Difference between revisions of "Cape Verde" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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The government of Cape Verde is based on a constitution that was established in 1980. Elections are held for both the prime minister and president, who both govern for five-year terms. Members of the General Assembly are elected as well, and they appoint the Supreme Court along with the president and prime minister.
 
The government of Cape Verde is based on a constitution that was established in 1980. Elections are held for both the prime minister and president, who both govern for five-year terms. Members of the General Assembly are elected as well, and they appoint the Supreme Court along with the president and prime minister.
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Prior to independence, Cape Verde was subject to Portuguese civil and criminal codes, and most of those provisions remain in effect. A Supreme Tribunal of Justice hears appeals from subregional and regional tribunals. Informal popular tribunals serve as courts of the first instance for minor disputes. The 1992 constitution provides for a judiciary independent from the executive branch.
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The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (Partido Africano da Independência do Cabo Verde—PAICV) was the sole legal political party from 1975 until 1990. In 1990, the constitution was amended to legalize opposition parties.
  
 
== Economy ==
 
== Economy ==
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Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are descendants of the white Portuguese settlers and black African slaves. More Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde, with significant emigrant Cape Verdean communities in the [[United States]] (264,900), [[Portugal]] (80,000), and [[Angola]] (45,000). There are also significant numbers of Cape Verdeans in [[São Tomé and Príncipe]], [[Senegal]], [[France]], and the [[Netherlands]].
 
Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are descendants of the white Portuguese settlers and black African slaves. More Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde, with significant emigrant Cape Verdean communities in the [[United States]] (264,900), [[Portugal]] (80,000), and [[Angola]] (45,000). There are also significant numbers of Cape Verdeans in [[São Tomé and Príncipe]], [[Senegal]], [[France]], and the [[Netherlands]].
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Housing on the islands varies greatly, from the elegant, Mediterranean-style homes of Europeans and middle-class Cape Verdeans to the simple timber and mud-block houses of peasants. At last estimate, approximately 95 percent of all housing units were one-floor dwellings with external walls mostly of stone and clay, stone and cement, or all stone.
 +
 +
Water supply was delivered by pipes, wells, tanks and cisterns, and other sources. As of 2000, only about 76.7 percent of the population had access to safe drinking water. At least 54 percent did not have access to improved sanitation systems, and 50 percent did not have access to electricity.
  
 
== Culture ==
 
== Culture ==

Revision as of 13:00, 4 August 2007


República de Cabo Verde
Republic of Cape Verde
Flag of Cape Verde National Emblem of Cape Verde
Flag National Emblem
Anthem: Cântico da Liberdade
Location of Cape Verde
Capital Praia
14°55′N 23°31′W
Largest city capital
Official languages Portuguese
Government Republic
 - President Pedro Pires
 - Prime Minister José Maria Neves
Independence from Portugal 
 - Recognized July 5 1975 
Area
 - Total 4,033 km² (172nd)
1,557 sq mi 
 - Water (%) negligible
Population
 - July 2006 estimate 420,979
 - 2005 census 507,000
 - Density 126/km²
326/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 - Total $3.055 billion
 - Per capita $6,418
HDI  (2004) Green Arrow Up (Darker).png 0.722 (medium)
Currency Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)
Time zone CVT (UTC-1)
 - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC-1)
Internet TLD .cv
Calling code +238

The Republic of Cape Verde or Cape Verde is a republic located on an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the western coast of Africa. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century; they subsequently became a trading center for African slaves. Most Cape Verdeans descend from both groups.

"Cape Verde" is named for Cap-Vert, now in Senegal, the westernmost point of Africa.

Geography

Cape Verde is an archipelago off the coast of Africa. It is formed by ten main islands and eight islets. The main islands are:

  • Barlaventos (northern island group)
    • Santo Antão
    • São Vicente
    • Santa Luzia
    • São Nicolau
    • Sal
    • Boa Vista
  • Sotaventos (southern island group)
    • Maio
    • Santiago
    • Fogo
    • Brava

Of these, only Santa Luzia is uninhabited. Presently it is a Natural Reserve. The island chain is of volcanic origin, but only Fogo has an active volcano, Mount Fogo, which reaches 9,281 ft (2,829 m) above sea level. Peaks on Santo Antão and São Tiago reach 6,493 ft (1,979 m) and 4,567 ft (1,392 m), respectively. All but three of the islands are quite mountainous, with prominent cliffs and deep ravines. High ground and southwestern slopes support lush vegetation because of moisture condensation. Only four islands have year-round running streams. Mindelo on São Vicente is the principal port, but there are several other fine harbors.

Climate

A cold Atlantic current produces an arid atmosphere around the archipelago. From December to June it is cool and dry, with temperatures at sea level averaging 70°F (21°C); from July to November is warmer, with temperatures averaging 81°F (27°C).

Rainfall is sparse, around 5 in (13 cm) annually in the northern islands and 12 in (30 cm) in the south. The archipelago is subject to cyclical droughts.

Porto Grande - the harbor of Mindelo, Sao Vicente Island
An aerial view of the capital Praia

History

Cape Verde was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1456, and the islands were thus made part of the Portuguese empire. Plantations were established and slaves imported from Africa to work on them. Due to its location off the coast of Africa, Cape Verde became an important port as well as a major center of the slave trade with Europe and the Americas.

Periodic droughts, made worse by deforestation and overgrazing, killed hundreds of thousands from starvation. In the mid-nineteenth century, as the slave trade came to an end, the colony's importance declined. Yet the population rebounded as a result of intermarriage between Africans and Portuguese. As the number of mixed people grew, more opportunities opened up for Cape Verdeans than in other Portuguese colonies. A quarter of the population could read at the time of independence, compared to 5 percent in Guinea-Bissau. It was these educated Cape Verdeans, particularly Amilcar Cabral, who provided the leadership for the long struggle for independence from Portugal.

In 1975, after Salazar's death, the islands finally achieved independence, partially due to the efforts of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC). After independence, the PAIGC attempted to unite Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau into one nation, with the PAIGC controlling both governments, but a coup in the latter nation in 1980 ended these plans. In Cape Verde itself the PAICV (affiliated with the PAIGC) governed until elections were held in 1991 that resulted in a change of government. The PAICV was re-elected in 2001.

Politics

The government of Cape Verde is based on a constitution that was established in 1980. Elections are held for both the prime minister and president, who both govern for five-year terms. Members of the General Assembly are elected as well, and they appoint the Supreme Court along with the president and prime minister.

Prior to independence, Cape Verde was subject to Portuguese civil and criminal codes, and most of those provisions remain in effect. A Supreme Tribunal of Justice hears appeals from subregional and regional tribunals. Informal popular tribunals serve as courts of the first instance for minor disputes. The 1992 constitution provides for a judiciary independent from the executive branch.

The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (Partido Africano da Independência do Cabo Verde—PAICV) was the sole legal political party from 1975 until 1990. In 1990, the constitution was amended to legalize opposition parties.

Economy

fishermen in Cape Verde
sea salt mine in Cape Verde
Santo Antão, Cape Verde
Sao Vicente, Cape Verde

Cape Verde is a small nation that lacks resources and has experienced severe droughts as well as water shortages. Agriculture is somewhat stymied by lack of rain and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. Most of the nation's GDP is from the services industry. Cape Verde's economy has largely grown since the late 1990s and is now considered a country of average human development. Cape Verde has significant cooperation with Portugal at every level of the economy, leading it to fix its currency, firstly through the Portuguese escudo, then the Euro since 1999.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso promised to help integrate Cape Verde within the European Union sphere of influence via greater cooperation with Portugal. In March 2005, former Portuguese President Mário Soares launched a petition urging the European Union to start membership talks with Cape Verde.

Demographics

Most inhabitants of Cape Verde are descendants of the white Portuguese settlers and black African slaves. More Cape Verdeans live abroad than in Cape Verde, with significant emigrant Cape Verdean communities in the United States (264,900), Portugal (80,000), and Angola (45,000). There are also significant numbers of Cape Verdeans in São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, France, and the Netherlands.

Housing on the islands varies greatly, from the elegant, Mediterranean-style homes of Europeans and middle-class Cape Verdeans to the simple timber and mud-block houses of peasants. At last estimate, approximately 95 percent of all housing units were one-floor dwellings with external walls mostly of stone and clay, stone and cement, or all stone.

Water supply was delivered by pipes, wells, tanks and cisterns, and other sources. As of 2000, only about 76.7 percent of the population had access to safe drinking water. At least 54 percent did not have access to improved sanitation systems, and 50 percent did not have access to electricity.

Culture

The culture of Cape Verde reflects its mixed Portuguese and African roots. It is well known for its diverse forms of music such as Morna (the Capeverdian Fado) and the urban Cape Verdian kizomba, and a wide variety of dances: the soft dance Morna, the Funana - a sensual mixed Portuguese and African dance, the extreme sensuality of coladeira (literally "glued"), and the African Batuque dance. These are reflective of the diverse origins of Cape Verde's residents. Indigenously, the term "Cabo" is used to refer to residents as well as the culture of Cape Verde.

Literature

Capeverdean literature is one of the richest of Lusitanian Africa.

  • Poets: Frusoni Sergio, Tavares Eugénio, B.Léza, João Cleofas Martins, Luís Romano de Madeira Melo, Ovídio Martins, Barbosa Jorge, Fortes Corsino António, Baltasar Lopes (Osvaldo Alcântara), João Vário, Oswaldo Osório, Arménio Vieira, Vadinho Velhinho, José Luís Tavares, etc.
  • Authors: Manuel Lopes - Movimento Claridade, Almeida Germano, Luís Romano de Madeira Melo, Germano de Almeida, Orlanda Amarilis, Jorge Vera Cruz Barbosa, Pedro Cardoso, Mário José Domingues, Daniel Filipe, Mário Alberto Fonseca de Almeida, Corsino António Fortes, Arnaldo Carlos de Vasconcelos França, António Aurélio Gonçalves, Aguinaldo Brito Fonseca, Ovídio de Sousa Martins , Osvaldo Osório, Dulce Almada Duarte, Manuel Veiga
  • Compositor: Manuel de Novas, Vasco Martins

Sopinha de Alfabeto

postcard from Sao Vicente

Language

Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese, but Portuguese Creoles (Crioulo, Criol, Krioulo, Caboverdiano), which vary considerably from island to island, are widely used. Each of the 9 inhabited islands of Cape Verde has its own creole. The greatest differences in the different Capeverdean Crioulo languages are between the creole of Santiago and the creole of Santo Antão.

There exists no complete translation of the Bible. Sérgio Frusoni translated, however, Bartolomeo Rossetti's version of the New Testament from the Roman dialect into the Capeverdean creole of São Vicente under the title: Vangêle contód d'nôs móda.

Capeverdian Creole (Crioulo) links

File:Old postcard SaoVicente3.jpg
An old postcard from São Vicente, Cape Verde

References and further reading

  • Dr Marcel Gomes Balla of Boston University has written a short history of these islands, Antonio's Island ISBN 1898030480, covering: The 'official' discovery of Cabo Verde, The Treaty of Tordesilhas- the complete text-in English, The Cape Verdean navigator who made an extraordinary impact on America, Africa, Europe and Asia, The involvement of the church with slavery, The historical ties between Cabo Verde and Columbus, Cabo Verde Vasco da Gama and Cabral, The creation of Brazil, The historical ties with Italy and other countries, The first non-Europeans to cross the Atlantic with a regular sailing schedule and a lot more useful information such as: Portraits of Cape Verdean navigators published for the first time for the public (Africans , mestizos, Europeans, but always Cape Verdeans). Still other famous Cape Verdeans in science, politics etc. Maps confirming the discovery of the islands and the importance of Cape Verdeans and Cabo Verde in world history.


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Agaves à Santo Antão


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