cape verde map and information page

Description

The Cape Verde islands consist of two small (volcanic in origin) archipelagos, about 400 miles off the western coast of Africa.

These once uninhabited islands were first discovered by the ancient Phoenicians, then later colonized and exploited by the Portuguese, beginning in the 15th century.

In the 16th century the islands became an infamous trading center for African slaves, and eventually, an important stop for transatlantic sea traffic in the 19th century.

After becoming an overseas province of Portugal in 1951, the islands gained their independence on July 5, 1975.

Most of the indigenous people are descendants of African slaves, and some still speak Crioulo, a Creole dialect.

The local economy depends on agriculture and limited tourism. Unfortunately, consistent drought has ravaged Cape Verde for decades, and many of the residents have moved away as food shortages are commonplace.

Facts and Figures

Official Name Republic of Cape Verde

Population 420,979

Capital City Praia (96,000)

Largest Cities Praia, Mindelo, Santa Maria

Currency Cape Verdean Escudo

Currency Converter here

Latitude/Longitude 14º93' N, 23º54' W

Languages Portuguese

Flag here

National Day 5 July; Independence Day

Religions Catholic, traditional beliefs

Land

Land Area 4,030 sq km (1,556 sq miles)

Landforms The islands are hilly and mountainous (all volcanic in origin), and encircle by rugged cliffs and reefs. Mt Fogo on Fogo Island is an active volcano. There are no significant rivers.

Largest Island Sao Tiago (991 sq km) (383 sq miles)

Highest Point Mt. Fogo (2,829 m) (9,281 ft)

Lowest Point Atlantic Ocean, sea level

Land Divisions 17 municipalities; including Boa Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente and Tarrafal.

All maps, graphics and original descriptions created by Graphic Maps, a d/b/a of the Woolwine-Moen Group, unless otherwise noted and/or directly linked to the source, and use of same for any application whatsoever (with the exception of outline maps) requires written permission.

We make no copyright claim on any statistical data on this page, nor on any non-original graphics, and/or pictures not produced by us. Certain statistical data is gathered from the CIA World Factbook, as well as numerous public domain reference materials.

Every effort is made to be as accurate as possible when disseminating information on any worldwide destination. We are not responsible for unintentional data entry errors or omissions. If you would like to submit an addition, change or correction, or suggest a new link, please forward it to our map department and we will give it our immediate attention.

Maps

Large (color) map here

Cape Verde Outline Map here

Cape Verde CIA version here

Cape Verde Maps at UT here

African Continent (printable) here

African Continent here

Africa Landforms Map here

African Outline Map here

Suggested Links

Cape Verde (Complete) information on the (GDP) overall economy, imports and exports, resources, government, population, military, transportation, and more here

Cape Verde Links here

Cape Verde News here

Cape Verde Photos here

Cape Verde Travel Info and Warnings here

Climate Weather on the islands is erratic at best, and very windy. July through October are the warmest months with highs in the low 80s. Cooler temps are common the balance of the year.