Cape Verde is a cape in the westernmost part of Africa. It is also the name of a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, about 650 kilometers from Cape Verde in Africa. It is an archipelago consisting of ten islands and five islets, this nation has an area of only 4,033 km².
The Cape Verde Islands were discovered in 1460 by Portuguese sailors. The islands were uninhabited when they were discovered, today they have a population of around 539,560 people. Portuguese is the official language, but each island has its own dialect. Cape Verde became an independent nation in 1975.
The islands of Cape Verde are of volcanic origin, and seven of the largest islands are mountainous. One of the peaks found on the Islands is over 2,700 meters high, higher than any mountain in Portugal, or anywhere else that was once the vast Portuguese empire!
Situated at the same latitude as the Sahara desert, the Cape Verde Islands are warm and dry. Drought is always a problem, even though the nation is surrounded by water.
Cape Verde is very poor, with no railways, no infrastructure and only a few telephones. Much of the country's income comes from recharging ships and planes on their way to other places.
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