Cape Verde Islands

The Republic of Cape Verde or Cape Verde is a republic located on an archipelago in the Macaronesia ecoregion of the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, though the position of the Islands of the Blest, the longitude zero meridian of the ancient Geography of Marinos of Tyre and Ptolemy, agrees tolerably with Cape Verde.

The country is named after Cap Vert (meaning Green Cape) in Senegal, the westernmost point of continental Africa.

History

Cape Verde was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1460 and made the islands part of the Portuguese empire. Due to its location off the coast of Africa, Cape Verde became an important watering station, then sugar cane plantation site, and later a major center of the slave trade.

In 1975, the islands achieved independence, partly due to the efforts of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC). After independence, the PAIGC attempted to unite Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau into one nation, the PAIGC controlling both governments, but a coup in the latter nation in 1980 ended these plans. In Cape Verde itself the PAICV (affiliated with the PAIGC) governed until democratic elections, held in 1991, resulted in a change of government. The Movimento para a Democracia (MPD) won that election. The MPD was re-elected in 1996. The PAICV returned to power in 2001, and were re-elected in 2006.

Politics

Politics of Cape Verde takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Cape Verde is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is held by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Geography

Cape Verde is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa at 15.02N, 23.34W. It is formed by 10 main islands and about 8 islets. The main islands are:

• Barlavento (northern island group)
  • Santo Ant�o
  • S�o Vicente
  • Santa Luzia
  • S�o Nicolau
  • Sal
  • Boa Vista
• Sotavento (southern island group)
  • Maio
  • Santiago
  • Fogo
  • Brava

Of these, only Santa Luzia and the five islets are uninhabited. Presently it is a Natural Reserve. All islands are volcanic, but an active volcano only exists on one of the islands, Fogo (see Mount Fogo).

The isolation of Cape Verde about 500�km from the African mainland has resulted in the islands having a large number of endemic species, many of which are endangered by human development. Endemic birds include Alexander’s Swift (Apus alexandri), Raso Lark (Alauda razae), Cape Verde Warbler (Acrocephalus brevipennis), and Iago Sparrow (Passer iagoensis), and reptiles include the Cape Verde Giant Gecko (Tarentola gigas).

Environment

Charles Darwin gives a vivid description of the geology, climate, zoology and botany of the Islands in the first chapter of his Voyage of the Beagle

Climate

Cape Verde is in the subtropical zone. Average temperatures range from 24�C (75�F) in January and February to 29�C (85�F) in September. The average annual rainfall for Cape Verde is 68.4 mm, with September being the wettest month with 33.6 mm. Conversely, the months April to July record less than one millimetre of rainfall each. The climate is arid, but Cape Verde’s position in the Atlantic contributes to soften the aridity, that otherwise would be the same aridity that in continental areas.

Countries

Cape Verde is divided into 22 counties (concelhos, singular concelho), sometimes referred to as municipalities (munic�pios, singular munic�pio), listed roughly clockwise:

• Santo Ant�o:
  • Paul
  • Porto Novo
  • Ribeira Grande
• S�o Vicente
• S�o Nicolau
  • Ribeira Brava
  • Tarrafal de S�o Nicolau
• Sal
• Boa Vista
• Maio
• Santiago:
  • Praia
  • Ribeira Grande
  • Santa Catarina
  • Santa Cruz
  • S�o Domingos
  • S�o Louren�o dos �rg�os
  • S�o Miguel
  • S�o Salvador do Mundo
  • Tarrafal
• Fogo:
  • S�o Filipe
  • Santa Catarina
  • Mosteiros
• Brava

Economy

Cape Verde is a small nation that lacks resources and has experienced severe droughts. Agriculture is made difficult by lack of rain, and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. Most of the nation’s GDP comes from the service industry. Cape Verde’s economy has grown since the late 1990s, and it is now considered a country of average development. Cape Verde has significant cooperation with Portugal at every level of the economy, leading it to link its currency first to the Portuguese escudo, and, in 1999, to the euro.

Former Portuguese prime minister Jos� Manuel Dur�o Barroso, now (second semester 2004) president of the European Commission, has promised to help integrate Cape Verde within the European Union sphere of influence via greater cooperation with Portugal. In March 2005, former Portuguese president M�rio Soares launched a petition urging the European Union to start membership talks with Cape Verde.

Cape Verde has been on the list of the United Nations Small Island Developing States, and Least Developed Countries.

In 2007 the United Nations graduated Cape Verde from the category of Least Developed Countries, only the second time this has happened to a country.

Demographics

Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are mesti�os, descendants of enslaved Africans and Portuguese settlers. Mesti�os� European ancestors also include Spanish and Italian seamen who were granted land by Portuguese Empire and followed by Portuguese settlers and exiles and Portuguese Jews who were victims of the Inquisition. The remainder includes mostly black Africans or Europeans (most Portuguese left the country after independence). Many foreigners from other parts of the world settled Cape Verde as their permanent country. Most of them were Dutch, French, British, Arabs and Jews (from Lebanon and Morocco), Chinese (especially from Macau), Americans, and Brazilians (including people of Portuguese and African descent) settlers. All of these have been absorbed into the mesti�o population.The majority of the population adheres to Christianity, mostly Catholicism which constitutes some 90% of the population (in many areas Catholicism and indigenous are syncretised). The remaining includes a sizeable Protestant community as well as a small number of Bahai and Buddhist and even smaller Muslim groups.[1]More Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde, with significant emigrant Cape Verdean communities in the United States (500,000 Cape Verdeans), Portugal (80,000) and Angola (45,000). There are also significant number of Cape Verdeans in S�o Tom� and Pr�ncipe, Senegal, France, Brazil and the Netherlands. Cape Verdean populations also settled Spain, Germany, and other CPLP countries (Brazil and Guinea-Bissau).

Culture

The culture of Cape Verde reflects its mixed African and Portuguese roots. It is well known for its diverse forms of music such as Morna and the urban Angolan kizomba, and a wide variety of dances: the soft dance Morna, and its modernized version, passada, the Funan� - a sensual mixed Portuguese and African dance, the extreme sensuality of coladeira, and the Batuque dance. These are reflective of the diverse origins of Cape Verde’s residents. The term “Cabo” is used to refer to residents as well as the culture of Cape Verde.

Language

Cape Verde’s official language is Portuguese. It is the language of instruction and official acts. However, the Cape Verdean Creole is used colloquially. It is a dialect continuum of a Portuguese-based creole, which varies from island to island.

There is a substantial body of literature in Creole, especially in the Santiago Creole and the S�o Vicente Creole. Creole has been gaining prestige since the nation’s independence from Portugal.

However, the differences between the different forms of the language within the islands, have been a major obstacle in the way of standardization of the language. Some people have advocated the development of two standards: a North (Barlavento) standard, centered on the S�o Vicente Creole, and a South (Sotavento) standard, centered on the Santiago Creole.