CAPE VERDE

Praia, capital of Cape Verde officially Republic of Cape Verde, Portuguese Repblica de Cabo Verde, island republic in the central Atlantic Ocean about 385 miles (620 km) off the west coast of Senegal. Lying between 1448 and 1712 N and between 2240 and 2522 W, Cape Verde consists of 10 islands and 5 islets, which are divided into the Windward and Leeward groups. The capital is Praia (see photograph) on So Tiago Island. Area 1,557 square miles (4,033 square km). Pop. (1990) 341,491; (1997 est.) 394,000. Praia, capital of Cape Verde officially Republic of Cape Verde, Portuguese Repblica de Cabo Verde, country comprising a group of islands that lie 385 miles (620 kilometres) off the west coast of Africa, between 1430 and 1730 N and between 2230 and 2530 W, with a total land area of 1,557 square miles (4,033 square kilometres). Praia on So Tiago is the capital (see photograph). Cape Verde is named after the westernmost cape of Africa, which is the nearest point on the continent. The country consists of 10 islands and five islets, which are divided into the Windward (Barlavento) and Leeward (Sotavento) groups. The Windward Islands consist of Santo Anto, So Vicente, Santa Luzia, So Nicolau, Boa Vista, and Sal, together with the islets of Raso and Branco. The Leeward Islands include Maio, So Tiago (Santiago), Fogo, and Brava and the three islets called the RombosGrande, Lus Carneiro, and Cima. The largest port in the islands is Porto Grande at Mindelo, on So Vicente. Its deepwater harbour accommodates sizable vessels and is used primarily as a fueling station. Additional reading Antnio Costa, Cabo Verde, 2 vol. (198081), is an overview of the islands' geography and natural history. Colm Foy, Cape Verde (1988), provides information on the postindependence nation. Deirdre Meintel, Race, Culture, and Portuguese Colonialism in Cabo Verde (1984), analyzes social structures and the role of race. Antnio Carreira, The People of the Cape Verde Islands, trans. from Portuguese (1982), is a history of emigration. Manuel Ferreira, A aventura crioula, 3rd ed. rev. (1985), studies cultural life and has an extensive bibliography. Charles Verlinden, Antnio de Noli e a colonizao das ilhas de Cabo Verde (1963), discusses the period of discovery and settlement; and T. Bentley Duncan, Atlantic Islands (1972), includes a general history of 17th-century commerce. Richard Lobban and Marilyn Halter, Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cape Verde, 2nd ed. (1988), is a useful reference. Joseph M. McCarthy, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands (1977), provides a comprehensive bibliography. Caroline Sarah Shaw Administration and social conditions Government After independence the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) was the only legal political party. A multiparty system was introduced in 1990. A new constitution in 1992 established the president as head of state, elected by universal adult suffrage. The president, in consultation with the National Popular Assembly (also elected by universal suffrage), appoints the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. Local assemblies are headed by elected executive committees. At the middle level there are island committees, also elected by universal adult suffrage. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice, at Praia, is the highest court and oversees a network of popular tribunals at the local level. Education According to official policy, education is compulsory at the primary level for children aged seven to 14 years, but in the mid-1980s only two-thirds of all school-age children were enrolled in either primary or secondary schools. Secondary schooling is provided by four liceus and one industrial and commercial school. There are three teacher-training schools as well. The islands have no university. Only about half the adult population is literate, but the government has launched a major effort to build schools and train teachers to combat this problem.