabo Verdean population is relatively young, with more than one-fourth of the population under 15 years of age and roughly the same proportion between the ages of 15 and 29.

The number of diasporic Cabo Verdeans throughout the world has often exceeded the national population. The pattern of out-migration is very old. Many Cabo Verdeans left the islands as a result of the slave trade or to work as seamen on whaling and sealing ships or serve as migrant labourers in either New England (where many attracted by whaling would settle) or the islands of Sao Tome and Principe. During the period of Portuguese colonialism, many Cabo Verdeans served throughout Lusophone Africa as middle-level colonial officials and workers. Many Cabo Verdeans work as merchant mariners or longshoremen in the major diasporic communities in Dakar, Senegal, south-eastern New England, Rotterdam, and Lisbon. Some Cabo Verdean women have sought employment as domestic workers in countries such as Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

[3] ECONOMY

After independence, the government played a central role in Cabo Verde’s economy and created several state-owned businesses, which ultimately was a limiting factor in the country’s economic growth. Dramatic changes to the Cabo Verdean economic structure, especially from the mid-1990s, have since guided the country toward a market economy. As a result of these reforms, the number of state-owned businesses declined significantly; numerous interests such as utilities companies, banks, tourism-sector entities, and other enterprises had been privatized by the early 2000s.

Cabo Verde’s service-oriented economy is centred on commerce, trade, transport, and public services. The revenue from the country’s international airports, emigrants’ remittances, and, increasingly, tourism are all important and have enabled the balance of payments to stay generally positive despite imports’ far exceeding exports.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing: Agriculture in Cabo Verde is limited by the severe and recurrent droughts that affect the islands. The harsh conditions have long posed serious challenges to agricultural pursuits, resulting in irregular crop output and periodic bouts of large-scale famine. Poor grazing practices for sheep and goats and little effort toward reforestation and water conservation under the centuries of Portuguese colonialism only aggravated this poor ecological condition. The postcolonial governments have made a major effort to plant drought-resistant acacia trees and build dikes, retaining dams, and terracing in order to curb intense water erosion, improve water retention in the subsoil, and improve and expand the limited areas available for subsistence and small-scale commercial farming.

Crops grown for local consumption include corn (maize), sugarcane, castor beans, broad beans, potatoes, and peanuts (groundnuts). There is a heavy reliance on imported foodstuffs, however, and the importation of food has long been an absolute necessity. Although Cabo Verde’s fishing capabilities are not fully exploited, fish is important for both domestic consumption and export, and both tuna and lobster are caught.

Use of firewood as a source of fuel has placed a strain on Cabo Verde’s woodland resources. While the use of wood fuel continued to increase in the late 20th century, the level of forested area on the islands was simultaneously on the increase because of governmental reforestation efforts. At the beginning of the 21st century, about one-fifth of Cabo Verde was forested.

Resources and power: Cabo Verde has few natural resources. Supplies of sand, limestone, puzzolane (a cement or plaster additive), and salt are of some commercial and utilitarian value. The very limited water supply is a grave liability, and there are no domestic sources of energy except firewood, wind, and sunlight. The country on the whole relies on imported petroleum fuel; on the local level, most domestic energy needs are met by the use of firewood, although the resulting demand placed upon these resources poses an environmental threat. Experimental approaches toward energy supply are under investigation, and the potential of Cabo Verde’s renewable energy resources has been recognized.

Manufacturing: Only a few small-scale industries exist in Cabo Verde. These include sewing, textiles, ceramics, mining, timber, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Tuna fish canning takes place in some areas, and the processing of frozen seafood such as lobster has been profitable.

Finance: Banco de Cabo Verde is the central bank and issues the Cabo Verdean currency, the escudo. There are several foreign banks and a stock exchange. The privatization in the late 1990s of a number of financial enterprises, such as banking and insurance institutions, accompanied a broader initiative to privatize state holdings in other economic sectors that was already under way.

Trade of Cabo Verde: Fish, salt, puzzolane, rum, animal hides, bananas, and coffee are exported, but none in very large quantities. As Cabo Verde is heavily dependent on imported food, its principal imports include cereals, fruits and vegetables, beverages, and other foodstuffs. Fuel and building materials are also important. Portugal and Spain are the country’s most important trade partners, although it also maintains significant trade linkages with other countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United States.

Services: Services account for a substantial proportion of the gross domestic product. The draw of nautical sports such as sailing and fishing and the attraction of the islands’ biodiversity have contributed to an increase in tourism to the islands, particularly by European visitors.

Labour and taxation: Industrial activity, including construction, employs a significant proportion of the labour force. In spite of the fact that Cabo Verde is not self-sufficient in food production, more than one-fifth of the labour force is devoted to agricultural pursuits. High unemployment is one of the major factors driving the country’s emigration pattern.

The constitution guarantees workers the right of association, and the country’s unions are grouped under two umbrella organizations, the Council of Free Labor Unions and the National Union of Cabo Verde Workers. Although labourers are also nominally guaranteed the right to strike, government interference has been noted. Unions are also permitted to forge international connections, and some are affiliated with organizations abroad.

Tax revenues account for a significant proportion of the Cabo Verdean budget. Of these, consumption taxes and taxes on income and profits provide the most sizable contributions.

Transportation and telecommunications: The majority of roads in Cabo Verde are paved, and there are no railways. All the inhabited islands have airports. There is international air service to destinations such as Lisbon, Boston, Rome, Paris, Brazil, and points in western Africa. Within the islands, regular ferries and planes provide local service. There is a small national shipping line and a national airline, Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde. Porto Grande, the country’s primary port, is located at Mindelo, on São Vicente; other ports include those located at Praia, on Santiago, and Palmeira, on Sal.

Telephone service in Cabo Verde is generally good, and cellular telephone use is expanding. Compared with the regional average, the proportion of available personal computers relative to the population is quite high, and cybercafes can be found in larger towns and cities.

[4] GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

Constitutional framework: Cabo Verde is a multiparty republic. A constitution, promulgated in 1992 and subsequently revised, established the president as head of state. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, renewable once. The president, in consultation with the popularly elected National Assembly, appoints the prime minister, who serves as the head of government. The prime minister then recommends members of the National Assembly to the president for appointment to the Council of Ministers.

Local government: On the local level, Cabo Verde is divided into concelhos (municipalities). While some islands constitute their own municipality, others, such as São Vicente, Fogo, and Santo Antão, are divided into several. Local administration takes place under an assembly, which is elected to proportionally represent the residents of the administrative unit, and a collegial executive body.

Justice: The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest court and oversees a network of courts at the local level. It consists of a minimum of five judges—one appointed by the president, one elected by the National Assembly, and the remainder appointed by the Supreme Council of Magistrates. Other courts include a Court of Audit, which monitors the legality of public expenditure, military courts, and fiscal and customs courts. The independence of the judiciary is guaranteed by the constitution.

Political process: The president and the National Assembly—and, at the local level of government, councils—are all elected by universal adult suffrage. The constitution does not limit eligibility to civil service positions or elected office, and a number of women have held posts in the National Assembly and cabinet.

After independence in 1975, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde; PAIGC) was the ruling party of both Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau. Following a political split between the two countries in 1980, the Cabo Verdean branch of the party, the African Party for the Independence of Cabo Verde (Partido Africano da Independência de Cabo Verde; PAICV), was the sole legal political party in the country until dissent within the PAICV led to the formation of the Movement for Democracy (Movimento para a Democracia; MpD), which won the democratic elections of 1990.

Security: Cabo Verde’s security apparatus includes an army, which is by far its largest division, as well a coast guard and an air force. Service in the armed forces is determined by selective conscription. General law enforcement falls under the domain of the Public Order Police.

Health and welfare: Major health problems include infant diarrhea and upper respiratory infection caused by poor hygiene, particularly the lack of piped and treated water. Maternal and child health programs have been instituted and include widespread campaigns of inoculation against childhood diseases. As a result, infant mortality in Cabo Verde is among the very lowest in the region. Cabo Verde has a relatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Cholera has been known to occur periodically, limited cases of malaria have been noted in Santiago, and leprosy appears from time to time. Dressing stations with a rotating circuit doctor operate in remote areas. Clinics and health posts are operated at the local level with regional hospitals. There are central hospitals in the towns of Mindelo and Praia.

Water for public consumption is supplied either by precipitation, from storage cisterns or deep wells, or, in the larger towns, by desalinization facilities. Some groundwater sources are sulfurous; others, mainly on São Vicente and Boa Vista, are slightly salty because of the low water tables.

Education: According to official policy, compulsory primary education begins at age six or seven and lasts for six years. It is followed by secondary schooling, which is divided into two phases of three and two years, respectively. Universities located in Cabo Verde include the Jean Piaget University of Cabo Verde (2001) and the University of Cabo Verde (2006). There are also institutes for teaching and nurse training and for engineering and maritime technology.

Although approximately two-thirds of Cabo Verdeans were illiterate at independence, literacy was greatly improved in the decades that followed. By the early 2000s almost four-fifths of the population was literate, although there was an appreciable disparity between male and female literacy levels.

[5] CULTURAL LIFE

Although five centuries of Portuguese colonial culture have dominated the islands, traditions from Africa are also present. The two are much blended in the cultural life of Cabo Verde, evidence of which is apparent in the country’s literary, musical, and artistic production.

A number of the holidays celebrated in Cabo Verde—including Easter, the Feast of the Assumption, All Saints’ Day, and Christmas—reflect the country’s majority Roman Catholic tradition. Other holidays include National Heroes’ Day, Children’s Day, and Independence Day, which are observed on January 20, June 1, and July 5, respectively.

The arts: The cultural synthesis that forms Cabo Verdean artistic tradition is notable in the rich body of oral narratives known as Nho Lobo tales, for example, which include the characters of Ti Lobo and Chibinho, both of whom have their counterparts in western African folklore. Musical traditions from Africa are reborn in Cabo Verde as batuko (derived from the Portuguese verb meaning “to beat”), a genre that features polyrhythm and call and response performed by a group of women. European traditions are revealed in the morna, a lament comparable to the Portuguese fado, and the mazurka. Other styles include the funana, a fast-paced genre that features the gaita, an accordion-like instrument, and the finaçon, often performed by women in conjunction with a batuko session. Cesaria Evora, one of Cabo Verde’s most popular musicians, is famous both within the islands and abroad for her mornas and coladeras (mornas with a faster tempo).

Since the late 19th century, Cabo Verde has produced some outstanding writers and poets. Between 1936 and 1960 the cultural magazine Claridade (“Clarity”) was the centre of an artistic movement that marked a break with Portuguese literary traditions and established a Cabo Verdean identity. Baltasar Lopes da Silva, who used the pseudonym Osvaldo Alcântara for his poetry, and Eugénio Tavares are key figures from this period. Subsequent writers have extended the movement’s interest in the Crioulo culture to use that language as well as Portuguese.

Cultural institutions: There is an ethnographic museum of culture and history in Praia. The National Historic Archive, which contains important documents, including some that relate to the history of the slave trade, is located in Praia. Cultural influences from the colonial era are evident in the town of Cidade Velha, located on the island of Santiago. Initially founded as Ribeira Grande by Portuguese settlers in the 15th century, the town is noted for the many examples of colonial architecture found in its historic centre, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009.

Sports and recreation: Although Cabo Verdeans enjoy a variety of sports, football (soccer) is perhaps the most popular. Matches are played at all levels of society, from pickup street games with improvised balls, fields, and nets to interscholastic rivalries and competitions between the Sotavento and Barlavento islands. Interest in basketball is growing. Long-distance running, swimming, and the traditional African board game of ouri are popular pastimes. Windsurfing, fishing, cycling, golfing, hiking, mountain climbing, horseback riding, and scuba diving are common resort activities. In their various diaspora communities, many Cabo Verdeans have distinguished themselves in sports and athletic achievements, especially in football, boxing, and baseball.

Cabo Verde’s Olympic committee was formed in 1989 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1993. The team subsequently made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.

Media and publishing: Television and radio stations offer programming in both Portuguese and Crioulo. Print media such as A Semana, Terra Nova, and Voz di Povo—all issued in Portuguese—are published. Freedom of the press, guaranteed by the constitution, is generally honoured. Portuguese and foreign-language books have a small but established market.