Cape Verde

 

Bureau of African Affairs                                                     
July 2007                                                                     
                                                                       
  Background Note: Cape Verde                                                 
                                                 
  Fishermen drag a small boat up the                                          
  shore in Sao Pedro Bay, Sao Vicente,                                        
  Cape Verde. September 8, 2000. [© AP                                        
  Images]                                                                     
                                                                       
  Flag of Cape Verde is three horizontal bands of blue (top, double width),   
  white (with a horizontal red stripe in the middle third), and 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.                     
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  Republic of Cape Verde                                                      
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 4,033 sq. km. (1,557 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Rhode Island.     
  Cities: Capital--Praia (pop. 106,052). Other city--Mindelo (pop. 67,844).   
  Terrain: Rugged volcanic islands.                                           
  Climate: Dry, temperate.                                                    
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun and adjective--Cape Verdean(s).                           
  Population (2005): 507,000.                                                 
  Annual growth rate (2001): 2.9%.                                            
  Ethnic groups: Creole (mixed African and Portuguese), African, European.    
  Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.                                      
  Languages: Portuguese (official); Crioulo (national).                       
  Education: Literacy (2004)--76%.                                            
  Health: Infant mortality rate (2001)--37/1,000. Life expectancy (2004)--70  
  yrs.                                                                        
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Republic.                                                             
  Independence: July 5, 1975.                                                 
  Constitution: 1982; revised 1992, 1995, and 1999.                           
  Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head of     
  government), Council of Ministers. Legislative--National Assembly.          
  Judicial--Supreme Court, lower courts.                                      
  Administrative subdivisions: 17 administrative districts.                   
  Political parties: African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV);
  Movement for Democracy (MPD); Party for Democratic Convergence (PCD); Party 
  for Democratic Renovation (PRD); Party for Labor and Solidarity (PTS); Social
  Democratic Party (PSD).                                                     
  Suffrage: Universal over 18.                                                
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  GDP (2004): $983 million.                                                   
  GDP per capita (2004): $2,091.                                              
  Annual real GDP growth rate (2005): 6.6%.                                   
  Inflation (2005): 0.4%.                                                     
  Natural resources: Salt, pozzolana, limestone.                              
  Agriculture: Products--bananas, corn, beans, sugarcane, coffee, fruits,     
  vegetables, livestock products.                                             
  Industry: Types--fish and fish products, clothing, shoes, beverages, salt,  
  construction, building materials, ship repair, furniture, metal products,   
  tourism.                                                                    
  Trade (2004): Exports--$55 million: fuel, clothing, shoes and shoe parts,   
  fish and crustaceans. Imports--$350.7 million: consumer goods, intermediary 
  goods, capital goods, petroleum. Major trading partners, exports--Portugal  
  60.2%, U.S. 17.5%, U.K. 11.5%, Denmark 2.1%, Germany 1.7%. Major trading    
  partners, imports--Portugal 40.7%, U.S. 12%, Netherlands 8.1%, Spain 5.1%,  
  Italy 4.1%.                                                                 
  Fiscal year: Calendar year.                                                 
  Currency: Escudo (CVEsc 91.03 = $1), which is pegged to the Euro.           
  Economic aid received: $92 million (2002). Largest donors: Portugal ($11    
  million); Luxembourg; Japan; and the United States ($5.9 million).          
                                                                       
  GEOGRAPHY                                                                   
  The Cape Verde Islands are located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean some 450       
  kilometers (about 300 mi.) off the west coast of Africa. The archipelago    
  includes 10 islands and 5 islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and
  leeward (Sotavento) groups. The main islands in the Barlavento group are    
  Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista; those
  of the Sotavento group include Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. All larger  
  islands but Santa Luzia are inhabited.                                      
                                                                       
  Three islands--Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio--generally are level and very dry.  
  Mountains higher than 1,280 meters (4,200 ft.) are found on Santiago, Fogo, 
  Santo Antão, and São Nicolau.                                               
                                                                       
  Sand carried by high winds has created spectacular rock formations on all   
  islands, especially the windward ones. Sheer, jagged cliffs rise from the sea
  on several of the mountainous islands. Natural vegetation is sparse in the  
  uplands and coast, but interior valleys support denser growth.              
                                                                       
  Rainfall is irregular, and the archipelago suffers periodic droughts and    
  consequent food shortages. The average precipitation per year in Praia is 24
  centimeters (9.5 in.). During the winter, storms blowing from the Sahara    
  sometimes cloud the sky, but sunny days are the norm year round.            
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the Portuguese discovered  
  the islands in 1456. African slaves were brought to the islands to work on  
  Portuguese plantations. As a result, Cape Verdeans are of mixed African and 
  European origin. The influence of African culture is most pronounced on the 
  island of Santiago, where half the population resides. Sparse rain and few  
  natural resources historically have induced Cape Verdeans to emigrate. It is
  believed that of the more than 1 million individuals of Cape Verdean        
  ancestry, fewer than half actually live on the islands. Some 500,000 people 
  of Cape Verdean ancestry live in the United States, mainly in New England.  
  Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, France, and Senegal also have large           
  communities.                                                                
                                                                       
  The official language is Portuguese, but most Cape Verdeans also speak a    
  Creole dialect--Crioulo--which is based on archaic Portuguese but influenced
  by African and European languages. Cape Verde has a rich tradition of Crioulo
  literature and music.                                                       
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  In 1462, Portuguese settlers arrived at Santiago and founded Ribeira Grande 
  (now Cidade Velha)--the first permanent European settlement city in the     
  tropics. In the 16th century, the archipelago prospered from the            
  transatlantic slave trade. Pirates occasionally attacked the Portuguese     
  settlements. Sir Francis Drake sacked Ribeira Grande in 1585. After a French
  attack in 1712, the city declined in importance relative to Praia, which    
  became the capital in 1770.                                                 
                                                                       
  With the decline in the slave trade, Cape Verde's early prosperity slowly   
  vanished. However, the islands' position astride mid-Atlantic shipping lanes
  made Cape Verde an ideal location for resupplying ships. Because of its     
  excellent harbor, Mindelo (on the island of São Vicente) became an important
  commercial center during the 19th century.                                  
                                                                       
  Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in
  1951 in an attempt to blunt growing nationalism. Nevertheless, in 1956,     
  Amilcar Cabral, a Cape Verdean, and a group of Cape Verdeans and            
  Guinea-Bissauans organized (in Guinea-Bissau) the clandestine African Party 
  for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which demanded
  improvement in economic, social, and political conditions in Cape Verde and 
  Portuguese Guinea and formed the basis of the two nations' independence     
  movement. Moving its headquarters to Conakry, Guinea in 1960, the PAIGC began
  an armed rebellion against Portugal in 1961. Acts of sabotage eventually grew
  into a war in Portuguese Guinea that pitted 10,000 Soviet bloc-supported    
  PAIGC soldiers against 35,000 Portuguese and African troops.                
                                                                       
  By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite the presence
  of the Portuguese troops, but the organization did not attempt to disrupt   
  Portuguese control in Cape Verde. Portuguese Guinea declared independence in
  1973 and was granted de jure independence in 1974. Following the April 1974 
  revolution in Portugal, the PAIGC became an active political movement in Cape
  Verde. In December 1974, the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing
  for a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans. On  
  June 30, 1975, Cape Verdeans elected a National Assembly, which received the
  instruments of independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.                  
                                                                       
  Immediately following the November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau, relations    
  between Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau became strained. Cape Verde abandoned  
  its hope for unity with Guinea-Bissau and formed the African Party for the  
  Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). Problems have since been resolved, and  
  relations between the countries are good. The PAICV and its predecessor     
  established a one-party system and ruled Cape Verde from independence until 
  1990.                                                                       
                                                                       
  Responding to growing pressure for pluralistic democracy, the PAICV called an
  emergency congress in February 1990 to discuss proposed constitutional      
  changes to end one-party rule. Opposition groups came together to form the  
  Movement for Democracy (MpD) in Praia in April 1990. Together, they         
  campaigned for the right to contest the presidential election scheduled for 
  December 1990. The one-party state was abolished September 28, 1990, and the
  first multi-party elections were held in January 1991. The MpD won a majority
  of the seats in the National Assembly, and the MpD presidential candidate   
  Mascarenhas Monteiro defeated the PAICV's candidate with 73.5% of the votes.
  Legislative elections in December 1995 increased the MpD majority in the    
  National Assembly. The party won 50 of the National Assembly's 72 seats. A  
  February 1996 presidential election returned President Mascarenhas Monteiro 
  to office. Legislative elections in January 2001 returned power to the PAICV,
  with the PAICV holding 40 of the National Assembly seats, MpD 30, and Party 
  for Democratic Convergence (PCD) and Party for Labor and Solidarity (PTS) 1 
  each. In February 2001, the PAICV-supported presidential candidate Pedro    
  Pires defeated former MpD leader Carlos Veiga by only 13 votes.             
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  The Cape Verde constitution--adopted in 1980 and revised in 1992, 1995, and 
  1999--forms the basis of government. The president is head of state and is  
  elected by popular vote for a 5-year term. The prime minister is head of    
  government and proposes other ministers and secretaries of state. The prime 
  minister is nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the         
  president. Members of the National Assembly are elected by popular vote for 
  5-year terms.                                                               
                                                                       
  Cape Verde enjoys a stable democratic system. The Movement for Democracy    
  (MpD) captured a governing majority in the National Assembly in the country's
  first multi-party general elections in 1991. The MpD was returned to power  
  with a larger majority in the general elections held in December 1995. In   
  2001, the PAICV regained power, with four parties holding seats in the      
  National Assembly--PAICV 40, MPD 30, PCD 1, and PTS 1. Nationwide municipal 
  elections were held March 21, 2004.                                         
                                                                       
  In January 2006, Cape Verde held a successful round of parliamentary        
  elections, followed by successful presidential elections on February 12,    
  2006. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) judged both elections free and
  fair. However, the leading parliamentary opposition party has filed a court 
  case in an attempt to overrule the NEC on the grounds of alleged fraud.     
                                                                       
  The judicial system is comprised of a Supreme Court of Justice--whose members
  are appointed by the president, the National Assembly, and the Board of the 
  Judiciary--and regional courts. Separate courts hear civil, constitutional  
  and criminal cases. Appeal is to the Supreme Court.                         
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President--Pedro Verona Pires                                               
  Prime Minister and Defense Minister--Jose Maria Neves                       
  President of the National Assembly--Aristides Lima                          
  Minister of Foreign Affairs--Victor Borges                                  
  Ambassador to the United States--vacant                                     
  Ambassador to the United Nations--Fatima Lima Veiga                         
                                                                       
  Cape Verde maintains an embassy in the United States at 3415 Massachusetts  
  Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20007 (tel. 202-965-6820) and one consulate at 535
  Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116 (tel. 617-353-0014).                       
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  Cape Verde has few natural resources and suffers from poor rainfall and     
  limited fresh water. Only 4 of the 10 main islands (Santiago, Santo Antão,  
  Fogo, and Brava) normally support significant agricultural production.      
  Mineral resources include salt, pozzolana (a volcanic rock used in cement   
  production), and limestone.                                                 
                                                                       
  The economy of Cape Verde is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, and
  public services accounting for more than 70% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of 
  the population lives in rural areas, agriculture and fishing contribute only
  about 10% of GDP. Light manufacturing accounts for most of the remainder. An
  amount estimated at about 20% of GDP is contributed to the domestic economy 
  through remittances from expatriate Cape Verdeans.                          
                                                                       
  Since 1991, the government has pursued market-oriented economic policies,   
  including an open welcome to foreign investors and a far-reaching           
  privatization program. It established as top development priorities the     
  promotion of market economy and of the private sector; the development of   
  tourism, light manufacturing industries, and fisheries; and the development 
  of transport, communications, and energy facilities. From 1994 to 2000 there
  was a total of about $407 million in foreign investments made or planned, of
  which 58% were in tourism, 17% in industry, 4% in infrastructure, and 21% in
  fisheries and services.                                                     
                                                                       
  Fish and shellfish are plentiful, and small quantities are exported. Cape   
  Verde has cold storage and freezing facilities and fish processing plants in
  Mindelo, Praia, and on Sal.                                                 
                                                                       
  Cape Verde's strategic location at the crossroads of mid-Atlantic air and sea
  lanes has been enhanced by significant improvements at Mindelo's harbor     
  (Porto Grande) and at Sal's international airport. Ship repair facilities at
  Mindelo were opened in 1983, and the harbors at Mindelo and Praia were      
  recently renovated. The major ports are Mindelo and Praia, but all other    
  islands have smaller port facilities. In addition to the international      
  airport on Sal, airports have been built on all of the inhabited islands. All
  but the airport on Brava enjoy scheduled air service. The archipelago has   
  3,050 kilometers (1,830 mi.) of roads, of which 1,010 kilometers (606 mi.)  
  are paved.                                                                  
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Cape Verde pursues a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks cooperative        
  relations with all states. Angola, Brazil, China, Cuba, France, Portugal,   
  Senegal, Russia, and the United States maintain embassies in Praia. Several 
  others, mostly European countries, maintain honorary consulates. In addition,
  Cape Verde maintains multilateral relations with other Lusophone nations and
  holds membership in many international organizations. It currently is working
  to accede to the World Trade Organization.                                  
                                                                       
  U.S.-CAPE VERDEAN RELATIONS                                                 
  The cordial relations between the United States and Cape Verde have strong  
  historical roots. In the early 18th century, U.S. whaling ships appear to   
  have begun recruiting crews from Brava and Fogo to hunt whales that were    
  abundant in the waters surrounding Cape Verde. Ties between the American    
  colonies and Cape Verde are documented as early as the 1740s, when American 
  ships routinely anchored in Cape Verdean ports to trade for salt or buy     
  slaves. The tradition of emigration to the United States began at that time 
  and continues today.                                                        
                                                                       
  The first U.S. consulate in sub-Saharan Africa was established in Cape Verde
  in 1818. U.S. consular representation continued throughout the 19th century.
  The United States recognized Cape Verde on its independence day and supported
  its admission to the United Nations. Cape Verde assigned one of its first   
  ambassadors to the United States, and a resident U.S. ambassador was posted 
  to Cape Verde in 1983. Prime Minister Jose Neves visited Cape Verdean       
  communities in New England during an official trip to the United States in  
  2002, and President Pires visited the United States in April 2005.          
                                                                       
  The United States provided emergency humanitarian aid and economic assistance
  to Cape Verde in the period immediately following Cape Verde's independence,
  as well as after natural disasters, including a hurricane that struck the   
  island of Brava in 1982, and after a severe volcanic eruption on Fogo in    
  1995. The United States normally delivers about 15,000 metric tons of grain 
  yearly to Cape Verde. Cape Verde also is eligible for trade benefits under  
  the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and has signed an Open Skies 
  agreement to facilitate air travel safety and expansion. On July 4, 2005,   
  Cape Verde became the third country to sign a compact with the U.S.         
  Government-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC); the three-year    
  assistance package is worth over $110 million in addressing rural economic  
  expansion, infrastructure development, and development of tourism and a     
  community college system.                                                   
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Officials                                                    
  Ambassador--Roger D. Pierce                                                 
  Deputy Chief of Mission--Paul Pometto                                       
  Consul--Kristen Thompson                                                    
                                                                       
  The U.S. Embassy in Cape Verde is at Rua Abílio Macedo, 81, Praia; C.P.201, 
  tel. (238) 260 890, fax 611 355.                                            
                                                                       
  TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION                                             
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  For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad  
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  Further Electronic Information                                              
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