Cape Verde facts

• Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 15 islands, 570 km off the coast of Western Africa.
• Due to the infrequent occurrence of rainfall the overall landscape is not particularly green, as the country's name suggests (verde is Portuguese for "green"). The name of the country stems instead from the nearby Cap Vert, on the Senegalese coast.
• Languages Portuguese
• The islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th Century.
• Currency Cape Verdean Escudo
• The country has an estimated population (most of it of creole ethnicity) of about 500,000.
• In the 16th century the islands became an infamous trading center for African slaves.
• Capital city: Praia
• Before the arrival of Europeans, the Cape Verde Islands were uninhabited.
• In 1462, Portuguese settlers arrived at Santiago and founded a settlement they called Ribeira Grande (now called Cidade Velha.
• The local economy depends on agriculture and limited tourism.