Cape Verde

Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi). The country is made up of nine inhabited islands, one uninhabited island and various islets. The archipelago is divided into the Barlavento (Windward) group in the north and the Sotavento (Leeward) group in the south.

The capital is Praia, on the island of Santiago. Portuguese is the official language, while Cape Verdean Creole (Crioulo) is the national language. The national currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), pegged to the euro.

Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi). The country is made up of nine inhabited islands, one uninhabited island and various islets, located between 14°30′ and 17°30′ N and 22°30′ and 25°30′ W. The islands are named after Cap-Vert, the westernmost cape of Africa in nearby Senegal — the nearest point on the continent. The archipelago is divided into the Barlavento (Windward) group in the north and the Sotavento (Leeward) group in the south.

The eastern islands of Boa Vista, Maio and Sal are flat and sandy, heavily eroded by wind, while the western islands are rockier and mountainous. Pico do Fogo, the active volcano on Fogo island, rises to 2,829 metres (9,281 feet) — the highest point of the entire archipelago. Fogo island is essentially a single massive stratovolcano — the most prominent of the Cape Verde islands. Historical volcanic activity within the era of human settlement has been confined to Fogo; Pico do Fogo, the region's largest active volcano, erupted in 2014. The Cape Verdean government describes the islands as lying 455 km from the African coast and formed by the accumulation of rock from eruptions on submarine platforms.

Cape Verde lies in the Sahelian semi-arid belt, with far less rainfall than the nearby West African mainland. The climate is generally moderate but characterised by stable temperatures and extreme aridity. Because rainfall is so rare on non-mountainous terrain, less than two percent of the land is arable.

The Cape Verdean archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers settled it, establishing one of the first European settlements in the tropics. In 1456, Alvise Cadamosto, Antoniotto Usodimare — Venetian and Genoese captains in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator — and an unnamed Portuguese captain discovered some of the islands. The government of Cabo Verde dates the discovery to 1460 by Italian and Portuguese navigators, with settlement beginning on Santiago in 1462, the island most suited to occupation. Over the following decade, Diogo Gomes and António de Noli, also captains in Henry the Navigator's service, discovered the remaining islands of the archipelago.

The Portuguese founded Ribeira Grande — today's Cidade Velha — in 1462 on Santiago, the first permanent European settlement in the tropics. UNESCO calls Ribeira Grande the first European colonial town built in the tropics and a decisive step in European expansion towards Africa and the Atlantic at the end of the 15th century. The Portuguese soon brought slaves from the West African coast; positioned on the trade routes between Africa, Europe and the New World, the archipelago prospered from the transatlantic slave trade in the 16th century. Its insular position — isolated yet close to the African coasts — made Ribeira Grande an essential platform for the Atlantic trade of enslaved people in the modern era. Ribeira Grande was also exceptional for the intercultural encounters that produced the first developed Creole society.

The wealth of Ribeira Grande attracted pirate attacks, including by Francis Drake in 1585 and Jacques Cassard in 1712. From 1747 the islands were struck by recurring droughts and famines that have returned at roughly five-year intervals ever since. Salt exploitation on Sal expanded from around 1800, and the port city of Mindelo grew rapidly after 1838, when a coal depot was established to supply Atlantic shipping. Slavery was abolished in Cape Verde in 1876.

Between 1900 and 1970, some 80,000 Cape Verdeans were shipped to plantations on São Tomé and Príncipe, and more than 7,000 to Angola and Mozambique, often as contract labour during famines. Two of Cape Verde's worst famines, in 1941–43 and 1947–48, killed an estimated 45,000 people. During the 20th century, severe droughts caused the deaths of 200,000 people and prompted heavy emigration. In 1956 Amílcar and Luís Cabral founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde.

On 5 July 1975, at Praia, Portuguese Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves handed power to National Assembly President Abílio Duarte, and Cape Verde became independent. Independence came on 5 July 1975 from Portugal, a negotiated transfer with no armed conflict on the islands. The PAIGC governed Cape Verde from independence in 1975 until 1980, when, after the coup in Guinea-Bissau, its Cape Verdean branch became a separate party, the PAICV. In 1991, after growing pressure for a more pluralistic society, multi-party elections were held for the first time; the opposition MpD won the legislative elections and formed the government. On 24 October 2013 the Republic of Cabo Verde changed its official name — a request submitted to the UN Secretary-General by its Permanent Representative.

The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers settled it, establishing one of the first European settlements in the tropics. The Portuguese founded Ribeira Grande — today's Cidade Velha — in 1462 on Santiago, the first permanent European settlement in the tropics. UNESCO calls Ribeira Grande the first European colonial town built in the tropics and a decisive step in European expansion towards Africa and the Atlantic at the end of the 15th century. Its insular position — isolated yet close to the African coasts — made Ribeira Grande an essential platform for the Atlantic trade of enslaved people in the modern era.

The Portuguese soon brought slaves from the West African coast; positioned on the trade routes between Africa, Europe and the New World, the archipelago prospered from the transatlantic slave trade in the 16th century. Santiago and Fogo hosted slave plantations growing sugar and cotton for Portugal, and produced panos — cotton cloth — for export to West Africa. Ribeira Grande was also exceptional for the intercultural encounters that produced the first developed Creole society. From 1747 the islands were struck by recurring droughts and famines that have returned at roughly five-year intervals ever since.

During the 20th century, severe droughts caused the deaths of 200,000 people and prompted heavy emigration. Two of Cape Verde's worst famines, in 1941–43 and 1947–48, killed an estimated 45,000 people. Between 1900 and 1970, some 80,000 Cape Verdeans were shipped to plantations on São Tomé and Príncipe, and more than 7,000 to Angola and Mozambique, often as contract labour during famines.

Amílcar Lopes Cabral was born on 12 September 1924 in Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau, to a Cape Verdean family. He studied agronomy during seven years in Portugal, graduating in 1952 before returning to Guinea-Bissau. In 1956 Amílcar and Luís Cabral founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde. The Pidjiguiti massacre of 1959, in which Portuguese soldiers shot 50 protesting dockworkers, pushed the PAIGC towards armed struggle.

Unlike Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde saw no armed conflict on its soil: independence resulted from negotiation with Portugal after the April 1974 Carnation Revolution. On 5 July 1975, at Praia, Portuguese Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves handed power to National Assembly President Abílio Duarte, and Cape Verde became independent.

The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, founded in 1956 by Amílcar and Luís Cabral, governed Cape Verde from independence in 1975 until 1980. After the coup in Guinea-Bissau, its Cape Verdean branch became a separate party, the PAICV. Cape Verde abandoned its hope of unity with Guinea-Bissau and formed the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). Before 1991 the country was a single-party state.

In 1991, after growing pressure for a more pluralistic society, multi-party elections were held for the first time; the opposition MpD won the legislative elections and formed the government. Since then, politics has been characterised by competition between the PAICV and the MpD. In April 2021 the centre-right MpD of Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva won the parliamentary election. In October 2021 opposition candidate José Maria Neves of the PAICV won the presidency.

Since the early 1990s Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy and one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. On 24 October 2013 the Republic of Cabo Verde changed its official name — a request submitted to the UN Secretary-General by its Permanent Representative.

Cape Verde's economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport and public services accounting for almost 70% of GDP. Its currency, the Cape Verdean escudo, is pegged to the euro, having been linked first to the Portuguese escudo and, in 1999, to the euro within a framework of deep economic cooperation with Portugal. The country graduated from the United Nations Least Developed Country category in 2007 and has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 23 July 2008. It is officially considered a country of average development, only the second African country to achieve that transition, after Botswana in 1994.

Tourism employs more than two-thirds of the country's population and contributes approximately 25% of GDP — up to 44% when indirect effects are counted. Real GDP expanded 6.3% in 2025, driven by record tourism arrivals, stronger private consumption and improved fiscal performance. The IMF likewise reported robust growth in the second quarter of 2025, at 6.2% year on year, reflecting strong tourism growth and record air passenger arrivals. To diversify private-sector development within and beyond tourism, the World Bank backs a $75 million Resilient Tourism and Blue Economy Development Project.

Cape Verde's resident population is estimated at 491,200 for 2026, while a separate estimate places it at around 530,000 for the same year. The overwhelming majority of the population is of mixed European and African descent and is often referred to as mestiço or Crioulo. Portuguese is the official language, while Cape Verdean Creole, or Crioulo, holds the status of national language.

The diaspora is estimated at around 1.5 million people abroad, roughly triple the archipelago's resident population. Today more Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde itself, and the country with the largest Cape Verdean population abroad is the United States. Cape Verdean migrant communities abroad, especially in New England, Portugal, the Netherlands and France, keep morna and other genres alive far from the islands.

Remittances reached a record in 2025, at around 31 billion escudos, or €284 million, with the largest share coming from Portugal, followed by the United States at 29% and France at 18%. Expatriate Cape Verdeans contribute an amount estimated at 20% of GDP to the domestic economy through remittances. Alongside tourism, these flows make remittances one of the main pillars of the economy.

Morna is widely considered the national music of Cape Verde, a music and dance genre that occupies the same role as Portuguese fado or Argentine tango. It was proclaimed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on 11 December 2019. In its most traditional form, morna has a lento tempo, a 2-beat bar, and a harmonic structure built on a cycle of fifths, with strophes alternating with a refrain. Cape Verdean migrant communities abroad — especially in New England, Portugal, the Netherlands and France — keep morna and other genres alive far from the islands.

Cesária Évora began her career singing in the bars of Mindelo and did not start recording until 1988. She picked up several nicknames over her career, including the Barefoot Diva, Cize and the Queen of Morna. The BBC called her one of the world's greatest exponents of morna, the form of blues regarded as the national music of the Cape Verde islands, and she put the islands on the world-music map by performing their distinctive morna ballads with a mix of sweetness and melancholy. Her ninth album, Voz d'Amor (Voice of Love), won a Grammy Award in 2004.

Alongside morna, funaná is an accordion-based genre from Santiago that colonial authorities denigrated as African before independence. Cape Verdean Creole (Kabuverdianu) is a Portuguese-based creole spoken on the islands and the native language of virtually all Cape Verdeans.

Cape Verde conducts its external affairs as a small archipelagic state whose formal standing in the international system has shifted markedly since the turn of the century. The country graduated from the United Nations Least Developed Country category in 2007, a transition that reclassified it among nations of average development ^{16Cabo Verde — LDC Portal (graduated country) · United Nations ↗}. It is officially considered a country of average development, and only the second African country to achieve that transition, after Botswana in 1994 ^{3Economy of Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}. Membership in the World Trade Organization followed, with Cape Verde joining on 23 July 2008 ^{17Cabo Verde — WTO member information · World Trade Organization (WTO) ↗}.

Regionally, Cabo Verde is listed among the member states of the Economic Community of West African States ^{28Member States · Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ↗}. It is also a founding member state of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Lusophone Commonwealth ^{1Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}. These affiliations sit alongside a domestic political record that has been unusually stable: since the early 1990s Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy and one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa ^{1Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}.

The country's diplomatic identity has also been expressed through its name. On 24 October 2013 the Republic of Cabo Verde changed its official name, a request submitted to the UN Secretary-General by its Permanent Representative ^{14Cabo Verde — Member States · United Nations ↗}.

The national football team of Cape Verde is known by the nickname the Blue Sharks, or Tubarões Azuis. Its most celebrated achievement came on the world stage, where the side reached the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup. In doing so, Cape Verde became the smallest nation ever to advance that far in the tournament. The run was built from a population of just 525,000 inhabitants. Along the way, the team qualified ahead of Cameroon, a five-time African champion.

Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands, of which nine are inhabited, together with islets arranged in the Barlavento and Sotavento groups ^{2Cabo Verde · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}. The islands lie between 14°30′ and 17°30′ N and 22°30′ and 25°30′ W, and take their name from Cap-Vert, the westernmost cape of Africa in nearby Senegal ^{2Cabo Verde · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}. The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers settled it, establishing one of the first European settlements in the tropics ^{1Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}. The Portuguese founded Ribeira Grande — today's Cidade Velha — in 1462 on Santiago, the first permanent European settlement in the tropics ^{7History of Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}.

The overwhelming majority of the population is of mixed European and African descent, often referred to as mestiço or Crioulo ^{2Cabo Verde · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}. Portuguese is the official language, while Cape Verdean Creole, or Crioulo, is the national language ^{2Cabo Verde · Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗}. Cape Verdean Creole, also known as Kabuverdianu, is a Portuguese-based creole spoken on the islands and the native language of virtually all Cape Verdeans ^{27Cape Verdean Creole · Wikipedia ↗}. Today more Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde itself, and the country with the largest Cape Verdean population abroad is the United States ^{21Cape Verdean diaspora · Wikipedia ↗}.

Remittances reached a record in 2025 of around 31 billion escudos, equivalent to €284 million, with the largest share coming from Portugal, followed by the United States and France ^{20Remittances from Cape Verdean emigrants grow 3% in 2025 and reach record high · Plataforma Media ↗}. The diaspora is estimated at around 1.5 million people, roughly triple the archipelago's resident population, making remittances one of the main pillars of the economy alongside tourism ^{20Remittances from Cape Verdean emigrants grow 3% in 2025 and reach record high · Plataforma Media ↗}. Tourism employs more than two-thirds of the country's population and contributes approximately 25% of GDP, up to 44% when indirect effects are counted ^{18Cabo Verde Overview · World Bank ↗}. The currency, the Cape Verdean escudo, was linked first to the Portuguese escudo and in 1999 to the euro, within a deep economic cooperation with Portugal ^{3Economy of Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}.

On 5 July 1975, at Praia, Portuguese Prime Minister Vasco Gonçalves handed power to National Assembly President Abílio Duarte, and Cape Verde became independent ^{10Portuguese Cape Verde · Wikipedia ↗}. Cabo Verde has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 23 July 2008 ^{17Cabo Verde — WTO member information · World Trade Organization (WTO) ↗}. Morna, widely considered the national music of Cape Verde, was proclaimed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on 11 December 2019 ^{22Morna (music) · Wikipedia ↗}. Cidade Velha, the Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande, was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2009 ^{9Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande · UNESCO World Heritage Centre ↗}.