Cabo Verde

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Cabo Verde is an island archipelago consisting of 10 islands that are located on the Western part of Africa. Just off the coast of Senegal and Mauritania, its landscape is characterized by being a volcanic island with dry plains and active volcanoes which has steep cliffs that are caused by erosion.

Named Green Cape in Portuguese, Cabo Verde was an uninhabited island before its discovery in 1444. When it became incorporated into the Portuguese empire, it became a central hub for the European slave trade. After the abolishment of slavery in 1876, Cabo Verde became a Portuguese province. After growing tensions between the inhabitants of Cabo Verde and Portugal it became an independent state in 1975. Since then, it has been a growing economy and one of the most developed states of Africa.

Cabo Verde is the 165th largest state in the world with a total surface of 4,050 square kilometers or 1,560 square miles. This makes Cabo Verde slightly larger than Samoa and slightly smaller than Trinidad and Tobago.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

The climate of Cabo Verde is a tropical climate. Cabo Verde is a popular tourist destination due to its tropical location. The average temperature is around 23.8 degrees Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature

During the warmer periods between July and September, the average temperature is around 26.5 degrees Celsius or 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Cabo Verde the 14th warmest state in the world. During this period, Cabo Verde is also most subject to hurricanes.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

The average coldest temperature of Cabo Verde takes place from January until March when the average temperature is around 20.9 degrees Celsius or 69.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

The average precipitation in Cabo Verde is around 18 centimeters or seven inches per year. The precipitation is highest in February when the tropical winds collide with the colder winds from the northern hemisphere.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital Praia is home to around 150,000 people. The capital that is closest to Praia is Dakar Senegal with a distance of 680 kilometers or 420 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Praia is Honiara of the Solomon Islands with a distance of 19,300 kilometers or just under 12,000 miles.

Due to low economic resources, the economy of Cabo Verde is largely focused on the tourism sector. Because the territory of Cabo Verde is prone to drought and has limited arable land, it is necessary to import its food from neighboring states, mainly Senegal. Its main export products are shoes, fish and volcanic rock which is largely exported to Portugal, Italy and Spain while its main import partners are Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Cabo Verde is a member of 10 international economic organizations which ranks Cabo Verde as the 153rd most economically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States

Economic Community of West African States
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

Below, you will find the graph that displays the states and their amount of memberships

The GDP of Cabo Verde is the 106th highest in the world with a GDP of US$1.9 billion.

The GDP per capita is also fairly low with the GDP of its citizens being around US$3300 which makes the GDP of its citizens the 157th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) has shown What the average Cabo Verdian earns per year. The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Cabo Verdian citizen makes.

In terms of GDP per service area, Cabo Verde ranks as the 138th highest in the world with a GDP of US$469,000 per square kilometer and US$1.2 million per square mile.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power per capita is the 156th highest in the world with a purchasing power of US$5300.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Cabo Verde.

The population of Cabo Verde is a mix of European and African descent and largely speaks Portuguese, but other British Italian and French minorities are also present on the island. With a population of 450,000 people, Cabo Verde is ranked as the 91st most populous state in the world.

Population

Population density

It has the 84th highest population density in the world with 1,100 people per square kilometer or 2,800 people per square mile.

Emigration

Around 1.1 percent of the population of Cabo Verde has emigrated to other states. This has mainly occurred during periods of food insecurity such as drought and famine.

Immigration

In total, Cabo Verde hosts around 12,000 immigrants or around 2.7 percent of its total population. These immigrants are largely elderly people of European descent, but in recent years it has seen larger immigration from the African continent as well.

Literacy

It is estimated that around 10 percent of the inhabitants of Cape Verde do not have access to adequate schooling. This has led to Cape Verde having to cope with a low literacy rate which is around 87.3 percent, but still among the highest in Western Africa.

Health

Healthcare has been relatively up to standard since its independence. This has created the change from preventable and communicable diseases to deaths that are related to lifestyle choices. However, communicable diseases are still playing a large role within Cabo Verde with malaria, HIV AIDS and the Zika virus largely present throughout the state. The average life expectancy is around 70.5 years with women averaging around 72.7 years and men averaging around 68.2 years.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Being a Christian majority state, Cabo Verde is known to be tolerant towards Christianity as well as other religions. The government of Cabo Verde respects individual religious rights and the Constitution provides freedom of religion.

More than 85 percent of the population of Cabo Verde is Christian, with the largest denomination being Roman Catholicism. However, many other denominations such as Seventh day Adventists, Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, Universal Church of the kingdom of God and Pentecostals among others are also represented throughout Cabo Verde.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Nearly two percent of the population adheres to Islam which is largely represented by immigrants from Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania.

Buddhism is not known to exist in Cabo Verde.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism is not known to exist in Cabo Verde.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

The arrival of Jews in Cabo Verde started as at the end of the 14th century as a result of fears for the Spanish Inquisition. During this time, many Jews in Cape Verde converted to Christianity. Another wave of Jewish immigration arrived in the 19th century when the economic prospects of Morocco were declining and Cabo Verde, as a central trading hub, was flourishing. At present, there is a small Jewish minority living in the capital of Cabo Verde, estimated to be around 0.03 percent of the population, with a small Jewish cemetery.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions mainly stem from indigenous African tribal religions which are practiced by secluded African tribes throughout Cabo Verde. It is estimated that around 0.44 percent of the population adheres to these religions.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Irreligion is represented by the second largest group in Cabo Verde being around 13.5 percent of the total population.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Cape Verde spends around 0.5 percent of its GDP, or around US$9.7 million annually on its military.

The Armed Forces of Cape Verde are officially known as the Cape Verdean Armed Forces and mainly consists of the national guards for internal security and a coast guard for external security.

Military membership

It is, however, a member of four international military organizations. These are:

South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Cabo Verde has not participated in any international wars.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Cabo Verde is a member of 10 international political organizations. These are:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
African Union
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Community of Portuguese Language Countries
International Criminal Court
Interpol
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

As a result of two ruling parties, these parties have monopolized the political system. Some evidence for this is the power of these parties to locate resources away from political parties that attempt to enter the political arena. As a result of this, Cabo Verde is ranked as the 155th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

Following independence, the African party for Independence of Guinea had created a one-party system within Cabo Verde. The name of the political party has changed to the African party for Independence of Cabo Verde and has remained the largest political party within Cabo Verde together with the movement for democracy party.