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Cabo Verde Islands

Cape Verde Islands, Cape Verde

CABO VERDE ISLANDS - WHERE IS CABO VERDE?

Although known in English as "Cape Verde", in 2013, it was announced at the United Nations that the official name "Cabo Verde" should no longer be translated into other languages. The country's name comes from neighboring “Cabo Verde”, on the Senegalese coast.

Cabo Verde is an archipelago made up of 10 unique and blessed volcanic islands lost in the ocean, of which 9 are inhabited, with a geostrategic position placing the country in the center of the globe. The flight from Amsterdam to Sal, the most touristic island of all, takes about 6 hours and from Lisbon to Praia, the capital of the country, takes about 4 hours. At about 570 kilometers off the coast of West Africa, or 45 minutes away from Senegal's coast, the islands cover a total area of just over 4,000 square kilometers.

HISTORY

Portuguese navigators discovered the islands of Cape Verde in 1460, being the first islands to be populated those of Santiago and Fogo. Being deserted, without conditions of human occupation, a great task was required for the introduction of its own means. However, the location of the archipelago was of great strategic value, as a support point on the sea routes to America and southern Africa. In the context of the European expansion initiated by Portuguese and Castilians, it allowed the replenishment of water and fresh food, and naval repairs. The islands also served as a laboratory where various agricultural species, European and African animals were experimented and acclimated, later introduced to the American, African and European continents.

The city of Ribeira Grande, on the island of Santiago, served as a stopover point for ships from all over the world and for the slave traffic and trade, which was beginning to grow at the time. Later, with the abolition of slavery, the country began to show signs of fragility and went into decay, revealing a poor and subsistence economy.

In 1956, Amílcar Cabral, Aristides Pereira, Luís Cabral, among other young patriots of today Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which emerged in the context of the African liberation movement, which gained strength after the Second World War (1939-1945). On July 5, 1975, the country's independence was proclaimed, considered by many at the time as an unviable country, due to its own weaknesses.

Nowadays, Cape Verde becomes the country of "Morabeza", and scientifically recognized as the country with the most mixed population in the world. Good governance, and the low level of corruption and crime make the country the best governed in Africa and the safest to live on the continent.

GEOGRAPHY

Member of the macaronesian islands or simply “The blessed islands”, Cabo Verde is becoming a popular tourist destination in recent years. In fact, each island has its specialty, color and flavors that make the country full of attractions that increase the demand of tourists looking for Cape Verde as a vacation destination.

The archipelago is divided into two groups:

To the north, the Barlavento islands. Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia (uninhabited), São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista. Also belonging to the Barlavento group are some islanders.

To the south, the Sotavento islands. Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.

The largest islands are Santiago, in the southeast, where Praia, the country's capital, is located, and the island of Santo Antão, in the far northwest.

LANGUAGE

The official language is Portuguese, used in schools, public administration, the press and publications. The national language of Cape Verde, the language of the people, is Cape Verdean Creole (criol or kriolu). Cabo Verde is made up of ten islands and each island has its own Creole variant (except Santa Luzia as it is not inhabited). French and English are taught in secondary education.

CLIMATE

Cape Verde's climate has some affinities with hot desert climates, but it is distinguished by the small thermal amplitudes, its humidity and the periodicity of the rains. Located in the sub-Saharan area, the archipelago is characterized by arid and semi-arid climatic conditions. It has two seasons: the rainy season (very irregular) - from August to October - and the dry season, which runs from December to June. The months of July to November are considered to be transition months.

The climate is temperate thanks to the moderating action that the ocean and trade winds have on the temperature, with annual averages rarely rising above 25ºC, never falling below 20ºC. The sea water temperature varies between 21ºC in February and March and 25ºC in September and October. Cape Verde's climatic stability guarantees the possibility of tourism all year round.

HIGHLIGHTS

Disvover Cidade Velha, located on the island of Santiago, is the first city built by Europeans in Sub-Saharan Africa and a world heritage site.

Marvel at the island's active volcano, Fogo, which last erupted in 2014. The volcano is the highest mountain in Cape Verde with 2829 meters and the third highest mountain in the Atlantic Ocean.

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