| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long
form: Republic of Cape Verde
conventional short form: Cape Verde
local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde
local short form: Cabo Verde |
| Capital: |
Praia |
| Location: |
Western Africa,
group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
16 00 N, 24 00
W |
| Area: |
total: 4,033
sq km
land: 4,033 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly larger
than Rhode Island |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
965 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
measured from
claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
temperate; warm,
dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic |
| Terrain: |
steep, rugged,
rocky, volcanic |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island) |
| Natural
Resources: |
salt, basalt rock,
limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
17 municipalities
(concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros,
Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa
Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Miguel, 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; underwent a major revision on 23
November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president,
and a further revision in 1999, to create the position of national
ombudsman (Provedor de Justica) |
| Legal
System; |
derived from the
legal system of Portugal |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President
Pedro PIRES (since 22 March 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES
(since 1 February 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation
of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 11 and 25 February 2001 (next to be held February 2006); prime
minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
election results: Pedro PIRES elected president; percent of vote -
Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 49.43%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 49.42%; note - the election was
won by only twelve votes |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral National
Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held December 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD 39.8%,
ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 2 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Tribunal
of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
African Party
for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria Pereira NEVES,
chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO]
(a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic Christian Party or
PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES, chairman]; Democratic Renovation Party or PRD
[Jacinto SANTOS, president]; Movement for Democracy or MPD [Agostinho
LOPES, president]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr. Eurico
MONTEIRO, president]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias RODRIGUES,
president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM, president] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
418,224 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 39%
(male 82,249/female 80,752)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 110,119/female 116,816)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 10,599/female 17,689) (2005
est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 19.4
years
male: 18.62 years
female: 20.25 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Cape
Verdean(s)
adjective: Cape Verdean |
| Ethnic groups: |
Creole (mulatto)
71%, African 28%, European 1% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
(infused with indigenous beliefs); Protestant (mostly Church of the
Nazarene) |
| Languages: |
Portuguese, Crioulo
(a blend of Portuguese and West African words) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
71,700 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
53,300 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: effective
system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization
in 1995
domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber
optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and
ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998
international: country code - 238; 2 coaxial submarine cables; HF radiotelephone
to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 0, FM 22 (and
12 low power repeaters), shortwave 0 (2002) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (and 7 repeaters)
(2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.cv |
| Internet hosts: |
118 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
20,400 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 1,100
km
paved: 858 km
unpaved: 242 km (1999 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 1,100
km
paved: 858 km
unpaved: 242 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Mindelo, Praia,
Tarrafal |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 5
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,395 GRT/6,614 DWT
by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 2
foreign-owned: 1 (United Kingdom 1) (2005) |
| Airports: |
7
note: 3 airports are reported to be nonoperational (2004
est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
none |
