Cabo Verde

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal

16 00 N, 24 00 W

Africa

slightly larger than Rhode Island

965 km

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and erratic

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

35 sq km (2012)

among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable; islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled; the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations; approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia; Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population, as shown in this population distribution map

strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), and Madeira (Portugal)

Creole (Mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Portuguese (official), Crioulo (a Portuguese-based creole language with two main dialects)

Roman Catholic 72.5%, Protestant 4% (includes Adventist 1.9%, Nazarene 1.8%, Assembly of God 0.2%, God is Love 0.1%), Christian Rationalism 1.7%, Muslim 1.3%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, Church of Jesus Christ 1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 15.6%, no response 0.4% (2021 est.)

1.12% (2025 est.)

17.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

among the nine inhabited islands, population distribution is variable; islands in the east are very dry and are only sparsely settled; the more southerly islands receive more precipitation and support larger populations; approximately half of the population lives on Sao Tiago Island, which is the location of the capital of Praia; Mindelo, on the northern island of Sao Vicente, also has a large urban population, as shown in this population distribution map

168,000 PRAIA (capital) (2018)

40 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.08 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.02 (2025 est.)

0.73 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

2 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)

11.8% (2016)

2.2% (2018 est.)

45% (2021 est.)

parliamentary republic

civil law system of Portugal

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CD, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

ten five-pointed yellow stars

blue, white, red, yellow

adopted in 1992, the coat of arms features the national symbol of ten stars that represent the country’s islands; the stylized torch and triangle at the center of the circle symbolize freedom and national unity, and the three blue lines represent the ocean and sky; the name of the country is written in Portuguese, the official language; the plumbob at the top of the circle -- used in construction to make accurate vertical lines -- represents justice, righteousness, and truth; the chain links symbolize a commitment to the people and their well-being

stable, middle-income, developing island economy; strong GDP growth led by tourism sector recovery; sustained poverty reduction through PEDS II development plan; high reliance on foreign remittances and aid to finance external debt

$2.768 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, tomatoes, coconuts, pulses, goat milk, milk, vegetables, bananas, cabbages, onions (2023)

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair

4.4% (2024 est.)

224,500 (2024 est.)

35.2% (2015 est.)

18.4% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Spain 46%, Portugal 9%, Togo 7%, Italy 7%, India 6% (2023)

fish, refined petroleum, railway cargo containers, shellfish, garments (2023)

Portugal 29%, Saudi Arabia 11%, Netherlands 9%, Spain 8%, China 7% (2023)

refined petroleum, aircraft, cars, fish, railway cargo containers (2023)

state-run TV and radio network, plus a growing number of private broadcasters; Portuguese public TV and radio services for Africa are available; transmissions of a few international broadcasters are available (2019)

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D4

10 (2025)

Cabo Verdean Armed Forces (FACV): National Guard (GN), Cabo Verde Coast Guard (Guardia Costeira de Cabo Verde, GCCV) (2025)

the FACV has approximately 1,000-1,500 active personnel (2025)

the FACV has a limited amount of mostly dated or secondhand equipment, largely from China, some European countries, and the former Soviet Union (2025)

17 years of age for voluntary service (with parental consent); 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory service (14-month service obligation) (2025)

the FACV is responsible for external defense; it also has an internal security role in collaboration with the police if required; its duties include monitoring and patrolling the country's air and maritime spaces, participating in training exercises, conducting search and rescue, countering narcotics and other forms of illicit trafficking, and supporting the police and civil society (2025)