The official language is Portuguese, although a creole dialect is widely spoken. Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism are the predominant religions. The inhabitants are mainly descendants of slaves brought from the mainland. There is also a sizable population of foreign workers. Fishing and timber are also important.
Industry is limited to food processing and light manufacturing.
Efforts to diversify agriculture and the economy in general have met with limited success. Fuel, machinery, equipment, and a significant amount of food must be imported. The country's trading partners include the Netherlands, Portugal, France, and Belgium. They were proclaimed a colony of Portugal in 1522. The Dutch held the islands from 1641 to 1740, when they were recovered by the Portuguese.