1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic
Coastline
965 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Rhode Island
Environment
subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 9%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 6%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 85%; includes irrigated 1%
Maritime claims
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish
Note
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
Total area
4,030 km2; land area: 4,030 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
48 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Creole (mulatto) about 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Infant mortality rate
63 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
102,000 (1985 est.); agriculture (mostly subsistence) 57%, services 29%, industry 14% (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)
Language
Portuguese and Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words
Life expectancy at birth
60 years male, 63 years female (1991)
Literacy
66% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)
Nationality
noun--Cape Verdean(s); adjective--Cape Verdean
Net migration rate
- 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Trade Unions of Cape Verde Unity Center (UNTC-CS)
Population
386,501 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
Religion
Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs
Total fertility rate
6.6 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal
Capital
Praia
Communists
no Communist party
Constitution
7 September 1980; amended 12 February 1981, NA December 1988, and 28 September 1990 (legalized opposition parties)
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Luis de Matos Monteiro da FONSECA; Chancery at 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-6820; there is a Cape Verdean Consulate General in Boston; US--Ambassador Francis T. (Terry) McNAMARA; Embassy at Rua Hojl Ya Yenna 81, Praia (mailing address is C. P. 201, Praia); telephone [238] 614-363 or 614-253
Elections
President--last held 17 February 1991 (next to be held February 1996); results--Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (MPD) received 72.6% of vote; People's National Assembly--last held 13 January 1991 (next to be held January 1996); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(79 total) MPD 56, PAICV 23; note--this multiparty Assembly election ended 15 years of single-party rule
Executive branch
president, prime minister, deputy minister, secretaries of state, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; in the upper portion of the red band is a black five-pointed star framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea-Bissau which is longer and has an unadorned black star centered in the red band
Independence
5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Judicial branch
Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justia)
Leaders
Chief of State--President Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (since 22 March 1991); Head of Government--Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA (since 13 January 1991)
Legislative branch
unicameral People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular)
Long-form name
Republic of Cape Verde
Member of
ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
Political parties and leaders
Movement for Democracy (MPD), Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA, founder and chairman; African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES, chairman
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 16% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; bananas are the only export crop; other crops--corn, beans, sweet potatoes, coffee; growth potential of agricultural sector limited by poor soils and limited rainfall; annual food imports required; fish catch provides for both domestic consumption and small exports
Budget
revenues $98.3 million; expenditures $138.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)
Currency
Cape Verdean escudo (plural--escudos); 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-89), $88 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $590 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $36 million
Electricity
13,000 kW capacity; 15 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1--64.10 (November 1990), 74.86 (December 1989), 72.01 (1988), 72.5 (1987), 76.56 (1986), 85.38 (1985)
Exports
$10.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--fish, bananas, salt; partners--Portugal, Angola, Algeria, France, Italy
External debt
$150 million (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$262 million, per capita $740; real growth rate 3.2% (1988 est.)
Imports
$107.8 million (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--petroleum, foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products; partners--Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, France, Brazil, FRG
Industrial production
growth rate 18% (1988 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP
Industry
fish processing, salt mining, clothing factories, ship repair, construction materials, food and beverage production
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.2% (1988 est.)
Overview
Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birthrate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for 65% of GDP during the period 1985-88. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 16%; the fishing sector accounts for 4%. About 90% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. In 1988 fishing represented only 3.5% of GDP. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by remittances from emigrants and foreign aid.
Unemployment rate
25% (1988)
Communications
Airports
6 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
5 major transport aircraft (4 owned, 1 leased)
Merchant marine
7 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,708 GRT/19,000 DWT
Ports
Mindelo and Praia
Telecommunications
interisland radio relay system, high-frequency radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau; 1,740 telephones; stations--5 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP)--Army and Navy are separate components of FARP; Militia, Security Service
Defense expenditures
$15 million, 11% of GDP (1981) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 70,771; 41,844 fit for military service