CABO VERDE

The Cape Verde Islands are a place of great contrasts, and each of the 10 islands offers a different experience. Learn more about each of these unique and rewarding destinations, along with culture and useful information, helping you discover the variety of vacation experiences you could soon enjoy.

HISTORY

Cape Verde, officially the Republic of Cape Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state in West Africa, in the central Atlantic Ocean, composed of ten volcanic islands. These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometers (320 and 460 nautical miles) west of Cape Verde, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. The Cape Verde Islands are part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Selvagens Islands. The Cape Verde archipelago remained uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, thus establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Because the Cape Verde Islands were conveniently located to play a role in the Atlantic slave trade, Cape Verde became economically prosperous during the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting traders, privateers, and pirates. It declined economically in the 19th century following the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade by the British Empire, and many of its inhabitants emigrated during this period. However, Cape Verde gradually recovered its economy, becoming an important commercial center and a useful stopover point along major shipping routes. Cape Verde became independent in 1975. The Cape Verde archipelago lies in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 570 kilometers (350 mi) off the west coast of the African continent, near Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania, as well as part of the Macaronesia ecoregion. It is located between latitudes 14° and 18°N and longitudes 22° and 26°W. The country is a horseshoe-shaped cluster of ten islands (nine inhabited) and eight islets, which constitute an area of 4,033 km (1,557 sq mi). The islands are spatially divided into two groups: Barlavento Islands (windward islands): Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista; and Sotavento Islands (leeward): Maio, Santiago, Fogo, Brava. The largest island, both in size and population, is Santiago, which is home to the country's capital, Praia, the archipelago's main urban agglomeration. Three of Cape Verde's islands, Sal, Boa Vista and Maio, are quite flat, sandy and dry; the others are generally rockier and more vegetated.

CULTURE

The culture of Cape Verde is characterized by a mixture of African and European elements, while the language and religion are of European origin, various other aspects such as dance and music are a unique blend of the cultural heritage of the two different continents. The Cape Verdean people are known for their musicality, well expressed in popular events such as the Mindelo Carnival. Cape Verde's music incorporates “African, Portuguese and Brazilian influences”. Cape Verde's national music par excellence is morna, a melancholic and lyrical song typically sung in Cape Verdean Creole. The most popular musical genre after morna is coladeira, followed by funaná and batuque. Cesária Évora was the best-known Cape Verdean singer in the world, known as the “barefoot diva”, because she liked to perform barefoot on stage. She was also referred to as "The Queen of Morna" as opposed to her uncle Bana, who was referred to as "King of Morna". Cesária Évora's international success meant that other Cape Verdean artists, or descendants of Cape Verdeans born in Portugal, gained more space in the music market. Examples of this are the singers Sara Tavares, Lura and Mayra Andrade. Another great exponent of traditional music from Cape Verde was Antonio Vicente Lopes, better known as Travadinha, and Ildo Lobo, who died in 2004. The House of Culture in the center of the city of Praia is called Ildo Lobo House of Culture, in his honor.

WEATHER

Cape Verde's climate is milder than that of the African continent because the surrounding sea moderates temperatures on the islands and cold Atlantic currents produce an arid atmosphere around the archipelago. On the other hand, the islands do not receive the upwelling (cold currents) that affect the west African coast, so the air temperature is colder than in Senegal, but the sea is warmer. Due to the relief of some islands, such as Santiago with its steep mountains, the islands can have orographically induced precipitation, allowing the growth of rich forests and exuberant vegetation where the humid air condenses, soaking the plants, rocks, soil, trunks, moss, etc. . On the higher islands and the slightly wetter islands, exclusively in the mountainous areas, such as the island of Santo Antão, the climate is suitable for the development of dry monsoon forests and laurel forests. C (72 °F) in February. Cape Verde is part of the semi-arid Sahel belt, with precipitation levels not similar to those in neighboring West Africa. It rains irregularly between August and October, with heavy and brief rains. A desert is generally defined as land that receives less than 250 mm (9.8 in) of annual precipitation. The total 145 mm (5.7 in) of Salt confirms this rating. Most of the year's rain falls in September.

GASTRONOMY

The Cape Verde diet is based primarily on staple foods such as milho and rice. During most of the year, vegetables are available only to sweet potato, onion, or tomato, cassava, couve, couve, and feijão. Fruits such as banana and papaya are available all year round, while others, such as manga and abacate, are seasoned. A popular dish served in Cape Verde is cachupa, a slow stew of milho (canjica), feijão and fish or meat. A common appetizer or cake, a fried dough with fish or meat that has been fried.

LANGUAGE

The Cape Verdean population is a mix of Africans and Europeans, with approximately 70% of the population being mixed. The official language of the islands is Portuguese, which is used in the majority of written communication, including daily newspapers; However, the word tends to be used in conversations and is something that will be used not every day. The language is based on African languages, but with increases in several European languages. This may also vary from island to island. More recently, English has been taught as a foreign language in schools.