CAPE VERDE
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
CAPE VERDE
@Cape Verde:Geography
Location: Western Africa, group of Islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, west of Senegal
Map references: World
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CAPE VERDE - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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PRAIA 50,000 14.55N, 23.30W 238- GMT-1
Mindelo 37,000 16.54N, 25.00W 238- GMT-1
Ribeira Grande 2,000 17.12N, 25.03W 238- GMT-1
Sal Rei 1,000 16.12N, 22.58W 238- GMT-1
Santa Maria 1,000 16.38N, 22.57W 238- GMT-1
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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
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
@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)
@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
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
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
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
@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
@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
@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)
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