Cape Verde

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Cape Verde

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República de Cabo Verde/Republic of Cape Verde Area 4,033 sq km/1,557 sq mi Capital Praia Language Portuguese (official), Creole Religion Roman Catholic 93%, Protestant (Nazarene Church) Time difference GMT -1 Major holidays 1, 20 January, 8 March, 1 May, 1 June, 12 September, 24–25 December; variable: Good Friday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Mindelo, Santa Maria Major ports Mindelo Physical features archipelago of ten volcanic islands 565 km/350 mi west of Senegal; the windward (Barlavento) group includes Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista; the leeward (Sotovento) group comprises Maio, São Tiago, Fogo, and Brava; all but Santa Luzia are inhabited Airports two international airports and eight domestic airports; total passengers carried: 973,000 (2001 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 1,100 km/684 mi, of which 78% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 39.7 per 1,000 people (1999)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Pedro Pires from 2001 Head of government José Maria Neves from 2001 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 18 districts Political parties African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), African nationalist; Movement for Democracy (MPD), moderate, centrist; Party for Democratic Convergence (PCD), centrist; Party of Work and Solidarity (PTS) Death penalty abolished in 1981 Armed forces 1,200 (2006 est) Conscription selective conscription Defence spend (% GDP) 0.7 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 7.9 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Cape Verde escudo GDP (US$) 1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5.5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 947 million (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 6,000 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 6.2% (2006 est) Unemployment 17% (2005 est) Labour force 23% agriculture, 6% industry, 71% services (2004) Foreign debt (US$) 517 million (2004 est) Major trading partners Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, USA, Brazil Resources salt, pozzolana (volcanic rock), limestone, basalt, kaolin Industries fish processing, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, rum Exports fuel, footwear and clothing, fish, shellfish and fish products, salt, bananas. Principal market: Portugal 51.6% (2005) Imports food and live animals, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment, mineral products, metals. Principal source: Portugal 45.6% (2005) Arable land 11.4% (2006 est) Agricultural products maize, beans, potatoes, cassava, coconuts, sugar cane, bananas, coffee, groundnuts; fishing (mainly tuna, lobster, shellfish)


POPULATION

Population 518,600 (2006 est) Population growth rate 3.5% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) (per sq km) 128 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 58 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 39%, 15–59 55%, 60+ 6% (2005 est) Ethnic groups about 70% of mixed descent (Portuguese and African), known as mestizos or Creoles; the remainder is mainly African. The European population is very small Life expectancy 68 (men); 75 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 36 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 6 Literacy rate 85% (men); 68% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 1.7 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.6 (2002 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 86 (urban); 73 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 14.1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 16.1 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 179 (1995) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 105 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 10.3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 5.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1462 Originally uninhabited; settled by Portuguese, who brought in slave labour from West Africa. later 19th century There was a decline in prosperity as slave trade ended. 1950s A liberation movement developed on the islands and the Portuguese African mainland colony of Guinea-Bissau. 1951 Cape Verde became overseas territory of Portugal. 1975 Independence achieved and national people's assembly elected, with Aristides Maria Pereira of African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) as first executive president; policy of nonalignment followed. 1981 Goal of union with Guinea-Bissau abandoned; Cape Verde became one-party state. 1988 Rising unrest and demand for political reforms. 1991 In first multiparty elections, new Movement for Democracy party (MPD) won majority and Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro became president; free-market economic reforms introduced. 2001 PAICV regained power in parliamentary elections; José Maria Neves became prime minister; Pedro Pires (who had been prime minister from 1975–91) was elected president. 2006 PAICV again returned to power in elections; incumbent Pires narrowly re-elected president.


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