Cape Verde, a peninsula in west-central Senegal that is the westernmost point of the African continent. Officially known as the Republic of Cabo Verde. The former Portuguese colony comprises 10 islands and five islets, all but three of which are mountainous. The archipelago lies around 500km off the west coast of Africa. Portuguese serves as the official language of Cape Verde, reflecting the country’s colonial history and providing a linguistic connection to other Portuguese-speaking nations.
The country’s capital city, Praia, was named by the Portuguese as Villa de Praia or “Village of the Beach”. It was renamed just Praia in 1974 just before full independence in 1975. Cape Verde is divided into two island groups, the Barlavento (windward) islands with the islands of Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, and Boa Vista and the Sotavento (leeward) islands with the islands of Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. The group of 10 islands combined land area of 4,033 km² is about 1.5 times the size of Luxembourg or slightly larger than the size of Rhode Island.
The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. The largest port in the islands is located at Mindelo, on São Vicente. Its deepwater harbour accommodates sizable vessels and has been used as a fuelling station since the 19th century. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa’s most stable democratic governments. Cape Verde is a melting pot of diverse influences. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese ancestors.
After independence, the government played a central role in Cabo Verde’s economy and created several state-owned businesses, which ultimately was a limiting factor in the country’s economic growth. Dramatic changes to the Cabo Verdean economic structure, especially from the mid-1990s, have since guided the country toward a market economy. As a result of these reforms, the number of state-owned businesses declined significantly; numerous interests such as utilities companies, banks, tourism-sector entities, and other enterprises had been privatized by the early 2000s. Cabo Verde announced its plans to be 50% powered by renewable energy by 2030 – within just six years. The plan is to use a system of solar, wind and energy storage to achieve the ambitious goal. They hope to be almost 100% powered by 2040-2050.
Cabo Verde’s service-oriented economy is centred on commerce, trade, transport, and public services. The revenue from the country’s international airports, emigrants’ remittances, and, increasingly, tourism are all important and have enabled the balance of payments to stay generally positive despite imports’ far exceeding exports. With its natural beauty, vibrant culture, and warm hospitality, Cape Verde’s captivating allure continues to beckon travellers, inviting them to discover the enchanting charm of this archipelago nation. Cabo Verde is the world’s third-largest nesting site for loggerhead turtles (in terms of numbers of nesting females), after Florida in the USA and Oman. There are believed to be almost 200,000 loggerheads in total, according to 2020 data.
The cultural tapestry of Cape Verde is woven from a blend of African, Portuguese, and Brazilian influences, creating a unique and captivating fusion that permeates the nation’s art, music, and cuisine. The traditional Cape Verdean dish, Cachupa, is a culinary delight. Cachupa, a hearty stew prepared with corn, beans, and a medley of meats, embodies the flavours of Cape Verdean cuisine, tantalizing the taste buds with its rich and savory essence.
Cape Verde has a town–Cidade Velha–located at the south of the island of Santiago. It was the first European colonial outpost in the tropics. The town was the first European colonial outpost in the tropics and is famous for its “remains including two churches, a royal fortress and Pillory Square with its ornate 16th-century marble pillar.” It is also home to a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site. The country experiences a tropical climate with year-round sunshine. With its temperate climate and abundant sunshine, Cape Verde offers an idyllic setting for visitors seeking warm weather and outdoor adventures throughout the year.
More than three-quarters of Cabo Verdeans are Roman Catholic, introduced to the island by Portuguese who colonized the country. The constitution in Cape Verde allows for freedom of worship and stipulates that the Church and the State are two separate institutions. There is no state religion in Cape Verde. These factors have encouraged the growth of other religious beliefs such as Protestants and Islam. Around 1.8% of Cabo Verdeans identify with the Islamic faith. The Muslim population in Cape Verde has been growing steadily in the past few years. These Muslims are mainly immigrants from other African countries, particularly West African countries such as Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. There are several mosques spread out across the islands and the Muslim community celebrates important events in the Muslim calendar such as Ramadan.
