"text":"The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo 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. Cabo 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, Cabo Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"16 00 N, 24 00 W"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Africa"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"4,033 sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"4,033 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"0 sq km"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"slightly larger than Rhode Island"
},
"Land boundaries":{
"text":"0 km"
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"965 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"text":"measured from claimed archipelagic baselines",
"territorial sea":{
"text":"12 nm"
},
"contiguous zone":{
"text":"24 nm"
},
"exclusive economic zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic"
},
"Elevation extremes":{
"lowest point":{
"text":"Atlantic Ocean 0 m"
},
"highest point":{
"text":"Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)"
}
},
"Natural resources":{
"text":"salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum"
"text":"Fogo (elev. 2,829 m), which last erupted in 1995, is Cabo Verde's only active volcano"
}
},
"Environment - current issues":{
"text":"soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for firewood; water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site"
}
},
"People and Society":{
"Nationality":{
"noun":{
"text":"Cabo Verdean(s)"
},
"adjective":{
"text":"Cabo Verdean"
}
},
"Ethnic groups":{
"text":"Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%"
},
"Languages":{
"text":"Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)"
},
"Religions":{
"text":"Roman Catholic 77.3%, Protestant 3.7% (includes Church of the Nazarene 1.7%, Adventist 1.5%, Universal Kingdom of God 0.4%, and God and Love 0.1%), other Christian 4.3% (includes Christian Rationalism 1.9%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Assembly of God 0.9%, and New Apostolic 0.5%), Muslim 1.8%, other 1.3%, none 10.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)"
"text":"20.33 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
},
"Death rate":{
"text":"6.11 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
},
"Net migration rate":{
"text":"-0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
},
"Urbanization":{
"urban population":{
"text":"65.5% of total population (2015)"
},
"rate of urbanization":{
"text":"1.99% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)"
}
},
"Major urban areas - population":{
"text":"PRAIA (capital) 145,000 (2014)"
},
"Sex ratio":{
"at birth":{
"text":"1.03 male(s)/female"
},
"0-14 years":{
"text":"1.01 male(s)/female"
},
"15-24 years":{
"text":"1 male(s)/female"
},
"25-54 years":{
"text":"0.95 male(s)/female"
},
"55-64 years":{
"text":"0.73 male(s)/female"
},
"65 years and over":{
"text":"0.61 male(s)/female"
},
"total population":{
"text":"0.94 male(s)/female (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Infant mortality rate":{
"total":{
"text":"23.45 deaths/1,000 live births"
},
"male":{
"text":"26.89 deaths/1,000 live births"
},
"female":{
"text":"19.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Life expectancy at birth":{
"total population":{
"text":"71.85 years"
},
"male":{
"text":"69.58 years"
},
"female":{
"text":"74.19 years (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Total fertility rate":{
"text":"2.29 children born/woman (2015 est.)"
},
"Contraceptive prevalence rate":{
"text":"61.3% (2005)"
},
"Health expenditures":{
"text":"4.4% of GDP (2013)"
},
"Physicians density":{
"text":"0.31 physicians/1,000 population (2011)"
},
"Hospital bed density":{
"text":"2.1 beds/1,000 population (2010)"
},
"Drinking water source":{
"improved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 94% of population ++ rural: 87.3% of population ++ total: 91.7% of population"
},
"unimproved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 6% of population ++ rural: 12.7% of population ++ total: 8.3% of population (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Sanitation facility access":{
"improved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 81.6% of population ++ rural: 54.3% of population ++ total: 72.2% of population"
},
"unimproved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 1.4% of population ++ rural: 45.7% of population ++ total: 27.8% of population (2015 est.)"
}
},
"HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate":{
"text":"1.09% (2014 est.)"
},
"HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS":{
"text":"3,400 (2014 est.)"
},
"HIV/AIDS - deaths":{
"text":"100 (2014 est.)"
},
"Obesity - adult prevalence rate":{
"text":"11.7% (2014)"
},
"Education expenditures":{
"text":"5% of GDP (2011)"
},
"Literacy":{
"definition":{
"text":"age 15 and over can read and write"
},
"total population":{
"text":"87.6%"
},
"male":{
"text":"92.1%"
},
"female":{
"text":"83.1% (2015 est.)"
}
},
"School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)":{
"total":{
"text":"13 years"
},
"male":{
"text":"13 years"
},
"female":{
"text":"14 years (2013)"
}
},
"Child labor - children ages 5-14":{
"total number":{
"text":"1,948"
},
"percentage":{
"text":"3%"
},
"note":{
"text":"data represent children ages 10-14 (2001 est.)"
}
}
},
"Government":{
"Country name":{
"conventional long form":{
"text":"Republic of Cabo Verde"
},
"conventional short form":{
"text":"Cabo Verde"
},
"local long form":{
"text":"Republica de Cabo Verde"
},
"local short form":{
"text":"Cabo Verde"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"republic"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Praia"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"14 55 N, 23 31 W"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
}
},
"Administrative divisions":{
"text":"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"
"text":"President Jorge Carlos FONSECA (since 9 September 2011)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 August 2011 with a second round on 21 August 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president"
},
"election results":{
"text":"percent of vote in second round - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 53.4%, Manuel Inocencio SOUSA (PAICV) 46.6%"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)"
},
"elections":{
"text":"last held on 6 February 2011 (next to be held by 2016)"
},
"election results":{
"text":"percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAICV 38, MPD 32, UCID 2"
}
},
"Judicial branch":{
"highest court(s)":{
"text":"Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 5 judges)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"judges appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and the remainder by the Supreme Council of Magistrates, a 9-member independent body presided over by the chief justice and includes the high judicial inspector, 2 presidential appointees, 3 elected by the National Assembly, and 2 by their court peers; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court and in consultation with the Supreme Council of Magistrates; judge tenure NA"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts"
}
},
"Political parties and leaders":{
"text":"African Party for Independence of Cabo Verde or PAICV [Janira Hopffer ALMADA] ++ Democratic and Independent Cabo 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 [Ulisses CORREIA e Silva] ++ Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] ++ Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Anibal MEDINA] ++ Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]"
},
"Political pressure groups and leaders":{
"other":{
"text":"environmentalists; political pressure groups"
"text":"Ambassador Jose Luis Fialho ROCHA (since 14 July 2014)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 965-6820"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 965-1207"
},
"consulate(s) general":{
"text":"Boston"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador Donald L. HEFLIN (since 29 January 2015)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"Rua Abilio Macedo 6, Praia"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"C. P. 201, Praia"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[238] 2-60-89-00"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[238] 2-61-13-55"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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 symbol(s)":{
"text":"ten, five-pointed, yellow stars; national colors: blue, white, red, yellow"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Cantico da Liberdade\" (Song of Freedom)"
"text":"Cabo Verde’s economy is vulnerable to external shocks and depends on development aid, foreign investment, remittances, and tourism. The economy is service-oriented with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for about three-fourths of GDP. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy and depends on conditions in the euro zone countries. Although about 40% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of food production in GDP is low. The island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages, exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought, and poor soil for growing food on several of the islands, requiring it to import most of what it consumes. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cabo Verde annually runs a high trade deficit financed by foreign aid and remittances from its large pool of emigrants; remittances as a share of GDP are one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy and mitigate high unemployment. The government’s elevated debt levels have limited its capacity to finance any shortfalls."
"Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy":{
"text":"385,700 Mt (2012 est.)"
}
},
"Communications":{
"Telephones - fixed lines":{
"total subscriptions":{
"text":"58,500"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"11 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephones - mobile cellular":{
"total":{
"text":"613,400"
},
"subscriptions per 100 inhabitants":{
"text":"114 (2014 est.)"
}
},
"Telephone system":{
"general assessment":{
"text":"effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995"
},
"domestic":{
"text":"major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom; fiber-optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998; broadband services launched in 2004"
},
"international":{
"text":"country code - 238; landing point for the Atlantis-2 fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links to South America, Senegal, and Europe; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)"
}
},
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"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)"
},
"Radio broadcast stations":{
"text":"AM 0, FM 22 (plus 12 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2001)"
},
"Television broadcast stations":{
"text":"1 (plus 7 repeaters) (2001)"
},
"Internet country code":{
"text":".cv"
},
"Internet users":{
"total":{
"text":"213,900"
},
"percent of population":{
"text":"39.7% (2014 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transportation":{
"Airports":{
"text":"9 (2013)"
},
"Airports - with paved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"9"
},
"over 3,047 m":{
"text":"1"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"3"
},
"914 to 1,523 m":{
"text":"3"
},
"under 914 m":{
"text":"2 (2013)"
}
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"1,350 km"
},
"paved":{
"text":"932 km"
},
"unpaved":{
"text":"418 km (2013)"
}
},
"Merchant marine":{
"total":{
"text":"13"
},
"by type":{
"text":"cargo 3, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 1"
},
"foreign-owned":{
"text":"3 (Greece 1, Spain 1, UK 1)"
},
"registered in other countries":{
"text":"1 (unknown 1) (2010)"
}
},
"Ports and terminals":{
"major seaport(s)":{
"text":"Porto Grande"
}
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"Armed Forces: Army (also called the National Guard, GN), Cabo Verde Coast Guard (Guardia Costeira de Cabo Verde, GCCV; includes naval infantry) (2013)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"18-35 years of age for male and female selective compulsory military service; 2-yearsconscript service obligation; 17 years of age for voluntary service (with parental consent) (2013)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"132,087"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"136,956 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"106,864"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"117,518 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"6,029"
},
"female":{
"text":"6,026 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Military expenditures":{
"text":"NA% (2012) ++ 0.51% of GDP (2011) ++ NA% (2010)"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"none"
},
"Refugees and internally displaced persons":{
"stateless persons":{
"text":"115 (2014)"
}
},
"Illicit drugs":{
"text":"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)"
