1987 Edition

Climate

temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic

Communists

a few Communists, some sympathizers

Comparative area

slightly larger than Rhode Island Coastline; 965 km

Environment

subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land use

9% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 85% other; includes 1% irrigated

Maritime claim

(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)

Member of

AfDB, CEAO, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, ISCON, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Special notes

strategic location 500 km from African coast near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site

Terrain

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

&... Antéo — 75 km “bs Mindelo 5. Senta % Sal Sto © Luzis %, Vicente *. ip 555 , Sto ’o TIED Boe Vista North Atlantic Ocean tavento thas do S0 a” Fi ae PRAIA BraveQ S@o Tiago

4,030 km?; land area: 4,030 km?

Ethnic divisions

about 71% Creole (mulatto), 28% African, 1% European

Infant mortality rate

60/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

bulk of population engaged in subsistence agriculture

Language

Portuguese and Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words

Life expectancy

61

Literacy

837%

Nationality

noun—Cape Verdean(s); adjective—Cape Verdean

Population

344,282 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.61%

Religion

Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs

Administrative divisions

2 distritos subdivided into 14 concelhos

Branches

56-member National People’s Assembly; the official party is the supreme political organization

Capital

Praia

Communists

a few Communists and some sympathizers

Elections

National Assembly election held December 1985, the second since independence Political parties and leaders: only legal party, African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), led by Aristides Pereira, secretary general; PAICV established in January 198] to replace the former ruling party in both Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), in protest of the November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau

Government leaders

Aristides PEREIRA, President (since July 1975); Pedro PIRES, Prime Minister (since July 1975)

Legal system

based on constitution

Member of

FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 5 July

Official name

Republic of Cape Verde

Suffrage

universal over age 15

Type

republic

Agriculture

main crops—bananas, coffee, sugarcane, corn, beans

Budget

public revenues, $20.4 million; current expenditures, $26.7 million (1984)

Electric power

14,000 kW capacity; 18 million kWh produced, 56 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$1.6 million (f.0.b., 1983); fish, bananas, salt, flour

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 13,205 metric tons (1983); largely undeveloped but provides major source of export earnings

GNP

$110 million, $320 per capita (1983)

Imports

$68.1 million (c.i.f., 1983); petroleum products, corn, rice, machinery, textiles

Major industries

salt mining

Major trade partners

Portugal, UK, Japan, Angola, Zaire

Monetary conversion rate

89.21 escudos=US$1 (December 1985)

Natural resources

salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin

Airfields

6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways ],220-2,489 m

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

Ports

2 major (Mindelo and Praia), 2 minor

Telecommunications

interisland radiorelay system, high frequency radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau; about 1,740 telephones (0.6 per 100 popl.); 2 FM, 5 AM stations; 1 small TV station; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station

Branches

People’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP); Army, Navy, and Air Force are separate components of FARP

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1980, $15 million; about 5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 64,000, $8,000 fit for military service