51 Facts About Cabo Verde

Cape Verde, also known as Cabo Verde, is an island country in the central Atlantic Ocean. Its official name is the Republic of Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde was an uninhabited island that the Portuguese discovered and colonised in the 15th century.

The islands get their name from the Cap-Vert peninsula in West Africa.

Cabo Verde is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean located in Western Africa, west of Senegal.

Cabo Verde was still under Portuguese control until 1975. After a few years, it became a slave trading centre as well as a resupply and coaling stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1876.

Only about 10% to 11% of the island's land is suitable for agriculture.

The archipelago is located about 600 kilometres off the coast of West Africa.

The islands that receive the most rainfall are Santiago, Fogo, and Santo Antao, while Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio receive almost no rain.

Nine of the archipelago's ten islands are inhabited.

Barlavento (windward) islands include 1. Santo Anto, 2. So Vicente, 3. Santa Luzia, 4. So Nicolau, 5. Sal, and 6. Boa Vista; and Sotavento (leeward) islands include 7. Maio, 8. Santiago, 9. Fogo, and 10. Brava.

Cabo Verde has eight islets as well (small islands).

Santo Anto is the archipelago's second largest island. Hikers flock to the island because it provides the ideal terrain for them to put their endurance and skills to the test on a vertical isle strewn with canyons, valleys, and gorges.

Pico do Fogo is Cabo Verde's highest point, rising 2,829 metres (9,281 feet) above sea level. It rises from the crater floor of Ch das Caldeiras, an ancient crater. When 300 cubic kilometres of the island collapsed and slid into the sea to the east, the crater was formed.

Cape Verde has a town called Cidade Velha, which is located in the south of the island of Santiago. It was Europe's first tropical colonial outpost. It also has a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.

The combined area of these islands is slightly more than 4000 square kilometres.

Santiago is the most populous and largest of the islands. Praia, the capital city, is also located there.

Mt Fogo, Cabo Verde's highest peak, erupted last between late 2014 and early 2015.

Until 1980, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau were a single country.

Cape Verde held its first multi-party elections in January 1981, following the abolition of the one-party state on September 28, 1990. (It should be noted that a single-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution.)

Cabo Verde also joined the World Trade Organization in late 2007. (WTO).

Charles Darwin was a famous visitor to Cape Verde. He spent nearly 21 days on the islands. In 1498, Christopher Columbus also visited the island of Boa Vista. In 1497, Vasco da Gama visited Santiago.

Cabo Verde has one of the most stable democratic governments in Africa.

The majority of Cape Verdeans are descended from both African and Portuguese ancestors.

Because of the repeated droughts that the country experienced in the second half of the twentieth century, which resulted in heavy emigration of the local population, the country's expatriate population outnumbers its domestic population. Cabo Verdeans have emigrated to the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America.

Cape Verde (2007) is the only country to have graduated from the United Nations' list of Least Developed Countries, following Botswana (1994). (LDCs).

It is estimated that there is one goat for every two people on the islands.

There are no known oil or gas resources in Cape Verde.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Cape Verde second among African countries in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index.

Cabo Verde was identified as having active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitos in August 2016. Travelers were warned about the risk of this disease spreading through mosquito bites, sex, and blood transfusion.

In Cape Verde, the leading causes of death are cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, lower respiratory infection, HIV/AIDS, self-harm, diabetes, stomach cancer, interpersonal violence, neonatal preterm birth, chronic kidney disease, congenital defects, and other cardiovascular diseases. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation compiled the data.

High systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, child and maternal malnutrition, air pollution, alcohol and drug use, high fasting plasma glucose, unsafe sex, high BMI, tobacco smoke, unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing are some of the risk factors that cause the most death and disability in Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is on track to become one of the world's largest per-capita aid recipients, thanks to contributions from the World Bank and the EU.

The two main political parties in Cape Verde are the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICY) and the Movement for Democracy (MPD).

The military in Cape Verde has about 1200 active personnel.

The President of Cabo Verde is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.

There is also a small museum on the archipelago dedicated to the memory of freedom fighter Amilcar Cabral (1924–73). He was assassinated in 1973 while leading an independence movement for Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau.

The standard of living in Cape Verde is higher than in most other African countries.

Culturally, the Barlavento islands are more associated with Portuguese colonisers, whereas the Sotavento islands are more associated with Africans.

Cabo Verde's staple food is corn. Their national dish is Cachupa.

Sugarcane liquor is a popular alcoholic beverage on the islands, particularly among men.

Cabo Verde's only native animal is the long-eared bat.

Some of the island's native birds include the Alexander's Swift, Bourne's Heron, Raso Lark, Cape Verde Warbler, Iago Sparrow, and Cape Verde Shearwater.

Tourism is vital to the economy of Cabo Verde.

Poverty levels in Cape Verde fell from 37% in 2001 to 27% in 2007 as a result of the government's efforts and strategic planning.

Cape Verde is a well-known tourist destination. The Archipelago saw a 13.6% increase in tourists in 2016 when compared to 2015.

Sal, one of the archipelago's windward islands, attracts more visitors than any other island. It has a lovely beach that runs for 8 kilometres along the coast.

In Cape Verde, there are no railways.

Cape Verde has seven operational airports. The country has only one airport that is more than 3,047 metres long.

Cape Verde has a total road network length of 1,350 kilometres.

Porto Grande is the country's main seaport.

According to a World Bank report from 2007, the country has 73 cars per 1000 people.