Cape Verde Islands lie off the coast of West Africa just south of the Tropic of Cancer. Cape Verde's strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes between Europe, Africa and the Americas led to early colonisation by the Portugese. Today, remnants of this period remain, particularly in the hisoric town of Cidade Velha, while the Creole race that developed between the Portugese and native Africans have created a unique and very hospitable Cape Verdean culture. The islands are also renowned for their spectacular landscapes, from the alpine mountains and deep, green ribeiras of Santo Antao to the volcanic cones and craters of Pico de Fogo. Explore in depth highlights of Cape Verde.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
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| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT -1 (Cape Verde standard time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Crioulo, Portuguese |
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| Currency: |
Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) €1 = Esc110, $1 = Esc98.83, £1 = Esc131 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .cv | International Dialling Code: 238 |
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For help planning your trip to Cape Verde including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Cape Verde trip planning page.
Further information on Cape Verde
Discover more about Cape Verde - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 4,033 sq km (0 sq km under water)
Coastline: 965 km (Atlantic Ocean)
Neighbours (border lengths): No land borders
Climate: Temperate climate, warm and dry with little rain.
Highest mountain: Mt. Fogo (2,829m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Cape Verde from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Flawed democracy | 31/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Moderately Free | 60/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Satisfactory situation | 36/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Some rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Low corruption | 42/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 37/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Republic of Cape Verde Status: Independent Country
Population: 538,535 (rank: 166/196) Density: 133.5 people/sq km (rank: 62/196)
Ethnic groups: Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
GDP (PPP): $2.22 billion GDP per capita: $4,400 (rank: 138/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.