# The World Factbook (1990)/Cape Verde

pages 55–56
​Cape Verde
See regional map VII
Geography
Total area: 4,030 km²; land area: 4,030 km²
Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 965 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
    Extended economic zone: 200 nm
    Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic
Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish
Land use: 9% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 85% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing
Note: strategic location 500 km from African coast near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site
People
Population: 374,984 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 49 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: -8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 65 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 63 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Cape Verdean(s); adjective—Cape Verdean
Ethnic divisions: about 71% Creole (mulatto), 28% African, 1% European
Religion: Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs
Language: Portuguese and Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words
Literacy: 48% (1986)
Labor force: 102,000 (1985 est.); 57% agriculture (mostly subsistence), 29% services, 14% industry (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: Trade Unions of Cape Verde Unity Center (UNTC-CS) closely associated with ruling party
Government
Long-form name: Republic of Cape Verde
Type: republic
Capital: Praia
Administrative divisions: 12 districts (concelhos, singular—concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, São Nicolau, São Vicente, Tarrafal; there may be 2 new districts named Porto Novo and Santa Cruz
Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution: 7 September 1980, amended 12 February 1981 and December 1988
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1975)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly (Assembléia Nacional Popular)
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justia)
Leaders: Chief of State—President Aristides Maria PEREIRA (since 5 July 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES, (since 5 July 1975); Deputy Minister Aguinaldo Liboa RAMOS (since NA February 1990)
Political parties and leaders: only party—African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Aristides Maria Pereira, secretary general
Suffrage: universal at age 15
Elections: President—last held 13 January 1986 (next to be held January 1991); results—President Aristides Maria Pereira (PAICV) was reelected without opposition;
National People's Assembly—last held 7 December 1985 (next to be held December 1990); results—PAICV is the only party; seats—(83 total) PAICV 83
Communists: a few Communists and some sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador José Luis FERNANDES LOPES; Chancery at 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-6820; there is a Cape Verdean Consulate General in Boston; US—Ambassador Terry McNAMARA; Embassy at Rua Hojl Ya Yenna 81, Praia (mailing address is C. P. 201, Praia); telephone [238] 614-363 or 253
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
Economy
Overview: Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birth rate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for 60% of GDP during the period 1984-86. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 16%; the fishing and manufacturing sectors are 4% each. About 90% of food must be imported. The fishing potential of the islands is not fully exploited (the fish catch mostly lobster and tuna came to only 10,000 tons in 1985). Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by remittances from emigrants, cash grants, food aid, and foreign loans.
GDP: $158 million, per capita $494; real growth rate 6.1% (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)
Budget: revenues $80 million; expenditures $87 million, including capital expenditures of $45 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $8.9 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—fish, bananas, salt; partners—Portugal, Angola, Algeria, Belgium/Luxembourg, Italy
Imports: $124 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—petroleum, foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products; partners—Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, France, US, FRG
External debt: $140 million (December 1988)
​Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1986 est.)
Electricity: 14,000 kW capacity; 18 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1989)
Industry: fish processing, salt mining, clothing factories, ship repair
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
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-88), $83 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $540 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $36 million
Currency: Cape Verdean escudo (plural—escudos); 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1—72.31 (February 1990), 74.86 (December 1989), 72.01 (1988), 72.5 (1987), 76.56 (1986), 85.38 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Ports: Mindelo and Praia
Merchant marine: 5 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,308 GRT/16,172 DWT
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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
Defense Forces
Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP); Army, Navy, and Air Force are separate components of FARP
Military manpower: males 15-49, 68,776; 40,731 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 11.8% of GDP (1981)