Cabo Verde

Officially known as the Republic of Cabo Verde, CABO VERDE (Cape Verde) is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean in Western Africa. The archipelago is located about 400 miles west of Senegal. Since December 2013, the official name of the country is now known as Cabo Verde, the Portuguese spelling. The former official name was Cape Verde, the English spelling. This for-government-purposes name change reflects the fact that Portuguese is Cabo Verde's official language. Cabo Verde's currency is the Cabo Verdean Escudo, and its ISO 4217 currency code is CVE. Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal on July 5th, 1975.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Cabo Verde’s population in the year 2020 was about 557,400 and was ranked 174th among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. The country's capital, located on the southern coast of Santiago island, is Praia. Based on previous years' data, GeoFact of the Day Blog estimates Praia's 2016 population to be almost 135,000. Attractions and landmarks in Praia and surrounding areas include the Archaeology Museum, Farol de D. Maria Pia lighthouse on Ponta (Point) Termosa, Mercado de Sucupira street market, Praca Alexandre Albuquerque town square, Prainha Beach, Presidential Palace (Palácio Presidencial), and Quebra Canela Beach. Other cities and towns in Cabo Verde include Igreja, Mindelo, Nova Sintra, Pedra Badejo, Santa Maria, São Filipe, and Tarrafal. About three-fifths of residents live in a city or other urbanized setting.

In addition to Portuguese, a Cabo Verdean Creole language known as Kabuverdianu is widely used for communication. About 500,000 Cabo Verdean citizens (2016 estimate) and a total of about 875,000 people around the world can communicate in Kabuverdianu. Split into the Barlavento (northern islands) and Sotavento (southern islands) dialects, Kabuverdianu is a statutory language of national identity according to the nation's Constitution. Most Cabo Verdean natives are multiracial, often descended from a mix of Caucasian, African, and/or Arab ancestors. Over 90% of Cabo Verdeans identify as Christians (mostly Roman Catholic), and about 3% are Muslims. Cabo Verdeans also believe in indigenous beliefs, the Bahá'í Faith, Judaism, and other minority religions.

● ● ● ● ●  Land Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Major islands include Santiago (largest), Boa Vista, Fogo, Maio, Sal, Santo Antão, and São Vicente. Some small islands and islets — including Ilhéu Branco, Ilhéu de Cima, Ilhéu Grande, Ilhéu Raso, and Santa Luzia — are not inhabited by people. Cabo Verde's highest point is Pico do Fogo ("Fire Peak"), an active stratovolcano towering over the northeastern portion of Fogo island. Most of Cabo Verde's lakes are filled with little to no water, hence they are salt lakes. One salt lake with a reasonable amount of water sits in the Pedra de Lume ("Stone of Fire") crater, located on Sal island (northeastern area). The country lacks major rivers, existing rivers have relatively little water, and some rivers and streams have wide river beds — such as the central river on Boa Vista island.

This post was updated with more information on October 11th, 2016.