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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Western Africa, group of Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of
- Senegal
- Map references:
- World
- Area:
- total area:
- 4,030 sq km
- land area:
- 4,030 sq km
- comparative area:
- slightly larger than Rhode Island
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 965 km
- Maritime claims:
- measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
- exclusive economic zone:
- 200 nm
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- none
- Climate:
- temperate; warm, dry, summer; precipitation very erratic
- Terrain:
- steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
- Natural resources:
- salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 9%
- permanent crops:
- 0%
- meadows and pastures:
- 6%
- forest and woodland:
- 0%
- other:
- 85%
- Irrigated land:
- 20 sq km (1989 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 indigenous species of birds and reptiles; overfishing
- natural hazards:
- prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and
- seismically active
- international agreements:
- party to - Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
- Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
- Desertification
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- 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
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 435,983 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- 50% (female 106,539; male 110,301)
- 15-64 years:
- 47% (female 114,931; male 88,029)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (female 9,781; male 6,402) (July 1995 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 2.98% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 45.32 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Death rate:
- 8.65 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- -6.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 55.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 63.01 years
- male:
- 61.1 years
- female:
- 65.01 years (1995 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 6.23 children born/woman (1995 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Cape Verdean(s)
- adjective:
- Cape Verdean
- Ethnic divisions:
- Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
- Religions:
- Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs
- Languages:
- Portuguese, Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words
- Literacy:
- age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
- total population:
- 63%
- male:
- 75%
- female:
- 53%
- Labor force:
- 102,000 (1985 est.)
- by occupation:
- agriculture (mostly subsistence) 57%, services 29%, industry 14% (1981)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Cape Verde
- conventional short form:
- Cape Verde
- local long form:
- Republica de Cabo Verde
- local short form:
- Cabo Verde
- Digraph:
- CV
- 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
- Independence:
- 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
- National holiday:
- Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
- Constitution:
- new constitution came into force 25 September 1992
- Legal system:
- NA
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch:
- chief of state:
- President Antonio MASCARENHAS Monteiro (since 22 March 1991; election last
- held 17 February 1991 (next to be held February 1996); results - Antonio
- Monteiro MASCARENHAS (independent) received 72.6% of vote
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Carlos Alberto Wahnon de Carvalho VEIGA (since 13 January
- 1991)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers; appointed by prime minister from members of the
- Assembly
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral
- People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular):
- elections last held 13 January 1991 (next to be held January 1996); results
- - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (79 total) MPD 56, PAICV 23; note -
- the 1991 multiparty Assembly election ended 15 years of single-party rule
- Judicial branch:
- Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justia)
- Political parties and leaders:
- Movement for Democracy (MPD), Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA, founder and
- chairman; African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Pedro Verona
- Rodrigues PIRES, chairman
- Member of:
- 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, UN (Cape Verde assumed a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council
- on 1 January 1992), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Government
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- chief of mission:
- (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jose Eduardo BARBOSA (since 12 February 1994)
- chancery:
- 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 965-6820
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 965-1207
- consulate(s) general:
- Boston
- US diplomatic representation:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Joseph M. SEGARS
- embassy:
- Rua Abilio Macedo 81, Praia
- mailing address:
- C. P. 201, Praia
- telephone:
- [238] 61 56 16
- FAX:
- [238] 61 13 55
- Flag:
- three horozontal bands of light blue (top, double width), white (with a
- horozontal 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
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base,
- serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought, and a
- high birthrate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport,
- and public services accounting for 60% of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the
- population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 20%; the
- fishing sector accounts for 4%. 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 remittances from
- emigrants and foreign aid, which form important supplements to GDP. 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 1995 depend heavily on the maintenance of aid
- flows, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development
- program.
- National product:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $410 million (1993 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 3.5% (1992 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $1,000 (1993 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 7% (1992)
- Unemployment rate:
- 26% (1990 est.)
- Budget:
- revenues:
- $174 million
- expenditures:
- $235 million, including capital expenditures of $165 million (1993 est.)
- Exports:
- $4.4 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
- commodities:
- fish, bananas, hides and skins
- partners:
- Netherlands, Portugal, Angola
- Imports:
- $173 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
- commodities:
- foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products, transport equipment
- partners:
- Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Spain
- External debt:
- $156 million (1991)
- Industrial production:
- growth rate 3.6% (1990 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
- Electricity:
- capacity:
- 15,000 kW
- production:
- 40 million kWh
- consumption per capita:
- 73 kWh (1993)
- Industries:
- fish processing, salt mining, garment industry, ship repair, construction
- materials, food and beverage production
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Economy
- Agriculture:
- accounts for 20% of GDP (including fishing); largely subsistence farming;
- bananas are the only export crop; other crops - corn, beans, sweet potatoes,
- coffee; growth potential of agricultural sector limited by poor soils and
- scanty rainfall; annual food imports required; fish catch provides for both
- domestic consumption and small exports
- Illicit drugs:
- increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs moving from
- Latin America and Africa destined for Western Europe
- Economic aid:
- recipient:
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-90), $93 million; Western (non-US)
- countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $586 million; OPEC
- bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $36
- million
- Currency:
- 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos
- Exchange rates:
- Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1 - 85.537 (1st Quarter 1994), 80.427
- (1993), 68.018 (1992), 71.408 (1991), 70.031 (1990)
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- 0 km
- Highways:
- total:
- 1,100 km (1992)
- paved:
- 680 km
- unpaved:
- 420 km
- Ports:
- Mindelo, Praia, Tarrafal
- Merchant marine:
- total:
- 7 (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,609 GRT/19,052 DWT
- cargo 6, chemical tanker 1
- Airports:
- total:
- 6
- with paved runways over 3,047 m:
- 1
- with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 5
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Communications
-
-
- Telephone system:
- over 1,700 telephones; telephine density - about 4 telephones/1,000 persons
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- interisland microwave radio relay system, high frequency radio links to
- Senegal and Guinea-Bissau
- international:
- 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Radio:
- broadcast stations:
- AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0
- radios:
- NA
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 1
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Cape Verde
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP; includes Army and Navy), Security
- Service
- Manpower availability:
- males age 15-49 80,867; males fit for military service 47,225 (1995 est.)
- Defense expenditures:
- exchange rate conversion - $3.4 million, NA% of GDP (1994)
-